problem of evil Flashcards
Epicarus (341-270)
‘is he (GOD) willing to prevent evil but not able? then he is impotent. is he able but not willing? then he is malevolent. is he both able and willing? whence then is evil’
what is the problem of evil
it seems inconsistent that evil can exist with an omnipotent and benevolent God.
the problem remains
1.evidence for evil cannot be denied
2. the omnipotence of God is central to Christian teaching
3. the benevolence of God is central to Christian teaching
what are the two types of evil
moral evil; suffering caused by the actions of humans
natural evil; suffering caused by the occurrences in nature
define Omni benevolence
god is all loving
define omniscience
god is all knowing
define omnipotence
god is all powerful
What does Hume believe?
hume believes that the problem of evil is a good argument against the existence of God, or at the very least the existence of the God of the Bible
what does JL Mackie say
Mackie argues that there are these three principles are inconsistent and cannot be made compatible.
He suggests no valid solution has been found that does not compromise or remove one of them, most commonly Gods omnipotence. therefor, he believes it is the hardest challenge to theistic beliefs
what is religious response for ‘punishment for sin’?
evil is considered by some Christians to be fair punishment by god for sins committed.
problems:
1. suffering appears to happen randomly eg in the story of Job, who is punished severely to be tested by God, not because of any sin he committed
2. god seems not to punish those who do commit evil acts and they get away with them
what is the religious response to ‘a test from God’?
the experience of suffering is considered a test of an individuals faith in God- they can continue to believe in God despite their personal suffering. This is a belief of many religions including Christianity, Islam and Judaism .
problems;
1. if god is omniscient, why would he need to test a believers faith- he should already know what it is like
2. god could achieve this aim without such extreme and brutal suffering.
what is the religious response to ‘from the devil’?
some Christian’s believe that there is evil in the world because of the devil. the devil is understood to be angel, who chose through its free will to turn against God. the devil lives in hell and creates evil and suffering in the world.
problems;
1. if god is omnipotent he should be able to stop the devil
2. if god created the world and everything in it then he mist have created the devil which means he was ultimately responsible for any suffering brought about by the debil.
