1.4 Evil and Suffering Flashcards
Define moral evil
evil committed by humans
Define natural evil
evil and suffering in the natural world
Define the problem of evil
How can the god of classical theism exist alongside evil and suffering
What is the logical problem of evil
An all loving and all powerful god cannot exist alongside evil
What is the evidential problem of evil?
An omniscient god knows about evil and suffering and would stop it
One example of natural evil in the bible
the Palgues in Exodus, noah’s ark
Finish the quote by Rabi Greenberg “No statement should be made that would not …
“be credible in the presence of burning children£
Finish the quote by Mackie: “a wholly good being …
“elimates evil as far as it can”
Finish Roth’s quote: “Good though he may be….
“Griffin’s god is too small”
Who would argue that God is not omnipotent?
Process theologians
Who would argue that God is not omnibenevolent?
Militant atheists such as Dawkins
Who would argue that evil does not exist?
Augustine of Hippo - privatio boni
What is privatio boni?
The absence of good
What are the 2 parts to the problem of evil?
- evil is overwhelming in quality and quantity
- pointless suffering
What quality of God does the evidential problem of evil challenge?
God’s omniscience
What is the greater good argument?
certain evil and suffering is necessary if it serves a greater purpose
What is the permian triassic extinction?
A mass extinction event where over 81% of marine life became extinct
What part of the evidential problem of evil does the permian triassic extinction support?
Evil is overwhelming in quantity and quality
Who wrote the brothers karamazov?
Dostoyevsky
What part of the evidential problem of evil does the brothers karamazov support?
evil is overwhelming in quantity and quality
What examples of evil are found in the Brothers karamazov?
Horse beaten to death by master
Unspeakable cruelties to children
Finish Ivan’s statement “Heaven is too high a price to pay …
“I would hasten to give my ticket back”
What is Rowe’s example of evil
A fawn trapped in a forest fire due to a lightning strike
A young girl abused and killed
What part of the evidential problem of evil does Rowe support support?
Pointless suffering
What is the free will defence?
God has given up control of humans in order to bring about a greater good
Why is free will necessary according to the free will defence?
Genuine free will requires the ability and opportunity to do good and evil
Who are the supporting scholars for the free will defence?
- Augustine
- Mackie
- Plantinga
How does the free will defence resolve the problem of evil?
Shows God is not responsible for evil and evil is necessary
What is a criticism of the free will defence?
God could have created a world with only good and neutral actions
What is Augustine’s idea on free will?
Evil does not come from God and humans have free will
What are first order goods and evils according to Mackie?
The experiences of events in life of happiness/pleasure or pain/suffering
What are the second order goods and evils according to Mackie?
our responses to events/experiences of happiness or pain
What is the third order good according to Mackie?
Humans having the ability to choose between good and evil
What is the fourth order good according to Mackie?
God creating humans with free will
Why is God justified in allowing evil in the universe
Because it permits the freedom to choose or rejecct the good
Why does Mackie go on to reject the free will defence?
God could have created humans with the ability to only choose good and neutral actions
What is Plantinga’s key belief on free will?
It is logically impossible to make people so that they only choose good actions
How does Swinburne support the free will defence?
He argues “God would be like an overprotective parent who will not let his child out of sight for a moment”
Define epistemic distance
Knowledge gap between humans and God
Define theodicy
Justification of God
Define coutnerfactual hypothesis
A world without pain and suffering would be useless
According to Augustine, why does evil exist?
Due to the actions of adam and eve
According to Augustine, why is this world a place of soul deciding?
Because the fate of humans will be decided based on their actions
What is Hick’s view on soul deciding
He views it as ‘utterly unacceptable’
Who’s theodicy did Hick base his on?
St Irenaeus
What is Hick’s theodicy
Soul making theodciy
How were humans made according to Hick?
Imperfect
Why is the world a ‘vale of soul making’ according to Hick?
Humans develop their character until it achieves the likeness of Christ
What is universal salvation?
everyone will eventually get to heaven and be saved
Why does Hick reject the concept of hell?
An all loving God would not subject his creation to hell
How would Hick respond to this criticism: SMT does not address animal suffering
Animals have to suffer to help humans develop
How would Hick respond to this criticism: epistemic distance does not resolve pointless evil
God’s plan has to remain a mystery
How would Hick respond to this criticism: SMT does not justify the worst evils
If the worst evil was removed then something else would take its place
What are the origins of process theodicy?
Quantum mechanics which reveal a world in a constant dynamic of flux and change
Who founded Process Theodicy?
Whitehead
What quality of God do process theologians deny?
Omnipotence
What evidence do process theologians use to support God is not omnipotent
Genesis - creation story
What do process theologians reject from Genesis
‘creatio ex nihilo’
What alternative translation do proccess theologians provide of Genesis?
The earth being without for and void
What is the traditional translation of the creation story
The earth was without form and void
What was God’s role in the creation of the universe?
God did not create it, he simply persuaded matter to come into order
Define transcendent
God as above and beyond space and time
Define pantheism
God is the soul of the universe
Define immutable
God cannot be changed or change
Define impassable
God does not experience pain or suffering
Finish the verse from Genesis 6:6 “The Lord regretted …
“that he had made human beings on the earth”
What does genesis 6:6 suggest about God
God can regret and change
Where did evil come from according to process theodicy?
as the world became more complex it deviated more from Gods will
Finish the quote by Griffin “Should God for the sake of avoiding the possibilities of persons such as Hitler …
have precluded the possibility of Jesus”
Finish the quote by Whitehead: “God is the …
“fellow sufferer who understands”
Finish the quote by Hartshorne “God rejoices in all our joys …
“and sorrows in all our sorrows”
How does process theodicy explain natural evil?
Natural evils are low grade entities which are difficult for God to affect
Strength of process theodicy
Solves the problem of evil as it show how God and evil can both exist
Weakness of process theodicy
Rejected by traditional Christians as it denies Gods qualities
