Good and Evil

Question 1

What is a conscience?

Answer 1

An inner voice letting people know right from wrong?

Question 2

What is the Devil?

Answer 2

The tempter, a force for evil.

Question 3

What is the Fall?

Answer 3

The Biblical story in which Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating forbidden fruit.

Question 4

What is Moral Evil?

Answer 4

Evil and suffering caused by human choice to do wrong.

Question 5

What is Natural Evil?

Answer 5

Suffering that happens because of the natural world and not because of human fault.

Question 6

What does omnibenevolent mean?

Answer 6

All- loving

Question 7

What does omnipotent mean?

Answer 7

All powerful

Question 8

What does omniscient mean?

Answer 8

All knowing

Question 9

What is the Original Sin?

Answer 9

The sin that people are born with, inherited from the sin of Adam and Eve.

Question 10

What is a sin?

Answer 10

Something morally wrong which goes against the teachings of God.

Question 11

What do Christians believe about God’s omnibenevolence?

Answer 11

• God is perfectly good and everything He created was good to as an extension of His goodness.
• God gives people moral laws so that they know how to be good and please Him.
• God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus who died upon the cross to save humanity from its sins.

Question 12

What is redemption?

Answer 12

The making up for something bad that has been done.

Question 13

What does the Old Testament of the Bible teach about the Devil?

Answer 13

In the book of Job, the Devil tries to tempt a good man called Job away from God by sending him all kinds of suffering in the hope that Job would turn away from God and lose his faith.

Question 14

What is meant when Christians say the Devil is a fallen angel?

Answer 14

That the Devil was once an angel called Lucifer who rebelled against God and was kicked out of Heaven as his punishment.

Question 15

What does the New Testament of the Bible teach about the Devil?

Answer 15

The Devil tries to tempt Jesus by trying to convince Jesus to use his power as God the Son in a way that is not for the good.

Question 16

By what other names is the Devil known?

Answer 16

Stan, the Tempter, the Accuser, Lucifer.

Question 17

How is the Devil depicted in art?

Answer 17

Often he is shown as similar to a man with wings, horns, hooves, a pitched fork and a tail. He is often painted red to show that people are more likely to do wrong if they are in the grip of strong emotions such as anger or passion. He can be shown with tongues of fire to represent the fires of Hell.

Question 18

What do Christians who think the Devil is a supernatural being believe?

Answer 18

That the Devil is a supernatural being who can make plans, do deliberate acts of wrong and who aims to overthrow God.
They are more likely to be Fundamentalist Christians.

Question 19

What do some Christians who think the Devil isn’t a supernatural being believe?

Answer 19

That the Devil is a poetic way to talk about how people struggle to choose the right thing to do. They believe that no power can rival God’s and the devil is how people talk about sin and the absence of God.

Question 20

What happens in the story known as the Fall?

Answer 20

God gave Adam and Eve an earthly paradise to live in called the Garden of Eden.
They could do whatever they pleased as long as they didn’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
A snake tempted Eve to eat the fruit, who in turn, tempted Adam.
Adam and Eve suddenly felt shame with their bodies and covered them with clothes.
God saw what they had done and punished them by making Adam toil and Eve suffer through childbirth.

Question 21

“And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;…”

Answer 21

“…but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16- 17)

Question 22

What do some Christians believe about the snake in the Garden of Eden?

Answer 22

It was the Devil in disguise, tempting Adam and Eve to do the wrong thing.

Question 23

“You will surely not die,” the serpent said to the woman…”

Answer 23

“…For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4)

Question 24

What was the difference about the place of humanity before the Fall compared with after the Fall?

Answer 24

Before the Fall, humans were in a state of grace; they had a perfect relationship with God.
After the Fall, humans had fallen from grace as they had done wrong and challenged God’s authority.

Question 25

What do Christians who take the Fall story literally believe?

Answer 25

That Adam and Eve were real people and all parts of the story really happened.

