Irenaean Theodicy Flashcards
Two Stages to Creation (FW)
- Humans were made in God’s image.
2. Humans were given free will so they can develop into the likeness of God.
Irenaean approach to Free Will (FW)
- Will entail suffering HOWEVER:
- It is necessary for development
- Our choice, so God is not to blame.
Evil’s impact on moral development. (MD)
- Irenaeus says we need evil to develop.
2. We need to develop towards perfection.
Swinburne on Moral development (MD)
“Many of the moral virtues we admire are only possible in an imperfect world”
World with no pain (MD)
- In a world with no pain, our actions have no moral consequence.
- Moral development is only possible in a worlds where suffering is real.
God’s intervention (GD)
- If God intervened this would undermine human freedom.
Universal Salvation (US)
- Suffering can lead to some people to moral degradation.
2. In order for suffering to be morally justified, everyone must attain perfection.
Hick’s Free Will
- We develop “virtues from hardship”.
- These freely developed virtues are infinitely better than any virtues instilled in us by God.
Hick’s Perfect World
- Perfect world is something to look forward to in the future and something that we create together.
- We might not even see own moral perfection until the afterlife.
Irenaean Theodicy (Summary)
- Free Will
- Moral Development
- Epistemic Distance
- Universal Salvation
- Hick’s Approach
Uncertainty of God (GD)
- God deliberately makes his existence uncertain.
2. If we knew for certain God was always watching we would behave out of fear and not virtue.
Morality developed through hard work (MD)
- You have to freely and actively choose between good and evil.
- This morality developed through hard work is more valuable than programmed morality.
