Problems of Evil and Suffering

Question 1

Give the general problem of evil and Augustine Quotation.

Answer 1

• the problem of evil is the challenge that the existence of evil poses for faith in a classical theist God
• if God is omnipotent, then God is able to eliminate evil if God wants to eliminate evil and can eliminate evil, then why does evil exist? We can conclude that since evil exists, God - at least an omnipotent, good God - does not exist.
• Augustine phrased the problem thus: ‘either God cannot abolish evil or he will not: if he cannot then he is not all-powerful, if he will not, then he is not all good.’

Question 2

Give the logical problem of evil. Include JL Mackie quotes

what type of argument is it?

Answer 2

• “God is omnipotent; God is wholly good; and yet evil exists. There seems to be some contradiction between these three propositions.’
• it is a deductive argument which states that the mere existence of evil is logically incompatible with the existence of an omnipotent, good God (OCT)

Question 3

Describe the Mackie’s Inconsistent Triad

Answer 3

• If God is omnipotent , he could do anything that is logically possible. This means that he could have created a world free from evil or put an end to evil.
• If God is omnibenevolent, he would want to protect his creation and end evil and suffering. An all-loving God would prevent unnecessary suffering.
• If God had these qualities than evil and suffering should not exist , yet there is too much evidence supporting the validity of evil’s existence to allow the supposition to be true thus God must be either impotent or malicious.

Question 4

Describe the Evidential Problem of Evil

what type of argument is it?

Answer 4

• it claims that the amount and distribution of evil that exists is good evidence that an omnipotent. good God does not exist.
• It is a posteriori, inductive argument that argues that the amount of evil exists in the world makes it probable that the God of classical theism does not exist.

Question 5

Describe William Rowe’s development on the Evidential Problem of evil

Answer 5

• Rowe believes that a God who is all-powerful would not allow evil to exist if it did not serve a greater good
• therefore the evidence of pointless suffering is evidence against God’s existence.

Question 6

Define moral and natural evil.

give Hick quote.

Answer 6

• moral evil usually refers to intentional human action or inaction that results in suffering
• natural evil refers to suffering caused by natural events and processes.
• ‘It occurs independently of human action’ Hick

Question 7

define a theodicy.

Answer 7

-an argument which tries to make evil compatible with the existence of an omnipotent , good God.

Question 8

Give the 2 assumptions which Augustine’s theodicy rests upon.

Answer 8

1) Evil did not come from God since God’s creation was faultless and perfect
2) Evil having come from elsewhere , God is justified in allowing it to stay.

Question 9

Summarise Augustinian’s Theodicy.

Answer 9

• God is perfect and so is his world (‘ And god saw everything that he had made…it was very good.’ Genesis 1:31)
• God cannot be blamed for evil since evil is not a substance but a privation of Good
• evil comes from fallen angels and humans who turned away from God due to their misuse of free will
• everyone is guilty as everyone is seminally present in the loins of Adam thus everyone should be punished
• natural evil came about as humans destroyed the natural order which is a fitting punishment
• therefore God is right not to intervene to stop suffering

Question 10

Give the strengths of Augustinian Theodicy

there’s 8

Answer 10

• it fits with the Genesis account and so appeals to Christians who accept the authority of the Bible as the World of God.
• the existence of Heaven makes right injustice in the world. Suffering and evil experienced will be righted on judgement day.
• it is a classical theistic response, which preserves the goodness of God and places blame on humans. Humans have the choice to do good.
• Augustine accounts for natural evil as a result of the introduction of moral evil into the world.
• the view of Augustine that evil is ‘ABSENCE OF goodness’ as a result of human free will rather than by the design of God is supported by the view that human beings have free will which entails the possibility of moral evil.

