3 - problems of evil and suffering

Question 1

moral evil

Answer 1

• evil caused by human actions (eg murder, war)
• rooted in human misuse of free will
  EG: holocaust represents catastrophic scale of moral evil

Question 2

natural evil

Answer 2

• suffering caused by nature (eg earthquakes, disease)
• raised questions about god’s deign about the universe

Question 3

mackie’s inconsistent triad

Answer 3

1. god is omnipotent (all-powerful)
2. god is omnibenevolent (all-loving)
3. evil exists
   - if two are true the third cannot logically exist

Question 4

hume’s argument

Answer 4

• if God is willing to prevent evil but not able -> he is not omnipotent
• if able but not willing -> he is malevolent
• if able and willing -> why does evil exist?

Question 5

augustine’s theodicy - creation was good

Answer 5

• god created the world free from evil; evil is a privation of good
  EG: Augustine compares evil to blindness- not substance but lack of sight

Question 6

process theodicy

Answer 6

• a theological approach that views God as a co-sufferer, rather than the cause of evil and suffering
• god is not all-powerful in the rational sense but instead a influential and relational being

Question 7

irenaeus’ theodicy - soul-making

Answer 7

• evil and suffering are necessary for human development
• humans must freely choose to grow closer to God

Question 8

irenaeus’ theodicy - creation was incomplete

Answer 8

• God created a world with good and evil to allow humans to develop spirituality

Question 9

epistemic distance

Answer 9

god’s presence is not obvious to encourage genuine faith and moral growth

Question 10

process theodicy

Answer 10

god is not omnipotent:
- god is a co-sufferer in creation, so he is unable to eliminate evil but working to maximise good

god’s role:
- god persuades rather than coerces, leaving humans free to act

Question 11

process theodicy - strengths

Answer 11

• redefines god’s nature
• empathetic god
• fits with modern science

Question 12

process theodicy - weaknesses

Answer 12

• failure to address modern evil
• lack of eschatological [final end] hope
• limited god

Question 13

iranaeus theodicy - strengths

Answer 13

• developmental focus
• compatibility with evolution
• eschatological hope

Question 14

irenaeus theodicy - weaknesses

Answer 14

• gratuitous suffering
• innocent suffering
• universal salvation assumption