Problem of Evil(Eleonore Stump, John Hick)

Question 1

Standardized argument against the existence of God based on unnecessary evil

Answer 1

Premise 1: If God exists, God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent.

Premise 2: An omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God would not allow unnecessary evil to exist.

Premise 3: Unnecessary evil exists in the world.

Conclusion: Therefore, an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God does not exist

Question 2

Possible justifications for evil

Answer 2

1.Free Will Defense-Evil is a consequence of the free will granted to humans. God allows evil because true moral goodness requires the freedom to choose between good and evil.

2.Soul-making Theodicy- Souls are incomplete and evil is needed for moral and spiritual growth.

3.Greater-Good Defense-God allows evil because it brings about greater goods that could not be achieved otherwise.

4.Mysterious Plan Defense-Humans are limited in understanding, and the reasons for evil may be beyond our comprehension

5. Punishment for Sin- Evil is a consequence of human sin or wrongdoing, either in this life or as a part of divine justice
6. Privation of Evil-Evil is not a substance or force in itself, but rather a privation of good (a lack of good).

Question 3

Logical vs. evidential problem of evil

Answer 3

The logical problem of evil argues that the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good God is incompatible with the presence of evil. If God exists, evil should not exist.

The evidential problem of evil argues that the amount and types of evil make it unlikely that such a God exists, though not logically impossible. It focuses on the probability of God’s existence given the reality of evil.

Question 4

Divine hiddenness: Natural evil as necessary for moral evil

Answer 4

Natural evil is needed for moral evil because if god constantly intervened to prevent natural evil people would lose the ability to choose

Question 5

Stump’s suggestion for other ways of getting knowledge.

Answer 5

Stump suggests that knowledge can be acquired through experience, reason, and revelation, but it doesn’t necessarily require divine intervention or the removal of all evil. She argues that humans can still gain essential knowledge about good and evil through suffering and moral choices, without God directly revealing His existence

Question 6

Knowledge does not make one less free.

Answer 6

Stump argues that knowledge does not diminish freedom. Gaining knowledge, even about moral truths or the consequences of actions, does not coerce a person into making a specific choice.

Question 7

circularity

Answer 7

the potential issue of using the existence of evil to justify God’s hiddenness, while simultaneously relying on God’s hiddenness to explain why we cannot fully understand or access the reasons for evi

Question 8

too much/unnecessary evil

Answer 8

even if we do need evil why is there such a gratuitous amount of it in the world