Question 11

Give weaknesses of Augustine’s theodicy

Answer 11

• dependent on the claim that the Fall was an actual event in human history. Augustine believed that the world was made perfect. Tis contradicts the evolutionary theory which claims that the world evolved from varying states of chaos - not the garden of Eden. Many Christians understand the Fall to be metaphorical but this means that the fall is not literally responsible for all natural evil and that God’s world contained flaws which make him responsible for evil.
• The assumption that each human was seminally present in Adam. This must be rejected on biological grounds which means we are not actually guilty for Adam’s sins. This means God is not just allowing us to suffer for someone else’s sins
• If this is true , it is grossly unfair . Why would a just God allow adults and children to suffer as a result of a choice two people made.
• God chose to create the world even though he knew that the fall would happen. Hick argues that this makes god ultimately responsible for evil because of his omniscience. The act of deliberately creating people so that they will spend eternity in Hell is an act of torture that is totally at odds with an omnibenevolent God.
• F.D.E. Schleiermacher said it was flawed. it was a logical contradiction to say that a perfectly created world had gone wrong, since this would mean that evil had created itself ‘ex nihilo’, which is impossible. If God is really all-powerful, then he must have created the world exactly as he wanted it to be - angels and humans should have no trace of evil in them and they would - since they do, the theodicy is flawed.
• Many religious people argue that evil is a thing and not just a ‘privation of good’ This takes the form of Satan. This also justifies the existence of Hell - which surely an all-loving God wouldnotallow?

Question 12

Summarise the Free Will Defence

briefly mention Swinburne’s development

Answer 12

• it argues that evil is the result of our free will. It is better to have a universe with free will than without.
• Swinburne argues that God cannot intervene as even the worst evil is necessary for free will. If God intervened our freedom would be restricted.
• To develop a relationship with God people must freely choose to love him - ultimately this means they must have the choice to do good or evil

Question 13

Give Soren Kierkegaard’s analogy to represent The FWD

Answer 13

• a king falls in love with a peasant girl. Although, he would have the power to force the girl to marry him, he instead chooses to win her round of her own accord since love cannot be created by compulsion.
• In the same way, God had to allow humans to develop for themselves if their love of God was to be genuine

Question 14

Give the strengths of the free will defence

Answer 14

• it provides a logical reason for the existence of a moral evil in the world and removes the blame from God by placing it on humanity.
• if god gives humans free will , this necessarily entails the possibility of moral evil.
  CA: Mackie takes the opposite view and argues that God could have created humans so that they had freedom of choice, yet still always chose good.
  R: Plantinga agrees with Hick and argues that if God had designed them so that they would always choose good, they would not be truly free. Their choices would be predetermined, like robots.
• the benefits of free will are sufficient to justify the level of evil in the world. Free will brings the reward of unity with God in heaven. This can only be achieved through the choice to follow Jesus’s path.
  CA: can this justify high levels of evil exemplified - Holocaust.
• it provides explanations for natural evil - the devil and Augustine

Question 15

Give the weaknesses for the FWD.

Answer 15

• Vardy argues that the FWD only deals with moral evil and does not account for natural evil at all
  CA: there are two replies which attempt to show that our free will causes both evils:
• first we could argue that natural evil is the result of an evil supernatural being, such as the Devil.
• the 2nd reply is Augustine’s theodicy
• If all events are determined, then there is no free choice. This is the case for God’s omniscience.
  -Mackie would argue that God should have created a world where HUMANS always freely choose good.

Question 16

Summarise Irenaeus theodicy

Answer 16

1. Creation of the human race happens in two stages
   a) Humans are created in God’s image
   b) From birth, humans must grow into the likeness of God.
2. Irenaues believes that humans are not created perfectly and that morality that develops through evil is more valuable then forced morality
3. The world is imperfect.
   - genuine moral development is only possible in a world where pain and suffering are real
4. God cannot intervene and prevent natural evils as this would prevent humans moral growth and free will
5. Eventually evil and suffering will be overcome and humanity will achieve the ‘likeness of God’. God’s plan will be complete.
6. Heavenly afterlife was necessary for humans to achieve perfection: no one will be left out and all will achieve ultimate perfection

Question 17

Describe the key concepts of Hick’s vale of soul making theodicy.

Answer 17

• if God wanted humans to be genuinely loving . He had to give them the opportunity to develop this quality.
• if we were created without evil than there would be no free will in this world and love for God would have been valueless.
• Epistemic distance: there is a gap in knowledge between God and humans. Humans have an awareness but not certainty of God and have to seek Him through faith.
• Eschatological justification: Hick does not think this process towards the likeness of God is completed in this life, but in the afterlife. We All will eventually become the children of God and inherit eternal life.

Question 18

give the strengths of both Irenaeus and Hick’s theodicy.

