Problem of evil is a flawed argument

The problem of evil is as follows: "God exists. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent. An omnibenevolent being would want to prevent all evils. An omniscient being knows every way in which evils can come into existence, and knows every way in which those evils could be prevented. An omnipotent being has the power to prevent that evil from coming into existence. A being who knows every way in which an evil can come into existence, who is able to prevent that evil from coming into existence, and who wants to do so, would prevent the existence of that evil. If there exists an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God, then no evil exists. Evil exists (logical contradiction)." (1) First of all, i begin by defining "good" and defining "evil" because the problem of evil did not define it, but before i do that, i begin saying that in the Bible, there are two dual concepts: good and evil. You cannot know what evil is unless you know what good is. There are two kinds of good and evil: 1) Natural good - God's creation is described as "good" in Genesis 1. 2) Natural evil - God allows natural disasters to occur in the world 1) Moral good - Defined by God's decrees, commandments, and his character throughout the Bible (Ps. 119:68, ps. 145:9). 2) Moral evil - that which is contrary to God's characters and a rejection of his will. The intentional harm of the self and other humans violating the principles of God's love. Now, the problem of evil really forces "black and white" thinking. It's not a rule that if God allows evil, he must also be evil. So when it is argued "an omnibenevolent being would want to prevent all evils", what is really being said is "an omnibenevolent being should prevent all evils." The concept that God would want to prevent all evil from the beginning does not exist in the Christian world and i will explain. Gen. 3:1 the fact that the serpent who is identified as Satan himself proves that moral evil already existed. The fact that the woman could disobey (v. 6) further proves that moral evil was a problem since the beginning. There's no such concept as a "sinless" and "perfect" world. Adam and Eve were innocent, but not sinless as Christ is. Physical calamities then followed (v. 19). In Revelation, it promises a future world where everything is perfect through Jesus Christ, but it never promises a world free of evil. Throughout the Bible however, it does give us principles to follow in order to overcome evil. 2) It commits the fallacy of a false dilemma - it only allows for two conditions a. God is stops all evil and is therefore good b. God allows evil and it therefore makes him evil It never stops to consider why God allows evil to happen which also affects his omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence which leads me to my 3rd point 3) humans can only be benevolent and have finite knowledge of things. Therefore, we can never fully understand omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence in order to discern what is good and what is evil relating to God. 4) The greater good - For this debate, i will focus on explaining the problem of human suffering through the philosophical perspective given in the book of Job. Job is a man who is morally upright and blameless in Job 1. However, in v. 6, Satan appears before God to test Job's integrity. God responds with in v. 8 "8 Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" He acknowledges Job's integrity and Satan responds in v. 9-11 "...Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" God is actively working in the world (he is in control of the universe) and says in v. 12 "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." God is basically saying "very well, you claim that Job maintains his integrity because i gave him all of these blessings, so take them away, but lets see if he will still remain faithful to me." Job is struck with all sorts of natural calamities directly caused by Satan, however permissively caused by God. In response, Job says in v. 21-22 "21 And he said: "Naked I came from my mother"s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord." 22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong." Satan failed his test. Job had still maintained his integrity despite good being taken away. Throughout the story, we see that Job wrestles with God allowing his suffering and at the end, God asks him a series of questions regarding God's mind beginning in chapter 40. At the end, Job recognizes that God is all-knowing and he can do what he wants and in chapter 42, Job is blessed with much more than he had before. What was the purpose of evil? In this case, it was to show that despite it happening, it was for the greater good (maintaining Job's integrity). There is indeed a purpose for suffering. When a person (namely Job's family and flocks) die off, it does not imply that that they had no purpose, but that they fulfilled their purpose. It's not always a rule that God causes good to the righteous and calamity to the wicked, but that the righteous suffer not because of wickedness, but because God wants to improve their character. To make observations on natural evil, scientifically, nothing is ever wasted and does have benefits to this world contrary to popular belief. Corpses decomposing help the soil which then helps the environment. The death of dinosaurs enables humans and animals to evolve. Other organisms can then benefit from the minerals inside our bodies. Even natural disasters benefit the environment. For example, hurricanes help the earth distribute heat (2). Fires also benefit the ecosystem and plants depend on them for enrichment (3). It's clearly false to say that absolutely no good comes from natural evil. If you deny the concept of a greater good then you may as well shut down all hospitals and stop the progress of science, destroy all weaponry because these things cause harm to others. A surgeon cutting open a human to remove a tumor is causing harm, but it is for the "Greater good." 5) Free-will - We must also remember that humans are responsible for their actions and as a cause do contribute to the suffering in the world. To outright put the blame on God for all the evil in the world is to avoid complete responsibility for our actions as people with free-will. In conclusion, the problem of evil is a flawed argument to use against the God of the Bible because it does not apply to Christianity and misunderstands the beliefs and views in the Bible. Sources: 1. http://en.wikipedia.org... 2. http://content.time.com... 3. http://www.pbs.org...