problems of evil and suffering

Question 1

epistemic distance

Answer 1

a distance of knowledge . the world operates in such a way that humans cannot know from it that there is a God

Question 1

logical problem of evil

Answer 1

the inconsistent triad (all 3 statements cannot be true)

-God is omnibenevolent
-God is omnipotent
-Evil exists

Question 2

logical problem quote

Answer 2

“is God willing to prevent to prevent evil but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then hence evil?”

Question 3

how can the logical problem be solved

Answer 3

1. deny Gods omnipotence
2. Deny Gods omnibenevolence
3. Deny evil exists (Augustine)
4. There is a sufficient reason why God allows evil to exist

Question 4

evidential problem

Answer 4

there are known facts about evil that are evidence against the existence of God.
1. evil that is overwhelming in quantity and quality

2.Evil that is pointless because it serves no useful purpose

Question 5

evidential problem example Fawn in a forest - William Rowe

Answer 5

it suffers and dies alone and does not lead to ‘any greater good’ whatsoever

Question 6

evidential omniscience

Answer 6

if God knew how much overwhelming and purposeless evil would occur, why did God bother to create the universe?

Question 6

Plantinga - FWD

Answer 6

argument that God has given humans free will to bring about a greater good. A world containing creatures who are significantly free is more valuable.

Question 6

FWD quote Augustine

Answer 6

“For a runaway horse is better than a stone” Augustine

Question 7

FWD quote swinburn

Answer 7

“the less God allows men to bring about large scale horrors, the less freedom and responsibility he gives them”

Question 8

FWD Plantinga justification

Answer 8

God is justified in allowing evil in the universe, because it permits the freedom to choose or reject the good. it teaches us to be morally responsible and gives meaning to moral goodness

Question 9

FWD Plantinga natural evil justification

Answer 9

“God allowed natural evil to enter the world as part of Adam and Eves punishment for their sin in the garden of eden”

natural evil is a result of original sin which brought about disharmony

Question 10

FWD Criticism Mackie quote

Answer 10

“If God has made men such that in their free choices they sometimes prefer what is good and sometimes what is evil, why could he not have made men such that they always freely choose the good?”

Question 11

Mackie FWD

Answer 11

It is logically possible for a person to make free, good choices, all of the time.

God could have created humans so that they would only make free, good choices.

God evidently did not do so.

Therefore:
Either God lacks the power to do so (is not omnipotent)

OR God is no loving enough to do so (is not omnibenevolent)

Either way: the Free Will Defence FAILS.
Mackie concludes: God does not exist.

Question 12

Plantinga’s response to Mackie (his defence of the FWD!) Quote

Answer 12

“It would be impossible to casually determine human actions and at the same time allow them to be morally free”

Question 13

Plantinga’s response to Mackie (his defence of the FWD!)

Answer 13

• Free Will is morally important. That means that a world in which human beings possess free will is superior to a hypothetical world in which they do not.

If human beings were forced to do nothing but good, that would represent a denial of human free will (Mackie is wrong!)

• God must bring into being the best possible world that he is able to.

It must therefore follow that God must create a world with free will.

• God is not responsible if humans choose to do evil; God is operating under self-imposed constraints that mean God will not compel human beings to do good (because this would be a denial of human free will).