Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 60:239 (Jul 1903)
Article: Theodicy
Author: Jacob Cooper

BSac 60:239 (July 1903) p. 401

Theodicy

Prof. Jacob Cooper

Can The Existence Of Evil Be Reconciled With A Perfect Creator And Governor Of The Universe?

The presence of evil everywhere mars the beauty of our glorious world. Each part of the house, so skillfully fitted for man’s residence and use, is polluted by his sinful touch. For through man the effects of sin reach every part of sentient nature; causing the whole creation to groan and travail together as the consequence. Whatever affects the one which stands at the head of creation must be felt to its remotest members.

But it is chiefly among rational creatures, who alone can be guilty of sin, that we see its withering blight. By it they are weakened in their powers for action, diminished in their capacities for happiness, and abridged in the period of their existence. It destroys the harmony between their material and spiritual natures which is necessary to their efficient action, and thus appears to .defeat the purpose for which they were created. Were the effects of sin confined to this life, the conditions would be less grievous. If man after suffering during this brief period were rescued from further misery by an unending sleep, the in-

BSac 60:239 (July 1903) p. 402

jury inflicted would be relatively small. But as the present life, on every rational view of the world’s destiny, is simply preparatory, a disciplinary stage, and the experiences gained are in their effects to be projected into an everlasting existence, the dark problem of sin shows its full import, and renders an explanation both more difficult and desirable.

The Presence Of Evil A Stubborn, Undeniable Fact

The prevalence of evil in the world at large and in our individual nature is a stubborn fact. No subtlety can eliminate its existence; no sophistry can deny the wretchedness which it causes to each rational creature, or to the lower orders of beings, whose destiny is affected by man’s conduct. It is, therefore, the height of folly to charge any system of religion with the lamentable result because it asserts or explains the fact. We cannot fail to see that the existence of evil as a reality is independent of the reasons which may be devised to account for it. This is equally true in the case of every scientific fact in physical nature. The impossibility of disclosing and explaining the ultimate causes for any phenomenon has nothing to do with its actuality. Ultimate causes elude our search, and mock our attempts to evade their action. If we try to explain them away, they continue their activity with perfect indifference to our theories or wishes. Even so in regard to the presence of evil as a malign force, marring the conditions under which we all have to live. Yet, if we take a pessimistic view of ...