1.1 The problem of evil Flashcards
What is the main blame for natural evil/disasters?
God because an omnipotent God should be able to control forces of nature especially since most Christians believe He created laws of nature.
Why is natural evil difficult for Christians to understand?
- God uses natural evils to punish people e.g. the plague to persuade the Pharaoh to free the slaves.
- However it can be debated that these are interpretations of events and not literally true.
What are reasons of natural and moral evils?
- Moral evils are always human caused.
- Natural evil isn’t always human, but some natural events have been worsened by humans e.g. global warming.
Why is natural evil difficult to understand in the New Testament?
- Jesus performs beneficial miracles over the world of nature e.g. curing the blind.
- God controlled natural evils 2,000 years ago (but He doesn’t now).
What may theists say about suffering?
It will eventually lead to the perfect harmony of life in heaven.
How can moral and natural evil combine to cause suffering?
Just about all suffering caused by nature can be brought by human agency e.g. fire can be used to burn.
How can some evil be good?
- Most people accept some pain as it brings good in the future.
- E.g. Pain of a vaccine to protect, pain of surgery to restore health or a dentist visit
How can suffering benefit human nature?
- We sympathise with people when they’re suffering.
- People willingly give time, money and donations to people suffering.
What is the evidential problem of evil?
- A posteriori argument (sensory experience) and inductive.
- Based on what we observe about evil.
- Argues that the evidence of evil in this world makes belief of God unjustified.
What does the evidential problem of evil argue?
- Less likely God exists due to evidence of evil.
- Evil is overwhelming in quality and quantity.
- Evil doesn’t always serve a purpose so is pointless.
What is the logical problem of evil?
- The mere existence of God is logically incompatible with the existence of an omnipotent, omnibenevolent and omniscient God.
Who is Hume?
- An empiricist.
- Scottish philosopher.
- 18th Century.
What does Hume believe about the problem of evil?
- God could’ve made this world without evil, so evidence is against a perfect God.
- Possible for a perfect God to exist but allows evil for reasons consistent with omnibenevolence.
- We are justified to believe in what evidence suggests.
What are some important Hume quotes?
- “But they are unknown to us.”
- “There can be no grounds for such an inference when there are so many misfortunes in the universe”
- “The problem of evil is the rock of atheism.”
Who is St Augustine?
- Theologian and Philosopher.
- 4th Century CE.
- Christian
What is the Augustinian Theodicy?
- Belief that evil and suffering do not disprove the existence of an all-loving God because God is good, He created a perfect world and evil comes from people who chose to reject God.
- Evil is a privation of good.
- Evil and suffering is a punishment of original sin.
Who is St Irenaeus?
- Christian theologian.
- 125-202 CE
What is the Irenaean Theodicy?
- God made humans and the world imperfectly.
- Humans were created with the intention to develop (into the image of God to the likeness of God) so God gave us free will so we could choose good or evil meaning God had to permit evil.
