evil and suffering Flashcards
what is natural evil?
- evil that is caused by naturally occurring events
- e.g hurricanes
what is moral evil?
- evil which is caused by mankind
- e.g theft, rape etc
what is suffering?
- mental/physical pain/hardship/distress brought about though natural and moral evils
what’s a quote saying God made the person blind so Jesus could show the loving power of God?
“it was not that this man had sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be manifest in him”
what is a example case study for natural evil?
- 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and Tsunami
- killed over 250,000
what’s a example case study for moral evil?
- the Holocaust
- Hitlers Nazi Germany
- killed 6 million jews
what is the logical problem of evil?
- God is omnipotent
- God is omnibenevolent
- evil exists
what is the logical problem of evil also known as?
- the inconsistent triad
what does the logical problem of evil suggest?
- they cannot all be true
- all powerful God= He’s able
- all loving God= He’d want to remove evil
- yet evil exists
what would it mean if Gods not omnipotent?
- He’s unable to control evil
- therefore cannot be blamed
- however a God which isn’t omnipotent isn’t worthy of worship
what is Augustine’s solution to the logical problem of evil?
- evil doesn’t exist in its own right, but its an absence of good
what are two reasons why God allows evil to exist?
- free will defence
- John Hicks eschatological solution
what is John Hicks eschatological solution?
- in the end everyone will reach Gods kingdom
- evil is a necessary part for which we become fit for heaven
what is the evidential problem of evil?
- there are 2 types of evidence which supply evidence
- Evil which is overwhelming in quantity and quality
- Evil which is pointless as it serves no purpose
what is William Rowes example of pointless evils?
- in a distant forest a lightning strike causes a forest fire
- a fawn is trapped and horribly burned in agony for several days before dying alone
- no evidential good would come from this
what’s an example of natural evil which is of great quantity and quality?
- the ‘great dying’
- killed 90% of marines species
- killed 79% of land species
what’s an example of moral evil which is of great quantity and quality?
- the holocaust
- Hitler killed 6 million Jews
what does the evidential problem of evil and Gods omniscience show?
- an omniscient being would know at the point of creation that both pointless and overwhelming evils would exist
- then why did God create the universe
what can we say about gods plan?
- God has a plan by which all suffering will eventually lead to perfect harmony of life in heaven
why might we accept some suffering is good?
- the pain of injections
- the pain will bring about the good of immunisation from harmful diseases
what is the free will defence?
- Gods given up control over human behaviour in order to bring about a greater good
- humans are morally responsible agents
what does human free will allow for?
- to develop qualities that are valuable
- e.g empathy, compassion
What 2 things do people who defend the free will defence have to prove?
- free will necessarily lead to moral evil
- the result of having feee will are worth the price
What’s a reason why Mackie doesn’t believe God exists?
- the problem of evil
What are examples of first order goods?
- happiness, pleasure
What are examples of first order evils?
- unhappiness, pain, misery
What are examples of higher order goods?
- sympathy, understanding, kindness
Why might we say second order goods exist?
- to maximise first order good
- to minimise first order evils
Why might we say first order evils exist?
- maximise first order evils
- minimise first order goods
Why is freedom a third order good?
- as it allows us to choose between putting in place first and second order goods and evils
Why is God justified in allowing evil in the universe according to John Mackies account of the free will defence?
- as it permits us to choose or reject the good
- it teaches us to be mortally responsible
What does Mackie say in his rejection of the free will defence?
- It is logically possible for a person to make free, good choices all of the time
- God could’ve created humans so they only make free, good choices
- God did not do so
What does Mackie’s rejection lead to?
- either God lacks the power to do so
- God is not loving enough to do so
- the free will defence fails
- therefore God does not exist
how strong is Mackie’s argument against the free will defence?
- according to Plantinga, there’s no possible way God could make us to always make free good choices
- this is not free choice
what does Plantinga’s argument aim to show?
- that there’s no possible world in which God could have created being who would always make free, good choices
what is Plantinga’s MSR1?
‘God could not eliminate much of the evil and suffering in this world without thereby eliminating the greater good of having created persons with free will’
what is libertarianism?
- we can make choices that are genuinely free
what does libertarian there mean?
- people have the ability to put in practice Mackie’s second order goods of sympathy, love
- this kind of freedom is the most important
what is Plantinga’s MSR2?
‘God allowed evil to enter the world as part of Adam and Eve’s punishment for their sin in the Garden of Eden’
what are strengths of the free will defence?
- Plantinga shows MSR1 and MSR2 are both logically possible
- natural evils bring about second order goods which are to be values
- without freedom there is no achievement and no real happiness
what are weaknesses of the free will defence?
- Plantinga’s MSR2 uses a mythological story
- it has no convincing response for the evidential problem of evil
what is a starting point for Hicks soul making theodicy?
- humans did not ‘fall’ from perfection they were created as imperfect beings
how does Hick describe the development of the human race?
- God creates the human race through biology and allows it to develop itself unit every human being achieves the likeness of Christ
what will the whole human race eventually do?
- respond freely to God, all will be saved and will enter heaven
- Gods salvation is for all humanity
- no loving father would commit their children to hell
- humans freely come to love God and the good
what are the 3 objections to Hicks argument which he deals with?
- it doesn’t justify animal suffering
- there are pointless evils in the world
- it doesn’t justify the very worst evils
what are strengths of Hicks soul making theodicy?
- that we’re created at an epistemic distance from God this can be used to justify any evil
- evil is justified as its necessary for soul making
- incorporates evolution of the human race
weakness for Hicks soul making theodicy?
- he says there no good explanation for animal suffering then immediately gives one
- the ends don’t justify the means, promise of heaven isn’t a fixed contract
- doesn’t match up with Christian teachings e.g what was the point of Jesus’ crucifixion
what is Griffins process theology?
- rejects ‘creatio ex nihilo
- Gods creation role was to persuade matter into a state of greater order and complexity
- ‘the earth being without form and void’ suggests the universe already existed
