Talk:Evil God challenge

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State atheism needs a reassessment of its Importance level, as it has little to do with atheism and is instead an article about anti-theist/anti-religious actions of governments.
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Atheism or Irreligion?

Shouldn't this page be on Irreligion? Because the evil God challenge seems like a way to disengage people to research into the nature of the divine, not an argument for the inexistance of God. Irecorsan (talk) 21:44, 18 February 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Not equally valid

I'm surprised there isn't any further discussion (or references) for the idea of if an evil god would allow good more than a good god would allow evil. Instead this appears to just provide the idea that a good god would allow evil while an evil god wouldn't allow any good, or that both would allow neither of the opposite. While it is just my opinion so I can't add it to the page, I think it is vastly more likely for an evil god to allow good (especially to make suffering worse) than it is for a good god to allow evil. And this is partly because of that reason. There isn't really a valid reason for an all loving god to allow suffering. Anything coming from it could either be achieved through other means or simply isn't needed and trying use it as a justification is more abusive, e.g. imagine beating someone just so they are more happy when you are not beating them. Conversely because of the impact of attachment on suffering, an evil god would allow good to create that attachment to make the suffering worse. Does anyone know if there is any discussion of this in the literature which could be added? Black.jeff (talk) 21:40, 3 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

William Lane Craig

The page states that "William Lane Craig has suggested that an all-evil God would create a world devoid of any good". The nearest relevant citation is this article by Craig, which does not seem to agree with that statement. Craig says Stephen Law "takes it as just obvious that an evil god would not permit the goods we see in the world", but Craig disagrees. "Just as a good Creator/Designer could have good reasons for permitting the suffering in the world, so an evil Creator/Designer could have malicious reasons for allowing the goods in the world, precisely for the reasons Law explains." Law thinks an all-good God who allows some evil and an all-evil God who allows some good are both absurd. Craig agrees that the two situations are symmetrical, but doesn't agree that either is absurd. --76.247.67.197 (talk) 08:04, 3 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]