Problem of Evil AO1 and AO2

Question 1

moral evil

Answer 1

result of morally wrong human actions. Deliberately done and well within human control

Question 2

natural evil

Answer 2

caused by natural world, beyond human control yet science can lessen impact

Question 3

Epicurean paradox

Answer 3

If god is willing, but not able then he is not omnipotent
If he is able but not willing then he is malevolent
If he is able and willing then when cometh evil
If he is neither able nor willing then why call him God

Question 4

J.L Mackie

Answer 4

“a wholly good being eliminates evil as far as it can”

Question 5

David Hume

Answer 5

• inconsistent triad: ‘god is omnipotent’, ‘god is all-loving’, ‘there is evil in the world’
• logically inconsistent and cannot all be true, at least one of them must be false

Question 6

Aquinas

Answer 6

-God is defined as “infinite goodness” impossible for evil to exist amongst infinite goodness, God doesn’t exist.

Question 7

William Rowe

Answer 7

• Amount of pointless animal and human suffering in the world makes it unlikely that there is a God
• example of a dawn trapped in a forest fire suffering a slow painful death

Question 8

Augustine

Answer 8

• privatio boni= evil is not created rather caused by a privation of good
• adam and eve destroyed the balance through their free will causing original sin

Question 9

Swinburne

Answer 9

-argued that most religious believers would argue that people must turn to God out of their own free choice, otherwise faith holds no value therefore justifies risk of evil

Question 10

Alvin Platinga

Answer 10

-although humans sometimes freely choose good, if God had designed them so they would always choose God, they would not be free rather they’d be robots

Question 11

Schliermacher

Answer 11

-logical contradiction in a perfect world that can go wrong

Question 12

John Hick

Answer 12

• Vale of soul making theodicy:
• humans created imperfectly so they could grow into the image and likeness of God
• the existence of evil allows humans to develop the positive qualities of love, honour, courage and so on, and so develop into God’s likeness.

Question 13

Gil Edwards

Answer 13

-qualities such as trust and courage can only come from suffering

Question 14

Extent of suffering

Answer 14

-in the holocaust 6 million jews were killed, no need for such an extent of evil, why not 4 million

Question 15

D.Z Phillips

Answer 15

allowing suffering can never be loving