Evil And Suffering Flashcards
What is meant by ‘evil’?
The committing of harmful deeds, usually accompinied by suffering (through pain and distress).
What are the three main qualities of God that Christians believe He has?
Christians believe that God has qualities that no other being has:
- Omnipotent
- Omniscient
- Omnibenevolent
What does omnipotent mean, and how does it relate to God?
All Powerful
God must be able to remove evil and suffering.
What does omniscient mean, and how does this relate to God?
All Knowing
God must know all the evil and suffering in the world.
What does omnibenevolent mean, and how does this relate to God?
All Loving
God must want to remove all evil and suffering from His people.
Due to the Christian belief that God has qualities of no other being, what is the problem of evil?
God having these qualities should mean that there should not be any evil or suffering, as all of these qualities would assist in stopping all evil and suffering.
Which group of people have identified two types of evil?
Philosophers
What are the two types of evil?
Moral & Natural
What is meant by moral evil?
People’s deliberate cruel behaviour which is considered to be morally wrong.
Give a major example of moral evil that has happened or may happen:
The Holocaust
World Wars
Civil Wars
Bombings
Murder
Theft
What is meant by natural evil?
Events which harm or kill people but are not caused by humans.
Give a major example of natural evil that has happened or may happen:
Natural Disasters (i.e: Tsunamis and Earthquakes)
If God exists, why might he be allowing evil and suffering to exist and take place?
- Jesus suffered just like humans, which may make us feel closer to God.
- Humans need free will, but God can still acknowledge our choices.
- We need to learn from our mistakes.
- So that we may ask for the forgiveness of our sins and get rid of our temptations.
- Adam and Eve created original sin.
- So that those who are worthy can be chosen to go to heaven, and those who are unworthy can go to either purgatory or hell; in other words, it is a test of faith.
Which Holy Book has records of many people who have demanded of God an explanation for all the suffering in the world?
The Bible
Give an example of someone in the Bible who has had trouble understanding where God was in times of need.
King David
What did King David cry out in one of his psalms when he was trying to find where God was in a time of despair?
“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me?”
Do Christians believe that God understands or doesn’t understand our suffering?
Christians believe that God understands our suffering.
Who did Jesus suffer at the hands of?
Clue: They are people he may accept and not accept.
At the hands of both his friends and his enemies.
What does it say in James 16 about God and free will?
“God created people in free will. God shares in the agony of people’s suffering like a mother watching her druggie son destroy his own life. The love of God is suffering love.”
Why did God send his Son, Jesus to the world?
To rescue and help people.
If Christians cannot always escape trouble, evil and suffering, what do they usually believe in?
They believe in and are confident of God’s support.
In the short story/poem called the ‘Footprints’, what does it tell us about the Lord?
In this poem, the narrator looks back at his life and sees two sets of footprints in the sand, except during his most difficult times when there is only one set of footprints. The poem explains that the person was not walking alone, left by his Savior during these times. Instead, the Savior was carrying the person.
What is the moral of the poem ‘Footprints in the Sand’?
You’re never alone, especially during your most trying, testing, and weariful times - God is always with you.
Despite all the suffering in the world, Christians believe in who is in control, and what does this mean about the cause of suffering?
Christians believe that God is in control, and so he alone knows the reason for suffering.
Fill in the Blanks:
Christians believe in a ___ who understands what _________ is because he also suffered in the person of _____. However, ___ created people out of ____ and with the freedom of ______. This means that God will not intervene in every case to stop people from _________.
God, suffering, Jesus, God, love, choice, suffering
Who is St Maximillian Kolbe?
A Catholic Priest and Conventual Franciscan Friar.
What does ‘conventual’ mean?
Living under Monastic Vows
When and where was St Max Kolbe born?
8th Jan 1894, in Zdunska Wola, Congress Poland, Russian Empire
What was St Max Kolb’s birth name?
Raymund Kolbe
Who did St Max Kolbe voluntarily die in place of and where?
He volunteered to die in place of a man named Francisek Gajowinczek, in the German Death Camp of Auschwitz.
Who did St Max Kolbe and his other friary members provide shelter to?
He and other friars in his friary provided shelter to refugees from Greater Poland, including 2000 Jews who were hiding from German persecution.
Why, when and where was St Jax Kolbe arrested?
He was arrested for providing shelter for refugees and Jews on the 17th Feb 1941 at the Pawiak Prison in Poland.
What were Kolbe and the remaining prisoners at Ausxhwitz told to do when the guards wanted the cell emptied?
They were executed with an acid injection, and Kolbe calmly volunteered to do so.
Why did Kolbe become a priest in the first place?
He had a vision with/from Mary.
At what age did Kolbe have a vision from Mary?
At age 10
What did Kolbe’s vision of Mary consist of?
She offered him a white crown and a red crown, representing purity and martyrdom respectively. He chose both, a foreshadowing of his life to come.
What is St Max Kolbe a patron saint of?
He is the patron saint of amateur radio operators, drug addicts, political prisoners, families, journalists, prisoners, and the pro-life movement.
When St Kolbe was canonised, what did Pope John Paul II declare him as?
10 October 1982, John Paul II declared him “The Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century”.
What is St Kolbe known as a martyr of?
A martyr of Charity
What is a sacrament?
A movement of God’s love and grace being poured into a person.
What is meant by ‘spiritual’?
Non-Physical; to do with the Soul
What is meant by the word ‘anoint’?
To rub with oil.
Give the Bible reference for the origins of the Sacrament of the Sick:
James 5:14
True or False:
The Sacrament of the Sick can only be celebrated by the dead.
False:
The Sacrament of the Sick can only be celebrated by living people.
True or False:
The Sacrament of the Sick should only be given to the dying.
False:
This Sacrament can be given to any baptised Christian member.
What are the two sacraments of healing?
Reconciliation
Anointing of the Sick
What was the Sacrament of the Sick previously known as and why?
It was known as ‘the Last Rites’ because at that time it was normally administered only when a patient was in extremis (near death).
Fill in the blanks:
The Sacrament of the Sick is given by God for our _________ health and __________.
spiritual, well-being
List the 3 repeatable sacraments
Eucharist (Holy Communion)
Reconciliation
Anointing of the Sick
Name 4 occasions on which we can receive the Sacrament of the Sick:
- Before Surgery or Operation
- Old Age
- In danger of death
- Long Term Illness
List the 4 effects of the Sacrament of the Sick:
- It unites the sick person with Jesus and his sacrifices.
- It forgives sin.
- It gives strength to the person.
- It prepares the person for their upcoming death.