If there is a God, why is there evil? 【True Stories from the Spiritual World】

Q. If there is a God, why is there evil?

A. Evil is allowed to exist by God because it can become good over the flow of time.

Does the 'absolute nature of God' truly contradict the 'existence of evil'?

Regarding good and evil, throughout history, religious figures and philosophers have debated various points. 'If God is a singular existence of goodness, then the existence of evil is strange, and the existence of evil spirits and demons is also strange. The existence of such things would imply that there are attributes of such things within God's nature. If there are no such characteristics within God's attributes, then it cannot be said that God governs this universe entirely. There would be a world beyond God's control, implying the existence of other beings. In that case, God could not be the sole absolute being.' This contradictory theme has led to a situation where a conclusion about good and evil has been difficult to reach for a long time.

The cause of the emergence of evil is 'freedom' itself.

Indeed, looking at human history, there has always been a struggle between good and evil, seemingly without resolution. However, if we speak from the conclusion of the true world of gods and Buddhas, it can be said that 'there exists a great goodness that transcends the duality of good and evil, and what appears as good and evil to the eyes of humans on earth is merely the attributes associated with freedom appearing differently.' Freedom is considered free when it has no restrictions at its starting point. Due to the lack of restrictions, conflicts may arise, or prosperity may be brought about. In other words, when freedom takes on the aspect of prosperity, it appears good, and when it takes on the aspect of conflict or struggle, it appears evil. This aspect of evil is generally seen as something that, through processes such as reflection, repentance, and confession, is forgiven and transformed into goodness. The assumption that such psychology exists implies that it can lead to a monistic thought of goodness when transcending a certain period of time.

Evil is transformed into good through 'forgiveness'.

The idea that 'even if good and evil are clearly divided when viewed over a few decades of life, over the long flow of time, all that is evil is being taught and guided towards goodness' is a form of monism. If we hold the thought that 'what seems like an infinitely long time for humans is but a moment from the perspective of the Buddha,' we can say that 'a world of only goodness is unfolding.' Regarding the existence of evil and evil acts, some may have various doubts such as, 'Is it unforgivable? Is there no Buddha in this world? Are the powers of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas equal to those of demons?' However, even if it may seem that way, within the flow of time, there exists a religious act of 'forgiveness,' and through forgiveness, everything can be seen as a process of transforming into goodness.

References: "True Stories from the Spiritual World." open_in_new Part 4 Chapter 1 If there is a God, why is there evil in the world?