Question 26

Do all Christians have a literal understanding of the Adam and Eve story?

Answer 26

No, some Christians believe the story is a myth- a story with a meaning. It shows that God is not responsible for evil and suffering and that humans separate themselves from God through sin.

Question 27

What do different Christians believe about original sin?

Answer 27

• Some Christians believe that original sin is passed down to all humans as they are all descended from Adam and Eve. This is why babies are baptised as this washes away their original sin.
• Other Christians say that to sin is a deliberate act and people can only be judged for the things that they have done. These Christians reject the belief in original sin. They view baptism as an initiation rite into the Christian Church.

Question 28

How was Jesus’ death on the cross redemptive?

Answer 28

As all people sin, all humans deserve to die and no one has earned the right to live in Heaven with God.
Jesus who was fully God and fully man was sinless so when he died, his death as both a man and a God paid the price for human sin, because he sacrificed his life for others.

Question 29

“For the wages of sin is death…”

Answer 29

“…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Question 30

What examples of there of natural evil?

Answer 30

Earthquakes, hurricanes, diseases, tsunamis.

Question 31

What examples are there of moral evil?

Answer 31

Theft, murder, bullying, violence, terrorism.

Question 32

What is the problem of evil?

Answer 32

How can there be evil and suffering if God is all loving and all powerful?

Question 33

How do some Christians believe that evil and suffering came into the world?

Answer 33

Evil and suffering are the result of Adam and Eve’s Fall; they corrupted the natural order of things so are to blame for natural evil as well as being the first people to commit moral evil.

Question 34

How do Christians who don’t believe the Fall really happen explain evil and suffering?

Answer 34

These Christians would say that evil and suffering is part of life but by dealing with it, Christians can get closer to God. It is through suffering that people develop important qualities such as bravery, compassion and generosity. They might also say that evil and suffering is necessary because we need them in order to make genuine free choices. If there weren’t challenges then people wouldn’t really be tested and Christians believe that God gave people free will so they could choose to be good.

Question 35

Why do some people say that the amount of suffering in the world is unfair?

Answer 35

They might say that it isn’t fair as not all people suffer the same amount; this might suggest that God loves some people more or less than others. Also, in response to the idea that people learn from suffering, some people would argue that babies suffer yet can’t learn from it and this is unfair.

Question 36

What happens in the story of Job?

Answer 36

The Devil and God are talking- the Devil bets that he can make any man take away from God. The Devil tries to make a man who is very loyal to God, Job, turn away from God by taking away his wife and children, his sheep and giving him boils all over his body. Job asks God for an explanation as to why all these horrible things are happening to him. God tells Jobs that God has a plan and that Job, as a human, cannot understand it.

Question 37

What does the story of Job teach Christians about suffering?

Answer 37

That humans cannot always understand what happens to them but there is a reason for their suffering and they should trust in God.

Question 38

How might Christians cope with suffering?

Answer 38

• Pray to God for strength and comfort.
• Remembering the suffering of Jesus; they are not alone when they suffer, Jesus (God) suffers too.
• Remembering Jesus’ example when suffering- by being patient and not complaining.
• Reading the Bible.
• Talking to other Christians.
• Helping other who suffer.

Question 39

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you…”

Answer 39

“…I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Question 40

How might Christians help others who are suffering?

Answer 40

• Visit the elderly, people who are ill or are bereaved.
• Spend time with people who are lonely.
• Raise funds to help support those who are suffering.
• Use their vote carefully and try and choose leaders who care about other people.
• Volunteer for a local scheme.
• Pray to God on behalf of other people.

Question 41

How do Christians know the difference between right and wrong?

Answer 41

• Prayer- ask God to guide them to the right decision.
• Follow the example of Jesus or his teachings.
• Read the Bible for inspiration.
• Follow the teaching of their Church/ denomination- they can find these out by asking their priest/ church leader.
• Follow the example of other Christians.
• Listen to their conscience.