2.2 | Problem Of Evil

Question 1

Types of evil

Answer 1

*Natural evil- suffering that is not caused by human action
(eg. Volcanos, tornadoes, drought)

*Moral evil- suffering caused by human action
(eg. Murder, theft)

*some evil can be both natural and moral (eg. Global warming)

Question 2

Logical Problem of Evil

Answer 2

*God cannot co-exist with evil. It is not logically possible for them to exist at the same time

*a posteriori

*deductive

Question 3

Epicurus (logical problem of evil)

Answer 3

“Is he willing but not able? Then he is impotent.”
*God is not omnipotent

“Is he able but not willing? Then he is malevolent”
*God isn’t omnibenevolent

“Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?”
*why is there evil

*no such thing as a triadic god

Question 4

J.L. Mackie (logical problem of evil)

Answer 4

Inconsistent triad

Triadic God + evil is contradictory

                    Omnipotence Omnibenevolence 🔺 evil existing

*all three can’t happen at the same time- only two

Question 5

Evidential Problem of evil

Answer 5

*Evidence of evil suggests that the triadic God doesn’t exist

*a posteriori

*inductive

Question 6

Hume (Evidential Problem of Evil)

Answer 6

“The first entrance of life gives anguish to the new born and its wretched parent.”

Question 7

Rowe (Evidential Problem of Evil)

Answer 7

*unnecessary suffering doesn’t serve a purpose

*a good triadic God would want to stop suffering

*friendly atheism (not supporting a God that allows for unnecessary suffering to take place

FAWN ANALOGY
*fawn gets killed as a lightning strikes a tree causing a forest fire
*it is no one’s fault
*no one is in the fawns presence
*God doesn’t prevent it despite having the qualities to do so

Question 8

Augustine’s theodicy

Answer 8

*Privatio boni

*Seminal presence

*soul deciding theodicy

Question 9

Privatio Boni

Answer 9

The privation of good

*God created everything from nothing (ex nihilo) - only source of creation

*Evil can’t be created (genesis 1:27)

*God can’t fight against evil as he would win instantly

Question 10

Seminal Presence

Answer 10

THE FALL
*God created a perfect world

*Genesis 1:31: “God saw what he made, and it was very good”

*humans started out blameless

*Adam and Eve got tempted by serpent and ate the fruit- disobeyed God

*humanity inherits sin we were all SEMINALLY PRESENT in Adam

*we all deserve punishment (eg. Painful childbirth, disease)

Question 11

Soul Deciding Theodicy

Answer 11

*Christ sacrificed on the cross to atone humanity’s sins

*We have free will to choose to accept salvation from God

*God doesn’t want us to suffer but allows consequences for sin

Question 12

Challenges to Augustine’s Theodicy

Answer 12

*Science

*Moral

*Logic

Question 13

Science

Answer 13

<seminal>

EVOLUTIONARY THEORY- CHARLES DARWIN

*humans evolved from lower life forms with less moral awareness

*suffering is essential for survival- food chain needs things to die in order for others to survive

*natural order displays how natural evil is god given freedom

BIOLOGY

*we are not seminally present in Adam

* you cannot inherit sin

*humanity is not guilty
</seminal>

Question 14

Moral

Answer 14

<seminal>
<soul>

OMNIBENEVOLENCE + HELL

*God must lack compassion if he lets people suffer in hell

OMNIBENEVOLENCE + ADAM & EVE

*Jeremiah 31- each man dies for their own sins; not for the previous generations

*Adam and Eve committed original sin, humanity inherited it

*God can’t just let others suffer for the past generations actions
</soul></seminal>

Question 15

Logic

Answer 15

<privatio>
<soul>

HELL

*existence of hell indicates God anticipated things going wrong

*if the world is truly perfect there should be know need for hell- God is impotent

*those who don’t accept Gods salvation suffer in hell

FREE WILL

*evil originates from God

*already knowledge of evil if God’s creatures disobeyed him

*Peter Cole: “without freedom we could not share in gods goodness by freely living him”

PERFECT WORLD

*SCHLEIRMACHER says the world probably wasn’t perfect to begin with

*logically impossible for evil to come from nothing

*God enabled a perfect world to go wrong- impotent
</soul></privatio>

Question 16

Irenaeus’ Theodicy

Answer 16

*image not likeness

*epistemic distance

*soul making

Question 17

Image not likeness

Answer 17

Genesis 1:26: “let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness”

*humans created by God

*we are still in the process of being created- experiencing good/evil makes us more refined and helps us make better decisions

*image of God: intelligence, self consciousness, self awareness

Question 18

Epistemic Distance

Answer 18

*distance from true or full knowledge

*allows for true freedom so we can learn from our mistakes

*enables free progress form God’s likeness

*mistakes help us strive to perfection and help us become better people

Question 19

Soul Making

Answer 19

*purpose of the world is to make souls

*suffering help us grow freely into God’s likeness- learn from mistakes

*heaven is the eternal reward however it can still be worked for in purgatory if we don’t achieve it in this life- punishment isn’t permanent

*we make ourselves- we don’t need Christ’s redeeming work

Question 20

Hick’s development

Answer 20

VALE OF SOUL MAKING

*greater good argument

*God gave us free will

*if God was overly present it would be controlling and we would automatically worship him- lack of freedom

*”life would become like a dream”

Question 21

Challenges to Irenaeus’ Theodicy

Answer 21

*Universal salvation is unjust

*intense suffering

*evil is not a tool of Omnibenevolence

Question 22

Universal Salvation is Unjust

Answer 22

<image>
</image>

Question 23

Intense Suffering

Answer 23

<epistemic>
</epistemic>

Question 24

Evil is Not a Tool of Omnibenevolence

Answer 24

<soul>
</soul>