Moral Agency, Free Will--The Existence of Evil and Suffering

Posted by Charles Brown

What is the difference between having an individual will, or free will as it is known and being able to express that will?

How can submitting one's will, even consecrating our life to God in complete surrender constitute the ultimate victory?

I have had many discussions with my Christian friends that love God and believe in the mercy of Jesus Christ. I appreciate very much their testimonies of faith. In those discussions, I find the similarities of what I believe as coming from God very similar to theirs. I have found however a disconnect between what they express and the foundational teachings of the theologian/scholars that define basic doctrines of modern and traditional Christendom.

The traditional views held by orthodox Bible scholars and Christian philosopher/theologians is that man's soul is created at his birth. There was no prior existence of your soul or mine until that day that we call our birthday. No man or woman had been created prior to about 6000 years ago what we know as the written history of the world beginning with Genesis in the Bible.

Under the traditional dogmas and doctrinal teachings, man is essentially an animated creature, a sophisticated robot, whose existence is the result of the birth of a mortal baby, either planned or unplanned. If this is the case then humans are created pawns because each personality is basically some form of new intelligence that God created that never before existed.

These concepts of existence have been the foundation of most Christian teachings for almost 2000 years since the loss of the apostolic authority of Jesus's church. These doctrines imply that God was creating a world with free humans for the first time in all of God's eternal existence. Based on his observations and understanding of traditional theology, Christian apologist and philosopher C.S. Lewis called this earth an experiment in free will.

What is it that makes a person's soul valuable and on what basis is salvation granted? Why did God create humans, allow to be condemned through a fall of only two individuals and then save them by offering them redemption eternal life?   

Christian philosophers, Bible scholars, and others have embraced a concept of free will as necessary to explain why evil exists. This is their effort to come up with a rational explanation for man's ability to act contrary to God's will.  

Bible scholars and teachers say that God gave man free will so that he would not be a robot and that by this means a person could love God or reject him by their own free will.  By formulating such a teaching God would not be guilty for the vast amount of human suffering. They do ignore the fact that God knew that creating the world would result in human suffering. It doesn't matter whether free will exists or not. God is still the first cause of evil and human suffering if he gave beings a will that he created and knew what they would do with it. 

If no human existed prior to 6000 years ago what is the purpose of creation? Evangelical, Catholic and Protestant scholars, philosophers, and apologists have concluded that man was created for fellowship and to worship God.  How is it possible that a perfect being had a need for fellowship and to be worshipped starting 6000 years ago. What caused a supposedly unchangeable being, after being content for an endless eternity prior to that to start creating inferior creatures to worship it? These same scholarly theologians all agree that God only creates inferior beings.

Why would he create such imperfection and not be able to create after his own kind?  It should be recognized that Bible scholars and philosophers really only teach their own opinions and conclusions. They don't claim revelation from God for their teachings, only that their ability to interpret and understand the Bible is better than common believers and worshippers.

The concept of free will is how Christian apologists and philosophers have attempted to reconcile the questions of human suffering and still claim that God is a good, kind and loving creator?  

There is no direct mention of free will in the Bible. It is only implied. This paradox has caused many to doubt that there is a God that created us. Why do the innocent suffer and so many other conceivable forms of injustice exist so abundantly?  

Any philosophy that embraces the concept of creation out of nothing or no preexistence of the soul finds itself in the realms of irrationality and contradiction. Defending such concepts that deity has its own manner of rationality that we don't understand is an irrational argument.

Why has God endowed mankind with the power to direct their actions, make choices and experience the consequences, hurt others or die in what we consider premature ways? This question leads the Bible scholars to debate determinism and some free will. They still don't agree.  Some say that all things are from the will of God.  If so why create anything that produces suffering or injustice?

The concept of creation that leads to negative outcomes is contradictory to a loving God unless God is compelled in some fashion to create. To be compelled by love, the ultimate outcome must be better for those involved if they suffer because of their very existence.

Such is clearly not the case with mainstream theological conclusions. How can it be justice if a person faces the possibility to end up in hell by virtue of their involuntary creation and some behavioral irregularities due to life's circumstances? Almost everyone, if not everyone has been affected negatively by the choices or actions of others.  How does human error affect us?  What about random events and disasters?  What about our own choices?

If biblical scholars subscribe to a doctrine of "creation ex-nihilo" or creation out of nothing; What does that tell us about God? The implication of this philosophy is that God is responsible for all resulting choices and actions of beings he has created.

Under this doctrine, he would be responsible for all evil that exists. Everything would be an extension of himself.  This is why some say that after the fall man could not act in righteousness. (See what happened in the Garden of Eden.)

Under the concept of creation exnihilo all those that make choices are nothing more than pawns, puppets or game players in some form of entertainment.  The question arises. If a person subjects their will to that of another do they lose it by such surrender?  Not if it leads them to greater power and freedom. God doesn't dictate. He urges us to follow but never compels. Eternal freedom is only obtainable when one follows eternal principles by unfettered choice.

Is creation out of nothing the hallmark of an all-powerful god? What if no such power exists? What if misguided scholars and theologians imputed something to deity that is not real?

I have heard well-known apologists in the Christian community describe the Trinity as the substance of being or eternal self-existing substance, be it light, truth, intelligence or spirit. This theology however only applies to one being. Why wouldn't it apply to other beings?

Quite simply because it does not suit their theology for an all-knowing and all-powerful deity. It is built on a foundation of Greek philosophy which falsely assumes that a physical presence cannot be perfect.