Answer 18

• Irenaeus argues that we need knowledge of both good and evil to know what good is.
• G. Edwards argues that it is only through suffering that qualities such as courage, trust, can develop. Evil is essential to soul making.
• Vardy further supports this through the analogy of a king who falls in love with a peasant girl. God needed to allow humans to develop themselves rather than creating them perfect, because goodness that have been developed through free choice in better than the alternative.
• it allows for the theory of evolution

Question 19

Give the weaknesses of Hick/Irenaeus’ theodicy. Include counter arguments.

Answer 19

• Hick’s theodicy accepts that everyone will go to heaven. This seems unjust. It contradicts the Bible which states the unrighteous will be punished .
• there is too much evil in the world for it be regarded developmental. Rowe: even if we accept that soul making cannot occur in a natural paradise, this does not justify the level of natural evil.
  CA: Manning argues that no suffering is pointless as it all provides an opportunity for human development. ‘ natural evils provide opportunities for the exercise of morally good behaviour’
• The suffering of some is used to develop others ; this is unfair and suggests God thinks more highly of a select few
  CA: it is not God who decides this but humans. hick argues that God gave humans total freedom to choose what is right or wrong and God cannot interfere.
• Hicks’s theodicy fails to explain why some people suffer enormously whilst some suffer very little.
• fails to account for animal suffering.
  CA: Hick would argue that such suffering results from natural laws which are provided for the purpose of human soul making. E.g. by experiencing animal pain , we can develop compassion.
• Midgely criticises Hick for downplaying the seriousness of human-generated evil. If God is ultimately responsible for evil then it does not highlight our responsibility for moral evil. She sees evil as our problem, not God’s. We need to focus on finding out how to stop people from committing acts of wickedness instead.

Question 20

Give Swinburne’s development to the Free swill Defence

Answer 20

• God cannot intervene as even the worst evil in the world is in some way necessary for our free will . Interventions would mean out freedom is restricted
• to develop a relationship with God , we must freely choose to love him thus we need to have the choice to do good or evil.
• better to have free will and evil exist than not to have freedom at all

Question 21

summarise Griffin’s Process “theodicy”

Answer 21

• To reconcile the existence of evi with that classical notion of God, process theologians such as David Griffin have changed the definition of God.
• They say that God did not create the world and so is not all-powerful.
• Rather, he works within the forces of nature to maximise the amount of good over evil - he is limited by physics.

Question 22

What does Griffin And Whitehead propose about God’s role in creation.

Answer 22

• Genesis : ‘When God began to create the world…the earth was without form and void.’ If this view is accepted, then God’s role is limited to developing what was already there. E.g. encouraging the start of evolution.
• Humans are not created in God’s likeness so He cannot completely control them.
• Griffin says ‘God cannot coerce worldly beings, because the inherent power they have cannot be overridden’.

Question 23

Does Griffin believe God is responsible for evil?

Answer 23

• griffin believes God is partly responsible :
• God is thus unable to intervene and prevent evil. Griffin still believes that God is responsible for evil as he began the development of the world which lead to a creation He could not control.
• However they describe God as ‘ the fellow sufferer who understands’ and so it is unreasonable to condemn God for his role in the creative process as he feels all suffering

Question 24

What is the purpose of evil in process thought ?

Answer 24

• Evil is viewed as discord in the world that brings about destruction. Howeverit generates the desire for a better world.
• Griffin believes that suffering is a part of life that will only stop if the world ends.
• Natural evil is explained by the suggestion that all creatures can deviate from God’s will and this caused natural evil.
• God was working with imperfect materials when He created the world, then there is scope for natural disasters.

Question 25

Give the strengths of process theodicy

Answer 25

• It explains why God does not put an end to suffering by explaining that God is not all-powerful. Process theory avoids the suspicion that God is not really all-loving.
• For the religious, the fact that God suffers too might be encouraging, since people realise that God can have personal experience of what they are going through. This develops a stronger more loving relationship with God.
  CA: one doesn’t need to accept process thought to accept that God suffers. This God also appears helpful - not experiencing suffering through incarnation as Jesus through compassion as an omnipotent being, but because He has no choice. Since He has no choice, He seems unworthy of worship.
• God suffers with all the evils ever afflicted on the world and yet continues to sustain the universe.
  This implies that our own struggles are worth the strife.
• There is no certainty that God will triumph over evil. Therefore, this encourages people to join the fight against evil and make the world a better place.
• Compatible with evolution.

Question 26

Give the weaknesses of the Process theodicy