Problem Of Evil Flashcards
What is evil and suffering ?
Greatest challenge to religious beliefs because why does god let it happen - leads some to reject god’s existence
What is theodicy ?
A theory to justify gods righteousness when faced with evil
What is moral evil?
Result of human free choices
What is natural evil?
Comes form natuture e.g earthquake
What is consequence of evil ?
Suffering - pain or harm experienced by a person
Innocent suffering - experienced by one who doesn’t deserve it
What is consequence of evil ?
Suffering - pain or harm experienced by a person
Innocent suffering - experienced by one who doesn’t deserve it
What is inconsistent triad ?
A triad things of items that do not seem to be able to be true at the same time in this case god being all powerful all loving and evil existing
What is the the logical problem of evil?
Evil is problem for a believer - challenges nature of god = logic
God is believed to be all powerful and not stop evil?
All loving doesn’t stop evil ?
First stated by Epicurus
For it to be solved one of the 3 parts must not be true benevolence omnipotence evil
What are possible solutions to the logical problem of evil ?
1.Limited Power:Process theology suggests that God might not be omnipotent and therefore cannot control evil or human free will.
- Different Character:Maybe God isn’t inherently benevolent. The idea of a loving God primarily comes from the New Testament. The God of the Old Testament often acts with a harsh sense of justice, as seen in His support for the people of Israel in battles.
- Redefining Attributes:It’s possible that our concepts of omnipotence and benevolence need to be reconsidered.
- Nature of Evil:Perhaps evil isn’t a substance like goodness. It might not exist in the way we traditionally think it does.
What is the evidential problem of evil?
Evil presents a significant problem because it is evident in people’s suffering, particularly in its extent and the suffering of innocent people. This can lead religious believers to question why an all-knowing God would allow such suffering to occur. Natural disasters, for instance, can displace, injure, or kill thousands of people at once.
Moral evil also raises questions, as it leads some humans to commit acts that others find unimaginable. Suffering is not limited to humans; in nature, animals often kill and eat other animals to survive.
Given that God supposedly knows everything, why would He create a universe where extreme evil and suffering are inevitable? What could possibly justify the amount of suffering in the world?
What are the responses to this?
- Big Picture Plan:Maybe evil is part of a larger plan that God has for the world, and we shouldn’t judge it based on our limited perspective.
- Learning from Suffering:Some suffering might be beneficial because it teaches us valuable lessons or warns us about greater dangers.
- Bringing Out the Best:Suffering and evil can sometimes bring out the best in people, showcasing compassion and resilience.
- Testing Humans:Perhaps God uses suffering as a way to test humans and their faith.
- Punishment:Suffering might be a consequence of people’s actions, serving as a form of punishment or correction.
- Free Will:To truly have free will, humans must accept that suffering is a part of life.
- Letting Go:The Bible suggests that there comes a point where we need to let go of our intellectual struggles with evil and suffering and embrace God’s love.
What is privation ?
A lack or absence of something
The fall
The moment when Adam and Eve disobeyed god by eating the fruit forbidden
What does Augustine ?
Original Perfection
Augustine - bishop
- believed tGod, being perfect, created a perfect world.
- Each creation is good in its own way—e.g a flower is perfect for being a flower
- argued that evil is not a thing in itself but rather the absence of good Just as blindness is the absence of sight or darkness is the absence of light, evil is simply a lack of goodness.
The Fall:
According to Augustine, the story of the Fall (Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden) is crucial for understanding why evil exists. Even before Adam and Eve, some angels, who were initially perfect, misused their free will and turned away from God, leading to the creation of hell and a disruption in the harmony of creation. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by giving in to temptation, they too broke their harmonious relationship with Him. Augustine believed that all evil in the world comes from these acts of disobedience.
What is Augustine’s theodicy ?
- Everything is created perfectly by God.
- However, all things fall short of this perfection due to the Fall of both angels and humans.
- This Fall led to a loss of harmony in nature, which results in natural evil.
- People continue to fall short, leading to moral evil.
- All humans deserve to be punished for the Original Sin of Adam and Eve and for their continuing sinfulness.
- We inherit this sin because we are all descended from Adam and Eve and share in the effects of Original Sin.
- God is fair and just, so He cannot stop evil and suffering because He cannot interfere with free actions.
- God sent Jesus to Earth as a sign of His grace to give people the opportunity to go to heaven.
- Just as a picture is improved by the use of shadows, so too is evil part of the natural balance of the universe and from God’s perspective, the universe is aesthetically pleasing because it is beautiful and balanced. Augustine compared this to a runaway horse, which is better than a stone that stays in place by itself because the stone has no movement or perception of its own.
For Augustine, evil comes from the Fall, which disrupted harmony in the world and led to human punishment. Despite this, God’s benevolence shows that humans haven’t been abandoned. In Augustine’s view, all evil is either a consequence of sin or a form of punishment for sin.
Soul deciding
A theodicy that emphasises that evil requires a decision from humans about whether they will follow god or give into evil
What is soul making theodicy ?
Explains evil as a way of developing or making the soul
What is irenaen theodicies ?
From Ireauns
-See evil as opportunity
- Says soul making not soul deciding
-Focus on idea that evil is in the world to help develop people their characters so evil free will are part of god shaking world to perfection
- genesis = then god said let us make human kind n our image in our likeness
- gods likeness is something we need to achieve through development of characters as true likeness is chosen not Guevara so veil is part of process
What is epistemic distance ?
The gap in knowledge between god and humanity human inability to know god fully
What is Instrumental good?
A good that is good for particular purpose
What does hick say ? P1
John Hick (1922–2012)
- believed that free will is a key part of understanding this problem.
- true free will must be complete+genuine, meaning we must be able to make all kinds of choices, including bad ones, without God stepping in.
