Best answer to the question, why does God allow evil?

[Diesel]

Satan is a manifestation of our fears

[Campion]

21 hours ago, DaleP said:

 

It's worth meditating on "There is no such thing as absolute truth"

 

 

Relatively speaking  

[MarcusOmouse]

Because we can, given that this is who we are all a part of.

[Mitochondrial Eve]

Blavatsky's 'The Secret Doctrine' has a chapter exploring good and evil within the context of an absolute and infinite "God" as the root of all and everything in nature. I will quote a couple of extracts from the chapter which offer an explanation as to why evil exists and which echo the sentiment in the OP.

 

Quote

Evil is but an antagonising blind force in nature; it is reaction, opposition and contrast, - evil for some, good for others. There is no malum in se: only the shadow of light, without which light could have no existence, even in our perceptions. If evil disappeared, good would disappear along with it from the Earth.

 

By malum in se is meant something that is inherently wrong or sinful in nature.

 

Quote

In human nature, evil denotes only the polarity of matter and Spirit, a struggle for life between the two manifested Principles in Space and Time, which principles are one per se, inasmuch they are rooted in the Absolute. In Kosmos, the equilibrium must be preserved. The operations of the two contraries produce harmony, like the centripetal and centrifugal forces, which are necessary to each other - mutually inter-dependant - "in order that both should live". If one is arrested, the action of the other will become immediately self destructive.

 

The Tree of Life depicts duality and its harmonisation via three pillars of mercy, severity and equilibrium. Duality and equilibrium certainly seem to be integral to the workings of our reality, but my feeling is that this immutable law may not necessarily have come about by design but rather due to an impersonal and random schism. I am considering the concept that an initial spark / creative force / logos transformed the unmanifested infinite potential into duality after which our reality took form.

 

At what stage did the actual creation of our reality as we know it take place and who or what were the architects? Some traditions depict Gods / Archangels / Elohim / Fallen Angels / Archons - often seven of them with planetary associations - who, having come about via a fall from the Pleroma (via events involving Sophia and Yaldaboath in Gnostic tradition), designed this illusory reality and falsely claim to be all powerful, benevolent and all knowing. DI is a proponent of such an illusory reality being a simulation and holographic in form. And Neil Hague makes reference to how the hermetic principle of "as above, so below" could be representative of this concept too as a hologram, when broken down into smaller parts, depicts the whole image in each piece.

 

Coming back to the original question about evil, if this is said to exist due to the apparent immutable principle of duality, what caused the rupture from infinite oneness and was it by intentional design or did it occur by chance?

 

Maybe "God" doesn't "allow" evil at all and the question itself is flawed as it requires that "God" is able to intervene? Does the question refer to "God" in the sense of the immediate architects of our illusory reality or to the original, seemingly impersonal, unmanifested infinite potential? Perhaps neither "allows" evil.

 

If the question refers to the Archons (to choose one of their many names), I do not believe these beings to be omnipotent and omniscient (or benevolent). I think they are equally bound by immutable laws that preceded them, including that of duality and, due to their lack of all powerfulness, cannot override such principles much as they may strive to.

 

If the question concerns the Absolute oneness, I feel that this is a force that just IS rather than actively directing anything that takes place. So, again, it does not allow or disallow.

 

 

[Grumpy Owl]

Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits" sums this up quite nicely I feel:

 

"Evil explains why he's better than God ("The Supreme Being"):