problem of evil Flashcards
omnipotence?
all powerfull
omniscient?
all knowing
omnibenevolent
all loving
what is the inconsistent triad?
the omnipotence and omnibenevolence of god, and existence of evil said to be mutually incompatible
what is a theodicy?
attempt to justify god in the face of evil in world
what is natural evil?
evil/suffering caused by non human intervention
what is moral evil?
evil/ suffering caused by deliberate misuse of human free will
what is privatio boni?
phrase used by Augustine absence of goodness
what is free will?
make independent choices
what is epistemic distance?
distance in knowledge/ understanding
what is the problem of evil?
if god can prevent evil because of his power and omnibenevolence/omniscience why is there suffering in world
how is the problem of evil a problem of logic and evidence?
- logically a god of finite power do nothing to prevent evil then a god described by such religions does not exist.
- evidently- it is debatable whether the world contains sufficient evidence of the power and love of god to make belief tenable, given evidence of evil and suffering
what did Irenaeus argue?
god wants to learn/grow spiritually= challenges and hardships to face out of love so that we could become people who freely choose to have relationship with him
what did augustine argue?
evil came into world, god created perfect, angles made wrong choice, rebelled against god, fell from heaven. corrupt humanity Adam/eve sin corrupted world and threw into sin
what did john hick argue??
Irenaeus’ ‘soul making theodicy’ challenges we face in this world help each free relationship with god.
David Hume quote - dialogs naturaal R
“is he willing to prevent evil but not able? then is he impotent? is he able, but not willing? malevolent. is he both able and willing? whence then is evil.
problem of evil as an evidential problem, what type of argument is it?
posterior (evidence)
what does john s. mill say?
natural world= evil. argues against the goodness of god, evidence does not point to a good creator if a creator at all
who is mill arguing against and why?
w. Paley- we only need to look at world to see created by a loving god- mill says no evidence
what would mill say IF there was a god?
not all omnipotent- we cannot look at him as a guide for our own moral behaviour
Augustine’s theodicy rests upon two assumptions what were they?
- evil did not come from god , gods creation perfect
- evil came from else where and god was justified in allowing it to stay
give 2 strengths of Augustine’s theodicy?
- ‘deprivation of goodness (privatio boni) BRIAN DAVIES “gap between what there s and what there ought to be”
- evil not part of OG plan, god not responsible for mans evil choices
give 2 weaknesses of Augustine’s theodicy?
- evil not lack of something- causes immense pain that cannot be ignored
- raises issues about his love and power would he have seen humans use their free will wrong and posses evil.
for Irenaeus the world is a place of what?
soul making, goodness made from moral choices is better than ready made goodness
give two strengths of Irenaeus’ theodicy?
- allows human responsibility of evil and suffering, we create evil through free will
- scripture to show gods purpose
give two weaknesses of Irenaeus theodicy?
- some people suffer a lot more than others is he singling them out?
- why cannot god create a soul making world without evil?
how did Irenaeus use the creation story?
serpent tempted. He argued that if God did not save humanity then the serpent would have triumphed over God
give 2 strengths of Hicks theodicy?
- It is supported by traditional Christian teachings regarding the reward of heaven for those who do good.
- God needed to allow humans to develop themselves rather than creating them perfect
give 2 weaknesses of Hick?
- Some people may become worse because of their suffering, not better.
- Some people suffer more than others. Does this mean that God only wants some to grow to spiritual maturity but not others?
what are irenaeus’ 2 options?
1) a paradise with no pain or sin
2) the real earth with its pain and suffering, love and happiness, joy
heaven will render worthwhile all the pain and struggles of the long journey of human life
