--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: God -- if he really exist -- is good…" description: "\"God -- if he really exist -- is good, alive, self-conscious, and governs all things according to his benevolent and holy providence; but the world show..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/william-batchelder-greene-2186_absolutes_god-if-he-really-exist-is-good-alive-sel_197263.jpg" --- # God -- if he really exist -- is good, alive… ![“God -- if he really exist -- is good, alive, self-conscious, and governs all things according to his benevolent and holy providence; but the world shows no indications of such a benevolent and holy Providence. This earth appears to be a hell, or at best a planet condemned -- a sort of purgatory…” quote by William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/william-batchelder-greene-2186_absolutes_god-if-he-really-exist-is-good-alive-sel_197263.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/william-batchelder-greene-2186_absolutes_god-if-he-really-exist-is-good-alive-sel_197263.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/william-batchelder-greene-2186_absolutes_god-if-he-really-exist-is-good-alive-sel_197263.jpg) > “God -- if he really exist -- is good, alive, self-conscious, and governs all things according to his benevolent and holy providence; but the world shows no indications of such a benevolent and holy Providence. This earth appears to be a hell, or at best a planet condemned -- a sort of purgatory: it is filled with violence, tyranny and injustice, and yet God, if he exist, is absolute sovereign, and has willed that things should be as they are! -- Therefore there is no God.” [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that the existence of pervasive suffering and injustice contradicts the notion of a benevolent, omnipotent deity, concluding that such a God cannot exist. **In simple terms:** Suffering challenges belief in a kind, all-powerful God. Key Takeaway Question the compatibility of evil with divine goodness. Themes theology philosophy evil Mood reflective skeptical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - war - poverty - personal crisis Key Concepts theodicy skepticism existentialism Questions to Reflect On - Can evil exist without a deity? - What alternative explanations exist for suffering? A Different Perspective The argument assumes all suffering must be directly caused by God. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Providence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/providence/) [Purgatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purgatory/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-conscious/) [Sovereign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sovereign/) [There is no god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/there-is-no-god/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I do not pretend to be able to prove that there is no God. I equally cannot prove that Satan is a fiction. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-do-not-pretend-to-be-able-to-prove-that-there-is-no-god-i-equally/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [ \[...\]there is no injustice in God. The injustice lies in Christians who possess the gospel and refuse to give their lives to making it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-platt/there-is-no-injustice-in-god-the-injustice-lies-in-christians-who/) [David Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-platt/) > [“I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14What shall we say then?  w Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-loved-but-esau-i-hated-14what-shall-we-say-then-w-is-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice we see everywhere. But God did not promise us that the world would be humane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/it-is-possible-to-become-discouraged-about-the-injustice-we-see/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [There are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/there-are-yet-people-who-say-there-is-no-god-but-what-really-makes-me/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“To say that some kind of god might exist is to vivify its being with mystery. To define a god into existence because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/to-say-that-some-kind-of-god-might-exist-is-to-vivify-its-being-with/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“The most fundamental of all questions that can possibly be asked is, 'Does God exist?' That is not to say that it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-boot/the-most-fundamental-of-all-questions-that-can-possibly-be-asked-is/) Joe Boot > [If people say that God does not exist well I simply say if Love exists than God must exist since God is Love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-mark-limn/if-people-say-that-god-does-not-exist-well-i-simply-say-if-love/) [Jeremy Mark Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-mark-limn/) > [Could God exist if nobody else did? No. That’s why gods are very avid for worshipers. If there is nobody to worship them, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/could-god-exist-if-nobody-else-did-no-that-s-why-gods-are-very-avid/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [It is incomprehensible that God should exist, and it is incomprehensible that he should not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/it-is-incomprehensible-that-god-should-exist-and-it-is/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [I don't ask myself, "Well, does God exist or does God not exist?" I choose to believe that God exists, and therefore I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-don-t-ask-myself-well-does-god-exist-or-does-god-not-exist-i-choose/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Faith is, before all and above all, wishing God may exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/faith-is-before-all-and-above-all-wishing-god-may-exist/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [“Every thinking person should have a list of life questions, and at the top of that list should be the question, “Does God exist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-buzzard/every-thinking-person-should-have-a-list-of-life-questions-and-at-the/) [Justin Buzzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-buzzard/) > [“Does God exist? Unlike many people, this had not been the great inner debate of her life. Under the old Communist regime, the official…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/does-god-exist-unlike-many-people-this-had-not-been-the-great-inner/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [If