Theistic Evolution claims that God allows random natural processes happen on Earth. These processes could result in natural disasters that cause pain and suffering to humans and animals. Yet, they are normal cycles of nature that nourish and replenish the earth. Therefore, the Problem of Evil is not really a problem. Natural processes are to be blamed, not God.
Does theistic evolution really solve the Problem of Evil?
I think it does look like natural disasters come from random processes, don’t they? It really seems that natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, and diseases, all happen just randomly.
A bomb cyclone happened in the state of Washington where I am currently living. To some people, including my family, this caused inconvenience for a few days. Some regions lost electricity, and some roads were blocked by fallen trees. To some others, it has been fatal. There were at least two deaths because of this natural phenomenon. A large tree fell on a homeless encampment. It killed a woman in her 50’s. Another 65 years old woman was killed in a shower when a tree fell to her home. I think she would never expect to be killed in a shower at her own home. It certainly looks random to her.
But why do God allow these random processes to control our lives? Can God nourish earth with processes, random or not, that do not disastrously take away lives? Isn’t God all powerful and all merciful?
We come back to our starting point. Even if theistic evolution is right, and natural disasters are random processes that are essential for the health of the earth, God is still to be blamed. If we accept the argument of theistic evolutionists, we can still ask why God chooses a cruel method for earth to operate on.
So far, we have discussed three proposals to try to solve the Problem of Evils. Honestly, it seems that none of them can be universally accepted as the solution. The Free-Will defense does not address the evils that come from natural disasters. The Soul-Making defense covers both humanly created evil and natural evil, but it could be difficult to accept emotionally. Theistic evolution shifts the blame of evils to random natural processes, but the ultimate responsibility of evils still goes to the Creator.
I think at this point, we can appreciate why the Problem of Evil has been studied for centuries, and why so many Christians are still struggling with it even today.
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