ARGUMENTS AGAINST MONOTHEISM 125The existence of evil is the most influential consideration against the
existence of God. The fact is that there is evil in the world, and the fact is that
this is at least initially puzzling if the world is created and providentially
guided by a morally perfect and omnicompetent God. In this chapter, then,
versions of this consideration are examined.^4
It is often taken to be obvious that the existence of evil is at least evidence
against the existence of God. Even if other, stronger considerations vote
“Yes” regarding God’s existence, it is claimed that evil obviously votes “No”
in that election. I take this to be false. The existence of evil is evidence
against the existence of God only if there is some sound and valid argument
in which There is evil is an essential premise (one without which the
argument is invalid) and God does not exist^5 is the conclusion. It is not
obvious that there is any such argument. Anyone who claims there is such an
argument may be challenged to produce it. This chapter considers various
arguments that have been offered to meet this challenge.
Is the existence of evil evidence against the existence of God?
That there is evil seems to many a feature of the world that God would not
have allowed. Thus they argue that since evil does exist, God does not. This
inference is cogent if and only if (E) There is evil and (G) God exists are
logically incompatible, or if (E) plus some set S of discernible truths is
logically incompatible with (G). Thus arguments from evil to the non-
existence of God either claim that (E) and (G) are logically incompatible or
seek some set S of discernible truths which, together with (E), is
incompatible with (G). The claim is that (E) entails not-(G) or that a set S of
discernible truths, together with (E), entails not-(G). It is possible to consider
several arguments from (E) is true to (G) is false within a brief scope,
thereby gaining a good sense of how likely to succeed this enterprise is.
Failed escapes
No typical version of monotheism can deny (E). Semitic and Hindu
monotheisms hold that our basic religious problem is sin from which we
need forgiveness and deliverance. But to sin is to act in a way that is evil.
Typical monotheisms are religions of redemption from evil. So they cannot
deny that (E) is true.
Nor can monotheism consistently embrace the notion of a finite God – a
deity who, for reasons of lack of knowledge, power, or goodness does not
prevent evil. If a supposed deity is not perfectly good, it is not the deity of