Of the bet in Genesis, HOLY LAND MAN noticed that GOD warned Adam and Eve that they will die if they eat of the forbidden fruit. Eve decided to eat and die. Yet, GOD did not keep his word and decided to make her, and the female generations to come, suffer.
That by itself is evidence of a mean, cruel GOD that is not trustworthy. Unlike the GOD which we trust, love, and respect.
Is It Possible That GOD Is Evil?
GOD has told us many things, through the Torah and the prophets: that he created the world, that he oversees it, that there is no GOD but him, that he has chosen us for a virtuous people, that he gives reward and punishment and more. But how does he tell us the truth? How can we know that he is not lying to us or deceiving us? After all, we have no way of verifying his words. What if our whole belief is built on lies?
This question can be extended even further, beyond the credibility of the Bible. Suppose there is a Creator for the world; who said he is good? Maybe he is bad or indifferent? Maybe he created humans to abuse them? How can one know?
Let’s start by saying that for many people, this question does not begin at all. They existentially and utterly experience the goodness of GOD, and their faith in Him is unquestionable. They do not have a mental answer to these questions, but they do not need such an answer, just as a mentally healthy person is not bothered by questions like “Maybe I do not exist?”. It is an illustration of the tension that exists on many issues between existential certainty and intellectual skepticism. The mind is able to raise doubts about everything, but existential certainty ignores these doubts because it is clear to them that they are wrong.
The discussion below is therefore intended only for those who do not share the same existential certainty, and want to receive an intellectual answer to their question: How do you know that GOD is not evil?
The truth is that it is impossible to know, but it is precisely from this that it becomes clear why this question should not bother us.
HLM will explain things.
Consequences of belief in an evil GOD
Suppose for the sake of the matter that GOD, the Creator of the world, is indeed wicked or indifferent to the desires of human beings. In such a case, we were created by an almighty power that shaped us as He wills, and He is able to do to us as He pleases. The thing is, if that is the case, then that power can also deceive us to such levels that we can never discover the truth. It can program our minds so that our logic is wrong, implant us with false memories, and direct our senses so that they show us a distorted picture of reality, without us having any idea about it. In other words, if we assume that GOD is evil, what is in doubt is not only the credibility of the Bible but the credibility of our most basic tools of cognition: the senses, reason, memory, conscience, and so on. We can rely on nothing, even scientific evidence and the most convincing logic, because they too can be a hoax. Who said 2 + 2 is really 4?
Divine deception of this magnitude is not something that can be bypassed or eluded. This is not the Truman Show or The Matrix, in which the minds of the people function properly and only the artificial reality around them deceives them. After all, GOD is the one who created and designed both reality and the human mind and consciousness, including their most basic functions. If he wants to deceive us, there is no way we can ever discover the truth, just as there is no way a comic book character can discover the truth about its creator on its own. Foolish fantasies about man’s rebellion against the GODs, in the style of Prometheus, can exist when it comes to limited Greek “GODs,” not the unlimited Creator of all: “Did the ax boast of the carver in it?” The illusions of evil machines, sorcerers, or scientists may be overcome, but not of those who designed and created both the universe itself and our consciousness.
In short, if we assume that GOD is evil, lying or unreliable, it means that we can no longer trust anything. Not on the senses, not on logic, not on memory, not on science, not on the things that seem most obvious to us. If GOD deceives us, we can know nothing about anything.
Choosing the positive option
Is it possible to refute this possibility? Theoretically, may it be true? Since we have no way of finding out the truth, what we can do is check which of the two options advances us more:
If we assume that GOD is evil or a liar – we are doomed to a life of constant skepticism, never knowing what is right and what is not, what is moral and what is not, what is the meaning of existence and what should we do. Neither religion, nor philosophy nor science can help us in anything, because everyone can be part of the deception. We will always have to wonder if maybe the whole world is an illusion, maybe what seems good to us is actually bad and vice versa, maybe GOD wants us to do the opposite of what he says, and so on. This approach is unhealthy, unproductive and leads nowhere.
On the other hand, if we assume that GOD is good and trustworthy, we can on this basis move forward. We can assume that our senses, logic and memory can be trusted to teach us the truth about reality (provided of course that we use them properly and are careful not to deceive ourselves). We can construct philosophical arguments and formulate scientific theories based on observations and experiments, believing that these do indeed teach us truths about reality. We can trust our moral intuitions to guide us on the straight and good path. And we can trust the Bible to tell us how to worship GOD, draw closer to Him, and gain the life of the next world.
