ABSTRACT
Many thinkers in the theistic tradition have held that in addition to omnipotence and omniscience God’s attributes must include perfect goodness and freedom. This chapter considers the question of whether God’s perfect goodness, specifically his moral perfection, is consistent with his being free in many significant actions. Throughout, it supposes that if God exists he is essentially omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good, and free in many of his actions. The chapter explores whether there is a serious difficulty in the endeavor to reconcile God’s essential goodness and moral perfection with any significant degree of divine freedom. It investigates the question of whether God is ever free to do an evil (morally wrong) act. God does what is morally obligatory of necessity, not freely. The chapter examines whether God’s moral perfection leaves God free with respect to his creation of the world.
