catholic response to atheism

Question 1

why would evil and suffering be ok for religious person ?

Answer 1

-there is no inconsistency if we assume that God has his reasons for allowing evil and suffering

Question 2

reasons for suffering ?

Answer 2

• helps to develop moral virtues
• helps us to see the good things in life
• good can come out of suffering
• the misuse of free will
• suffering gives a chance to be loving and charitable

Question 3

why would suffering develop moral virtues ?

Answer 3

• without suffering there would be no need for
• compassion
• forgiveness
• mercy
• these wouldn’t exist in a perfect world

Question 4

why suffering helps to see the good things in lives ?

Answer 4

• you can’t have good with out evil

Question 5

how can good come out of suffering ?

Answer 5

• in old testement Joseph got put in to slavery as of that helped save the lives of people in Egypt

Question 6

how can suffering be a result of free will ?

Answer 6

• if we want to have free will we have to be prepared of what bad things can come out of it

Question 7

how can suffering bring the chance to loving and charitable ?

Answer 7

• to help people be more like people God wants us to be

- parable of the sheep

Question 8

why would evil and suffering be ok for religious person ?

Answer 8

-there is no inconsistency if we assume that God has his reasons for allowing evil and suffering

Question 9

how can the issue of unanswered prayer lead to God ?

Answer 9

• Practical issue -God can’t answer all prayer
• Some prayers are selfish - does not want answer prayers that just help one person
• You get what you need not always what they want - God is a father figure
• some prayers would interfere with free will
• God answers all prayer - the answer is no

Question 10

how scientific explanations of the origins of the universe prove God exists ?

Answer 10

• its entirely possibly to believe in God and science at the same time

Question 11

how the existence of evil and suffering leads to belief in God ?

Answer 11

-God has his reasons for allowing evil and suffering to exist

Question 12

how the issue of unanswered prayer leads to belief in God ?

Answer 12

• God has good reasons for not answering all prayers positively

Question 13

give examples of how the scientific explantations leads to belief in God ?

Answer 13

• big bang leads to the causation argument

- the theory of evolution leads to design argument so complex

Question 14

catholic response to atheism ?

Answer 14

• scientific explanations - its entirely possible to believe in God and science at the same time
• the existence of evil and suffering - God has his reasons for allowing suffering to exists
• issue of unanswered prayer - God has good reasons for not answering all prayers positively