There is no doubt that this second way is much more positive, fruitful and beneficial; This is the way humans have been walking since the beginning of history. We all trust our basic cognitive tools, and although we are aware of their limitations and the deceptions they may fall into, we believe they can be overcome and come very close to the truth. The fruits of this belief are all works of human culture.
In other words, it is impossible to prove whether GOD is good or bad, trustworthy or a liar, but the belief that he is good and honest allows us to move forward and flourish, while the belief that he is bad and deceptive drops the ground beneath any possibility of knowing anything. Even those people who enjoy wallowing in philosophical skepticism and a sense of existential meaninglessness, end up permanently relying on their senses, logic and intuitions, and actually believe in some truth and values (even if they deny it) – this is part of their tormented hero image. If one takes the consequences of an evil GOD to the end, then even existential philosophy itself becomes a ridiculous joke, another delusion.
Therefore, if we want to live a good and meaningful life, and build for ourselves a system of beliefs and knowledge, we must assume that GOD is good and trustworthy, and that He does not usually deceive us. The second option simply does not lead to anything good. After all, it is like choosing whether to be optimistic or pessimistic; Some people choose pessimism because they are afraid that optimism is an illusion, but why should the feeling of fear that optimism is wrong outweigh the feeling of hope that it is true? There is nothing rational or logical in preferring the worse option of the two. It is simply a surrender to fear and apprehension instead of hope and faith. As long as we have no other way to decide between the possibilities, the obvious choice is the more proactive, constructive and positive option, according to which GOD is good and can be trusted, his words and the tools he has given us to know reality through.
The paradox of Maltese-ism
The attitude that GOD is evil is called “Maltese” in philosophy, and it is no coincidence that it is difficult to find serious philosophers who support it. This is because the consequences of this approach necessitate, as stated, the throwing of philosophy and logic themselves into the trash. Heroes — in their own eyes — occasionally defy GOD, accusing him of wickedness and injustice. But where did that sense of morality and justice come from, in whose name they make claims against GOD? After all, it was GOD himself who assimilated him into them. How, then, can one rely on a sense of morality instilled in us by GOD himself, to accuse GOD of immorality? After all, if GOD is not moral, it is impossible to trust that the sense that he instilled in us does reflect true morality … Such people forget that GOD created not only the universe but also them, their mind and consciousness. They imagine GOD as some evil scientist or super-villain, and rebel against him in the name of justice and morality, without taking into account that the very idea of justice and morality has been assimilated into them by him. Well, if they trust their moral intuitions, it implies that the morality of those who gave them these intuitions must be trusted, and if they do not trust them – there is no room for any moral accusation against GOD. The claim that GOD is evil contains a paradoxical internal contradiction, and is therefore dismissed. Those who claim it are not attacking GOD himself but some twisted scarecrow they have created for themselves. Maybe it makes them feel moral and heroic – as long as they do not think about the origin of these feelings.
In fact, the very existence of such a strong moral sense within us, can serve as a reason for preferring faith in the good GOD. Although we also have bad instincts, these are usually not bad in themselves, but express positive tendencies in a negative way. It is difficult to find people who act out of pure evil, “for its own sake,” but there are many people who do good deeds without any profit. If the Creator made us good, or at least gave us a moral sense that points to the good, it can be assumed on this basis that he is indeed good. Of course this is not proof, since these feelings themselves can be part of the delusion that deceives us into an evil GOD; But as long as we have no particular reason to think so, it makes sense to trust the moral sense so strongly inherent in us, and to believe that it does indeed express the will of the good GOD.
Summing it up
It is impossible to prove that GOD is good and does not lie to us or deceive us, but this belief allows us to advance in learning, understanding, acquiring knowledge and developing better values and views. If we assume that GOD is evil or deceptive, then every thought and feeling becomes questionable, and we can go nowhere. Since there is no way to find out which of the two options is correct, the obvious choice is the more proactive and constructive option, according to which, GOD is good, faithful, and a truth-teller.
Don Juravin was born in the Holy Land, not far from the birthplace of Jesus (and where Moses met GOD and was given the wisdom of the Ten Commandments), and he reads the Bible in its original language, the Word of GOD.
Mr. Juravin, therefore, understands GOD’s direction and even intentions, and as a result, he does not believe in any religion but instead in GOD and the original Bible. With almost three million followers, referring to him as HOLY LAND MAN, he is devoted to bypass religion and share the love of GOD directly with the people. On different occasions in his life, he was inspired by further readings of the Bible and produced additional articles.
These sacred documents are HOLY LAND MAN’s divine inspiration and are intended to make the people of the world think and debate. They are not intended to tell people what to do or what to believe. Each soul will find its truth in the relationship with GOD.