I've been without a computer or a car to get to one.
...damn Chryslers, where's God when it comes to transmissions? Lol, J/K...
Here goes the answer; I'll try to mimic his words as close as possible.
Preacher speaking in first person:
"A good, loving, perfect God that shuns evil and created both good and evil seems to be self-contradicting. Now friends let me ask you something, who in here can define the word 'cold'?"
***The church remained silent***
PASTOR: "The other day, I was obliged to be present at a science lecture where a professor addressed his students with a rather off topic inquiry. He asked his students to volunteer an answer to a question that had been brought up the other day and had perplexed him. The question was:
'How can a perfect God create both good and evil if he himself hates and punishes evil? Isn't that rather contradictory, sinister, and well, less than perfect? Did (the imperfect) God make a mistake and create evil, or is he himself both good and evil, being the creator of all things that he is?'
Nobody would answer, but then slowly a student began to raise his hand. The professor called on him. 'Professor,' the student demanded, 'please define for me the word 'cold'.'
'Why cold is simply the absence of thermodynamic energy (heat).'
'Well then,' the clever student replied, 'tell me professor, would you say that 'cold' exists?'
'Yes, I'd say that cold exists simply by virtue of the existence of its opposite, heat.'
'So, the mere absence of one thing that exists forces the coexistence of its polar opposite by mere virtue of its existence?'
'Now professor, please define 'darkness'.'
'The absence of light.'
'So does darkness exist?'
'NO!' the student corrected the professor, 'darkness and cold do not exist! They are simply illusions created by both the absence of heat and light. They have no concrete existence in themselves, but are rather manifested by the existence of what actually exists, heat and light!'
***Now the point is driven home***
'Professor, evil only appears to exist because it is an illusion created BY THE ABSENCE OF GOD! God cannot be in the presence of sin, and where there is sin, there is EVIL! Therefore darkness, cold, and evil are illusions that God never created, but are manifest as mere opposites to the lack of presence of light, heat, and love!'
To that, the conference room bursted with applause and the shocked professor gave the student his praise and thanked him for his brilliant answer."
***Ok, now it's me Mark talking and not the pastor.***
To this story the guest speaker gave, the church exploded with whoops and yells and applause. Everybody deeply felt the message that the speaker wanted to get across, that God is neither evil nor did he create evil. Evil is simply the absence of God!
Don't hide from God, step into the light!
Of course this begs the question: is there a vacuum or realm of existence outside of God? So then God in fact is not omnipotent and omnipresent?
New issues... come back in 20 years, no better yet, next Sunday. Just joking'!
I await your reply, what do you think? Good answer? I thought it was cool, but even moreso that it was delivered on that particular day.