-complete freedom is necessary to have a genuine relationship with God.
-introduced idea of “epistemic distance” between God and humanity.means there is a gap in our understanding +knowledge of God allows us to use our free will fully.
- If we knew God perfectly, our choices wouldn’t be free because we would always choose the good automatically.
Hick argued that good things are good because they serve a purpose. For instance, a world with no pain might seem good, but it wouldn’t help us grow and develop as individuals. He called this kind of good an “instrumental good,” which means it’s good for what it can help us achieve, not just because it is inherently good. Our world, with its challenges and sufferings, is instrumental in helping us develop into God’s likeness
Hick part 2
• We are made in God’s image but need to develop spiritually to become more like Him.
• process of development = vale of soul-making,” where the purpose is to form souls.
• We need to use our free will to choose a relationship with God. If God made His presence undeniable we wouldn’t have freedom to choose much like how true love must be freely chosen and not forced.
• The evil and suffering we experience are part of this soul-making process, how we respond to them helps us grow. By facing challenges, we develop feutureslike compassion and charity.
So hell - cleansing
What does hick say about hell?
- idea of hell presents a problem because eternal suffering couldn’t lead to any good. So hell must not exist in the traditional sense of endless torment.
- This interpretation helps to understand Hick’s views on free will, the purpose of suffering, and the concept of spiritual growth.
What are the strengths of the Ireland’s theodicy
Strengths
1. Addresses Weaknesses in Augustine’s Theodicy: • Hick’s approach suggests that evil is used by God for a purpose, not as a result of human failure, and it doesn’t rely on ancient ideas but fits with modern perspectives. 2. Developmental Focus: • The idea that suffering helps us grow spiritually aligns well with current understandings of human development. 3. Non-Literal Approach: • Allows for a more metaphorical interpretation of the Bible, especially Genesis. 4. Meaningful Suffering: • Suggests that suffering has a purpose, making it easier for people to cope with their experiences. 5. Broader Perspective: • Looks beyond immediate suffering to see a larger picture, including the possibility of heaven. 6. Role of Jesus: • Recognizes Jesus’s role in Christian thought, not just as a moral guide but as a path to heaven. 7. Centrality of Relationships: • Puts relationships, both with God and others, at the heart of human existence. 8. Virtue Development: • Suggests virtues need to be developed through experience, not just given. 9. Understanding God’s Role: • Presents a God who is involved and caring for His creation. 10. Natural Evil Explanation: • Provides a reason for natural disasters and other forms of evil that are hard to explain otherwise.
Weakness
- Why So Much Suffering?:
• Some wonder why the world needs to be so full of suffering. Couldn’t it have been a bit nicer?- Imbalance of Suffering:
• Hick’s view doesn’t explain why suffering is so unevenly distributed among people. - Fairness of Suffering:
• Questions arise about the fairness of using suffering to develop humanity, especially for those who can’t grow from it, like babies or people with severe disabilities. - Universal Salvation Concerns:
• Some think the idea that everyone eventually goes to heaven undermines the significance of Jesus’s sacrifice. - Alternative Growth Methods:
• There could be other, less painful ways for God to help us grow. - Purpose of Evil:
• It raises the question of why a perfect God would use evil as a tool for development at all.
- Imbalance of Suffering:
Analysis of the logical and evidential apparches
The logical problem of evil includes several assumptions:
• The definition of an all-powerful God assumes that God’s power is unlimited. However, it may be that God’s power is limited because God has given humans free will. • The idea of an all-loving God assumes our understanding of love is correct. Hick views suffering as developmental, suggesting God might be more benevolent by allowing suffering. • The idea that evil exists is challenged by Augustine, who claims evil is simply a privation. Irenaean theodicies do not deny evil exists but argue its existence is not against omnipotence or omnibenevolence.
The evidential problem of evil argues that the observation of evil in the world is enough to argue against the existence of God. This approach assumes that we fully know what it is to be God and what it is to make God’s decisions. Religious believers might think this is the wrong starting point and reject this whole approach.
Augustine is god to blame ?
Yes (God is spared the blame)
• Privation means that evil is not something God created. • Natural evil arose from the disruption of the order of God’s creation. • Moral evil comes from continued use of free will. • The focus is on God’s refusal to engage with evil – God keeps away from it.
No (God is partially or fully to blame)
• Evil seems more significant than a “privation.” • God could stop, prevent, or change natural evil, or protect victims. • God does not have to hold us accountable for the sins of Adam and Eve. • God does not have to keep away from it – this is not the sign of a loving creator.
Hick: does soul making justify evil ?
- Hick’s theory doesnt fully explore issue of balance and quantity of suffering nor does it take into account other sufferings in the world, such as animal sufferings – it is very human-centered.
- Although Hick would point to universal salvation as a way of justifying the sufferings of the world, arguably, if we know we are all going to go to heaven, perhaps our freedom is not genuine as we cannot choose to be bad in the same way; presumably, true freedom requires the genuine option of us ending up in hell.
-Religious believers might feel that suffering does improve people in the long term and that it allows them to put their trust in God and accept what is happening to them. Christians would point to the suffering of Jesus as the model for their suffering. It is perhaps an assumption to say that suffering is intrinsically bad (bad in and of itself) – it could be instrumentally good (good because it helps towards a good end).
Irenues extra
• God created humans in his image, and we need to develop into his likeness.
• This development is like a child needing to start on their mother’s milk before moving on to solid foods.
• Our development uses suffering to learn, just like Jonah learned when he was in the belly of the whale.
• God is like a potter, molding his clay. Just like clay needs to be moist to be molded, we need to keep ourselves moist by being open to his workmanship. If we do, we will be highly rewarded.
• If we do not, then we will be condemned to hell, which is a very real possible outcome for Irenaeus.