God exist? Why doesn't he give me that strenght,hope,faith when We need it?Surviving by you'r own is painfully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ojal-hukom/if-god-exist-why-doesn-t-he-give-me-that-strenght-hope-faith-when-we/) Ojalé Hukom ## More by William Batchelder Greene > [Thou slanting rain! Thou Hebe of the Skies, That pours out drink to Earth; thou faithful wife That with moist tears embraces her prone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/thou-slanting-rain-thou-hebe-of-the-skies-that-pours-out-drink-to/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [If it be true that God and man are in one image or likeness (and the affirmation that they are so is not unplausible)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/if-it-be-true-that-god-and-man-are-in-one-image-or-likeness-and-the/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [For man, the death of the body is inevitable, and is determined by time and circumstance; but, with proper precaution, the death of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/for-man-the-death-of-the-body-is-inevitable-and-is-determined-by-time/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [How Time doth lash us with sharp pains, Set loose our teeth, snatch wisps of hair, dim eyes -- And finally bend our backs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/how-time-doth-lash-us-with-sharp-pains-set-loose-our-teeth-snatch/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Man's life is entirely in his operations, which may all be classed under three heads: he thinks, he feels, and he acts -- these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/man-s-life-is-entirely-in-his-operations-which-may-all-be-classed/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [The rule of God is not tyranny, for it does not partake of a political or governmental character -- it is not a rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/the-rule-of-god-is-not-tyranny-for-it-does-not-partake-of-a-political/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [The Federal Government is rendered weak to do wrong, and powerful to do right: for, as soon as it begins to go wrong, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/the-federal-government-is-rendered-weak-to-do-wrong-and-powerful-to/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Hide what you have to hide And tell what you have to tell You'll see your problems multiplied If you continually decide To faithfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/hide-what-you-have-to-hide-and-tell-what-you-have-to-tell-you-ll-see/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Truth was truth, whether I darkened my eyes to it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/truth-was-truth-whether-i-darkened-my-eyes-to-it-or-not/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Marriage may be polygamic, monogamic, polyandric, complex according to the Oneida pattern, or other, and is true marriage (I do not say perfect marriage)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/marriage-may-be-polygamic-monogamic-polyandric-complex-according-to/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Some men -- not all men -- see always before them an ideal, a mental picture if you will, of what they ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/some-men-not-all-men-see-always-before-them-an-ideal-a-mental-picture/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Faith is reason denying absurdity in the face of the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/faith-is-reason-denying-absurdity-in-the-face-of-the-unknown/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Life is a waste of woes, And Death a river deep, That ever onward flows, Troubled, yet asleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/life-is-a-waste-of-woes-and-death-a-river-deep-that-ever-onward-flows/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Man, having an ideal before him of that which he ought to be, and is not, and acting as though he possessed the character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/man-having-an-ideal-before-him-of-that-which-he-ought-to-be-and-is/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Without doubt, matter is unlimited in extent, and, in this sense, infinite; and the forces of Nature mould it into an innumerable number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/without-doubt-matter-is-unlimited-in-extent-and-in-this-sense/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) [Explore all 28 William Batchelder Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) ## More Absolutes quotes > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. 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He said he gave his son for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/those-are-decisions-only-the-lord-will-make-i-believe-the-love-of-god/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“The Gods know what it is to be eternal, and they love to toy with mortals who use absolutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/the-gods-know-what-it-is-to-be-eternal-and-they-love-to-toy-with/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The only "definitive truth" for Buddhism is the absolute negation of any one truth as the Definitive Truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-only-definitive-truth-for-buddhism-is-the-absolute-negation-of/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. But to one who has discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huangbo-xiyun/the-nature-of-the-absolute-is-neither-perceptible-nor-imperceptible/) [Huangbo Xiyun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huangbo-xiyun/) > [Joining a company is an act that calls for absolute loyalty in big matters and little ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-watson/joining-a-company-is-an-act-that-calls-for-absolute-loyalty-in-big/) [Thomas Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-watson/) > [In fine, a life of good or evil, the hope of Heaven or the despair of Hell, Faustus stands as a reminder that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-fine-a-life-of-good-or-evil-the-hope-of-heaven-or-the-despair-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 2,016 Absolutes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "God -- if he really exist -- is good, alive, self-conscious, and governs all things according to his benevolent and holy providence; but the world shows no indications of such a benevolent and holy Providence. 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