omnibenevolence

Question 1

main issues of God’s omnibenevolence

Answer 1

• issues of hell and eternal punishment

- issue of the problem of evil

Question 2

scholars

Answer 2

Swinburne
Augustine and Irenaeaus
Boethius

Question 3

understanding the need for God’s omnibenevolence

Answer 3

• based on creation of creation as insinuates a want for a relationship, an evil being wouldn’t care for relationship = no creation
• doesn’t mean creation has to be perfect as impermanence causes pain and change = improvements
• imperfection = free will

Question 4

Irenaeus and Hick’s view on an imperfect world

Answer 4

• imperfect world fuelled by love causes change to achieve perfection
• through the vale of soul making

Question 5

Anslem and Aquinas’s view on God’s love

Answer 5

• love is not changing

- we grow closer to God not God growing closer to us as its impossible as God os timeless

Question 6

what does true love require?

Answer 6

• sacrifice
• to fully give yourself to another you have to limit yourself
• God’s sacrifice wad creation
• Christians say Jesus is embodiment of true love as sacrifice himself for our salvation

Question 7

what is proposed to combat the problem of evil ?

Answer 7

• Augustine and Ireanaus’s theodicies

Question 8

why is God understood to be simple and perfect

Answer 8

• God is simply because he is perfect

- if something can change it means it can improve, for God to be perfect he has to be simple

Question 9

Swinburne’s addressing the issue of an all-loving God punishing and not forgiving all

Answer 9

• analogy of the role of a parent
• God’s goodness requires rewarding and punishing his creation; punishment born of love
• psalm 103:13
• God’s goodness includes administering justice
• God has the right to punish as he is good - God is the standard of perfection we are expected to live up to

Question 10

Swinburne’s analogy of a parent

Answer 10

• reward and punishment as a parent would to a child to ensure growth and development

Question 11

Psalm 103:13

Answer 11

‘just as a father shows compassion to his children, so the lord shows compassion’
- punishment born of love

Question 12

problems with God’s omnibenevolence

Answer 12

• eternal punishment
• selfish morality
• paradox of omniscience
• problem of evil

Question 13

issue of eternal punishment

Answer 13

• punishment for growth and long term reward
• eternal punishment provides no growth or development

CA
- Irenaeus’ universal salvation - said all will be saved in the end = even in hell there is no eternal punishment

Question 14

issue of selfish morality

Answer 14

• idea of rewards and punishment may lead people action morally simply to go to heaven
• self-interested morality

CA

• judged on moral motivations not on outward actions
• if God is omniscience will see their intentions

Question 15

paradox of omniscience

Answer 15

• issue of omniscience and the existence of hell as seems unfair to punish one for a predetermined outcome
  paradox:
• Gods goodness should lead to no punishment because it was good for God to allow humans free will to do what they want
• Goodness should punish the person because that is justice

CA

• Swinburne rejects paradox
• arguing human free will must include ability to damn ourselves if necessary otherwise its not totally free

Question 16

issue of the problem of evil

Answer 16

• paradox of God’s perfection - omnibenevolence and creation of evil
• totally perfect God wouldn’t have the ability to create evil, within in our world evil exists
• loving and good God would’ve created a place with no suffering or pain

CA

• Swinburne parent analogy
• Augustine and Irenaeus’ theodicies

Question 17

do the theodicies successfully overcome the question raised about God’s omnibenevolence and the existence of evil?

Answer 17

Irenaeus - NO, the need for evil for development seems unnecessary and that suffering is unequal and suggests different people have different moral developments

Augustine - NO but more than Irenaeus - offers alternative that’s = evil not creation from God. Omniscience meant he would be known Angels and A&E would fall

Question 18

what does Boethius say about the issues presented with the issue of omniscience and omnibenevolence

Answer 18

‘if God firmly knows things, then they become inevitable, things which seem fair such as the reward of good and punishment of the bad became fair’

Question 19

how does Boethius’ view on time to solve the issue of God’s omniscience and judgement of human morality

Answer 19

• humans exist within time and God exists outside of time
• he has perfect knowledge of what we freely chose to do but not in ‘advance’ as this doesn’t exist for God
• eternal presence
• as we have free will therefore God can fairly pass judgement

Question 20

strength of Boethius’ view

Answer 20

logically consistent as allows God to have omniscience without compromising human freedom and sense of divine justice

Question 21

weakness of Boethius’ view presented by Vardy

Answer 21

• inconsistency with God’s simplicity as it means god depends on human beings for knowledge
• suggesting God is learning which doesn’t fit with him being simple and perfect