Good,evil and Suffering Flashcards
What did St Irenaeus believe about soul making
Believed that humans weren’t created perfect but they require growth in order to become spiritually perfect and moral
He argued evil isn’t the only way god intends for spiritual growth. People can grow morally by simply obeying his laws
Irenaeus believed god doesn’t interfere in human affairs to prevent evil as it would mean interfering with free will
What did John Hick believe about soul making
Believes god created humans with potential for spiritual growth. The process of soul making is a response to evil in the world
There’s some suffering in the world we cannot simply understand which proves we can never truly understand gods reason or plan
Hick believes humans are born with an epistemic distance between us and god. We arnt born knowing gods existence and not east to gain knowledge of
Therefore the process of soul making also involves struggle to find a religious faith
What are the Christian explanations about the origin of evil
Original sin
Catholics believe evil comes from human beings. Adam and Eve introduced sin into the world when they disobeyed god in the Garden of Eden
This act brought sin into humanity
Since then people have been born with the ability to commit acts of evil
What are the Muslim attitudes towards the origin of evil
Many Muslims believe that evil comes from Shaytan. The Quran explains how he refused gods commands to bow down before Adam. He was banished from heaven and now exists to tempt people to turn from god
The Quran teaches to beware those who might corrupt you and follow the path laid down
All that happens is part of gods plan (Al-Qadr)
Humans are given free will and their actions will be answered on judgement day
How is life seen as a test
Many Christian’s believe life is a test. Part of the test is whether an individual will tolerate suffering and keep their faith. The way people react to suffering determines whether they go to heaven or hell
What are the Christian beliefs about suffering
Suffering is part of gods plan-we might not understand it but should know god will never make us suffer beyond our ability to cope
Enables us to appreciated what is good in the world and grow closer to Jesus who also suffered
Stories of the bible for example job taught Christian’s that anyone can suffer and persevering can strengthen faith in god
What are Christian’s beliefs about suffering (2)
Christian’s point to example of Jesus as a way of explaining suffering and it’s purpose. Jesus chose to endure suffering in order to achieve greater good
His death and resurrection offers hope of eternal life
Suffering is a way of bringing people closer to Jesus and his suffering and help bring about a greater good
What are the Muslim attitudes to suffering
Everything that happens is part of will and plan of god- Al Qadr
Life is a test. Humans are given life and our good and bad actions are noted down and we are held to account for them on judgement day
Suffering enables Muslims to prove faith by resisting temptation of Shaytan. Will be rewarded in afterlife
Good can come from suffering as it leads to personal spiritual development and allows opportunity to support others
Muslims should follow the example of Muhammad
What are the humanist attitudes towards suffering
Don’t believe that suffering is a punishment or a test or part of a divine plan
Humans have choices and must take responsibility for the way they turned out
Some suffering and evil is caused by human greed and folly
Natural suffering is caused by chance and is just the way the world is
Often those that suffer arnt to blame. Concept of original sin is cruel and unjust
What is the problem of evil
All approaches suggest humans can be good and show compassion and empathy with those who suffer and overcome evil
Epicurus paradox suggests why god is willing to prevent evil but not able
What are the Christian teachings of free will
Many Methodists believe that while god is omnipresent and always know what choices each person will make he still gives them the ability to choose everything
Many lutherans believe humanity is free to choose and act in every regard except for the choice of salvation
Many Roman Catholics don’t view free will as existing apart from or in contradiction to grace
What are the Muslim teachings of free will
Although many Muslims believe in predestination they believe they have free will. Allah knows the final outcome
Surah 22:70
Free will was granted by Allah so people are not puppets. It enables them to learn from mistakes surah 30:41
The Quran and Hadith are used in making important decisions
Every person has free will to choose whether to obey Allah
On the day of judgement the impact of free will is determined
What are the views agaisnt gods nature
God is described as all loving as stated in pslam 103:8 “the lord if compassionate and gracious”
Some Christian’s cannot believe that an omnibenevolent god would design a world full of natural evils.
Some Christian’s also find it hard to believe in an omnipotent god. They question why god would allow humans to cause so much evil and suffering if he has the power to stop them from doing so and why the devil exists
Another problem related to the idea that god is omniscient. This means god would have known about all evil and suffering that would come from creating the universe the way he did. Some Christian’s therefore wonder why he didn’t create the universe without this potential for evil and suffering
What are the views against gods nature (2)
This suggests that because evil and suffering clearly exists in the world either god doesn’t exist or he cannot be omnibenevolent, omnipotent or omniscient. Some religious people find that when they experience evil and suffering it can present a challenge to their faith. they may reject religion as a result
What are the diverse attitudes with Sunni and shias about suffering
Sunni-god knows what will happen but an individual has to choose
Shia- reject predestination. God has not set a defined course of history. instead god may alter the course as is seen to be fit
Shia believe god has power over the universe however he can will a change of destiny. Some changes of destiny are brought by man himself who has free will