Something has to exist independently and eternally or it is not an element of truth. Religious philosophers and believers have said that thing is God and God alone. They made him incomprehensible so that they could have him be moldable according to their doctrinal fantasies.

When something can't be explained, theologians say God's ways are higher than man's and nobody needs to worry about what they can't understand.

It is not complicated reasoning to see that in order for man's decision making powers to be independent of God or truly free, they must in some way exist separate from their creator and yet be co-eternal with him.  For man to be able to make choices requires that opposing factors exist otherwise there is no freedom or choice.

Joseph Smith taught that we are eternal beings and that our spiritual intelligence cannot be created or destroyed.  It is self-existing as is the substance of God.  God's power brings into existence the creations and opportunity to become active beings formed in his image.

Because our eternal self is not created out of nothing and because it is separate from God we have the potential to have an independent will and moral agency to make choices. By living in a place outside the presence of God this will is developed and tested as to its/our eternal destiny. Obedience without coercion is essential if we want to inherit the attributes and opportunities of our eternal Father.

The two grand opposites that make choice possible are good and evil. Do they exist because God created them or are they naturally in the framework of eternal existence? The very existence of eternal good and eternal evil must be acknowledged as uncreated factors.  Why do they exist? They just do.  What is God's role in the process of our personal, individual learning experience?  This is to give the opportunity to his children that he loves.

Traditional Christian theology usually identifies free will as something that God instilled in humans so they would not be "robots" so they could somehow choose to love God or reject him. It is easy to observe that mankind does indeed make decisions that stand in opposition to the revealed word of God.  What is the purpose of this power and the life in which we use it?  By the mere fact of our existence, it does appear that we are passing through a learning process.   

The question comes up as well as to why create at all and give man freedom?  Life would be nothing more than a chess match with God as a game maker and people as pawns if we were created out of nothing at birth.  If God created the devil then he did create the evil the devil does because even the devil's will would be instigated by his creator.

Modern revelation of man's eternal nature canonizes independently from what many philosophers already concluded. The prophet Joseph Smith taught that all things, elements and intelligence have always existed. They are uncreated. They have no beginning and no end, they are eternal in nature just as God is.  They exist because they exist.

Because we are eternally existing, consisting of truth, our development and actions are real and so are the consequences. We are not temporary pawns, puppets or robots on a predestined course of heaven or hell. As eternal beings, we are on a course of freedom and rewards according to our faith and choices.

Truth is eternal and sovereign in an endless heaven. It never changes. God is a God of truth and therefore his sovereignty is bounded by the truth. Only two options exist for the creation of all things. Either they are created from nothing or organized from the self-existing elements and intelligence he governs over.  

Where do all of these come from or where did God come from is really the only mystery that man can't find out at this point.

In order for a person to truly act with freedom and not have their actions attributed to God would mean that part of their eternal soul must indeed have an element in its reasoning power, a part that is of a self-existent eternal nature.  

The scripture teaches that after partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God declared that man became like "one of us".  Like the Gods, the Father and the Son.  Man would now become familiar with the same things that the Gods were, good and evil.

Nothing about the tree was evil or bad or immoral. God had placed a restriction on partaking and attached a consequence that would fulfill his purposes when they did partake of their own choosing.

As we choose to follow God according to the power of our moral agency we can maintain our connection to God's spirit and the power of repentance that he extends to us. If we don't repent when we make wrong choices, sin and a spiritual degeneration will take over our lives.

The power that brings salvation and spiritual healing on our behalf is the atonement of Jesus Christ. It has the power to heal every injustice, overcome every sin and eventually all evil when we are willing to submit our will to him. Our will is the only thing that we truly have at our disposal to give as it is the only part of us that God did not create.  This life is the ultimate test of our willingness to choose good and forsake evil.

To sum the ideas of this discussion is to see that there are really only two basic theologies as to the existence of good and evil and the will of man.  They were created by God or they co-exist eternally.  This also means that there is either infinite eternal self-existing matter and intelligence or only God existed and then made everything out-out of nothing.

God's creative powers have brought our pre-mortal spirit to a point where we can progress to our highest and greatest potential.  This is only possible and is based on eternal laws whereby we live in a mortal probationary realm such as earth.  

We have the choice to go our own way, this would make us unworthy of further light and development.  It is our choice. He teaches us and invites us to do good yet will never force us. We choose evil or good and suffer the consequences or blessings.  

According to the eternal laws and truth in which God abides, we must pass through an experience where freedom of expression for our choices exists without compulsion. Commandments are not expressions of control but of freedom.  

Perfect love dictates that there be a way to escape the full effect of the negative consequences of our wrong choices.  This allows for the exercise of Moral Agency.  This allows us to show what is in our soul and yet not be condemned for our wrong choices when we recognize them and repent.

Freedom expands our opportunity to act according to our moral agency. This is not the same as free will.  There is a consequence for every choice based on law is part of eternal order and nothing can act contrary to it without punishment.

Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, the Father can forgive our wrong actions and reconcile us to the perfect eternal justice of his world and not condemn us for our wrong choices. We must, however, choose this merciful opportunity of our own volition. This is done in a covenant relationship that He extends to us and establishes with us when we choose it.

In order for us to have this broad range of choices between good and evil it was and is necessary to live in an environment of separation from God, where faith is the driving power of our development and there is nothing to impede the natural consequences of our choices. This is the reason for the creation of earth and laws that support it.  

Comments, observations, and articles are my own opinions from my perspective as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  The opinions expressed do not officially represent the church's position. In some examples, links are included to official church materials or other articles of interest.