Did God Create Evil?

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis1:1

Even those who have never read a single verse from the bible have (most likely) heard the first verse from the book of Genesis. However, God did not create man to act like robots. He did not create us to be pre-programmed to do His will or obey Him. God granted us with individual minds, feelings, and a free will to choose.

Without blinking an eye, we make thousands of unconscious decisions each day. However, God chose to give us the breath of life. God chose to put us on this earth and God chose for us to live in order to glorify His name. Obviously, we also have a choice to follow Him.

I will proclaim the name of the LORD.
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
Deuteronomy 32:3

With that being said, one question still remains...

If God created everything...Did God create Evil?

The following dialogue was provided by a new friend of mine (thank you Jan!) and with her permission I am posting it here. After you read this, it will make you think about things differently.

The Debate

At a certain college there was a professor with a reputation for being tough on Christians. At the first class, every semester, he asked if anyone was a Christian and proceeded to degrade them and to mock their statement of faith. One semester, he asked the question and a young man raised his hand.

The professor asked, "Did God make everything young man?" He replied "Yes sir he did!" The professor responded, "IF God made everything, then he made evil."

The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to once again prove the Christian faith to be a myth.

Then another man raised his hand and asked, "May I ask you something,sir?" "Yes, you may," responded the professor.

The young man stood up and said, "Sir, is there such a thing as cold?" Of course there is, what kind of a question is that? Haven't you ever been cold?"

The young man replied, "Actually, sir, cold doesn't exist. What we consider to be cold, is really an absence of heat. Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no heat, but cold does not really exist. We have only created that term to describe how we feel when heat is not there."

The young man continued, Sir, is there such a thing as dark?" Once again the professor responded, "Of course there is."And once again, the student replied, "Actually, sir, darkness does not exist. Darkness is really only the absence of light. Darkness is only a term developed to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally, the young man asked, "Sir, is there such a thing as evil?" The professor responded, "Of course, we have rapes, murders and violence everywhere in the world, Those things are evil."

The student replied, "Actually, sir, evil does not exist. Evil is simply the absence of God. Evil is a term developed to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. It isn't like truth, or love which exist as virtues like heat or light. Evil is simply the state where God is not present, like cold without heat, or darkness without light."

The professor had nothing to say...

Be full of Christ today, there is no room for anything else.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!