2B: Religious responses to the problem of evil - Irenaean type theodicy

Question 1

Who was Irenaeus?

Answer 1

• Greek cleric who was known for his work against heresy.

Question 2

Irenaeus theodicy: pt1 - the creation of the world:

Answer 2

• unlike Augustine, Irenaeus admitted God can be partly to blame for the occurrence of evil. However this was done for a ‘greater’ reason.
• claims God made humanity imperfect so they could develop into his personality

Question 3

Irenaean theodicy: pt2 - why God allows moral evil?

Answer 3

• to develop in this likeness, God had to grant humans genuine and total free will
• however this opens up the possibility for humans to choose whether to be good or morally evil.
• God never steps in to stop potential moral evil from occurring as this would compromise human freedom and stop humanity having the potential to develop into God’s likeness.
• Irenaeus claims the existence of moral evil is a necessary part of life as it enables humans to develop. Without moral evil, decisions in life would have no real value.
• moral evil is the only way humanity can fully develop into God’s likeness.

Question 4

The contribution of John Hick:

Answer 4

• ‘epistemic distance’ - this was so humanity was only partially aware of His existence but could equally doubt His existence
• if God was too close, humanity would be overwhelmed by kneodlge if His expectations and automatically try to be more like Him.
• therefore God has to be distanced to allow humanity to truest decide whether to follow God’s goodness.

Question 5

Irenaean theodicy: pt3 - development of natural evil:

Answer 5

• Hick argued that the natural world could not be a paradise.
• natural evil is needed to help humanity make difficult choices so they can develop the second-order goods to further develop into God’s likeness.

Question 6

Irenaean theodicy: pt4 - hope for the future:

Answer 6

• states that eventually everyone will abcicge their aim of becoming like Gid. Those that freely chose to become more like God will directly enter heaven. Those that reject God in this life will be punished in the next life
• believer this punsihement is not eternal but will instead purify them so that they become like God and achieve Godly perfection. Therefore, ultimately everyone will eventually develop 8nto God’s likeness. ‘Eschatological justification’

Question 7

Summary of Irenaean theodicy:

Answer 7

• God is all-powerful: God made the world with the ultimate purpose for all humanity to develop into his likeness.
• God is all-loving: God will eventually allow everyone to achieve a heavenly-status post-mortem
• evil exists: natural and moral evil exist but only as an aid in helping humanity develop into the existence of God.

Question 8

What are the strengths of Irenaean theodicy?

Answer 8

• biblically based
• support of evolution
• solution to PoE
• a goal for life

Question 9

Strengths - biblically based:

Answer 9

• partly based on ideas from the Bible, e.g. Genesis 1:26
• therefore has a strong theological grounding and be acceptable to theists.

Question 10

Strengths - support of evolution:

Answer 10

• could potentially have the support of evolution as they both point to humanity gradually developing.

Question 11

Strengths - solution to PoE:

Answer 11

• offers a theological justification of why PoE doesn’t illustrate that there is no God of Classical Theism

Question 12

Strengths - a goal for life:

Answer 12

• provides a recognisable and achievable goal for humanity that gives relevance and value to life on Earth. E.g. developing into God’s likeness.

Question 13

What are the weaknesses of Irenaean theodicy?

Answer 13

• infant death
• quantity and gravity of suffering is unjust
• paradox of omnipotence
• logical contradiction
• concept of ‘heaven’ seems unjust

Question 14

Weaknesses - infant death:

Answer 14

• theodicy doesn’t explain what happens if you do not live long enough to make a moral decision
• therefore you cannot develop any of the second-order goods that are needed to develop into God’s likeness.

Question 15

Weaknesses - quantity and gravity of suffering is unjust:

Answer 15

• we may be able to accept that God has to allow some natural and moral evil in the world to help us develop. However it doesn’t extent the extent and severity of suffering, e.g. the Holocaust
• also doesn’t explain why some suffer from more others.

Question 16

Weakness - paradox of omnipotence:

Answer 16

• see Mackie’s argument

Question 17

Weakness - logical contradiction:

Answer 17

• an important element of Irenaeus’ theodicy is that humanity has free will
• however it ends with the idea that everyone will eventually achieve a heavenly existence.
• does this mean we have no choice but to achieve God’s likeness. Therefore does humanity have free will or not?

Question 18

Weakness - the concept of ‘heaven for all‘ is unjust:

Answer 18

• contradicts religious texts such as the Bible and Qur’an, which both promise punishment for the unrighteousness.
• the idea is morally unacceptable as there is no incentive to develop into God’s likeness in this life as you can just leave it until the next life.