Evil and Suffering Key Quotes

Question 1

Moral Evil - Rabi Irving Greenberg

Answer 1

‘No statement, theological or otherwise should be made that would not be credible in the presence of burning children’

• He is referring to the holocaust where children were burned alive

Question 2

Genesis - Jesus and his sacrifice

Answer 2

‘For God loved the world so much that he sent his one and only son, and he whoever shall follow him shall not perish but receive eternal life’

Question 3

St Augustine (FWD)

Answer 3

‘A runaway horse is better than a stone’

• A horse that has freedom and the ability to make its own choices is better than a programmed and fixed horse

Question 4

CS Lewis (FWD)

Answer 4

‘Free will, though it makes evil possible, also makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having’

Question 5

Mackie (FWD)

Answer 5

‘Always freely choose good’

Question 6

Plantinga’s defence against Mackie

Answer 6

‘It would be impossible to casually determine human actions and at the same time allow them to be morally free’

Question 7

Swinburne

Answer 7

‘He would be like an overprotective parent who will not let his child out of sight for a moment’

• We need free will in order to choose good or bad options, otherwise we would be like robots and ‘good’ won’t have any value