RS Problem of Evil

Question 1

Thiest

Answer 1

someone who believes in an all loving, all powerful, all knowing Gd

Question 2

Atheist

Answer 2

someone who doesn’t believe in a God especially not an all loving, all powerful, all knowing Gd

Question 3

omnipotent

Answer 3

all powerful eg created the universe from nothing

Question 4

agnostic

Answer 4

someone without a belief in Gd or a disbelief in Gd

Question 5

omniscient

Answer 5

All knowing eg knows your innermost thoughts

Question 6

omnibenevolent

Answer 6

All loving eg loves people even if they are sinful

Question 7

omnipresent

Answer 7

All present and sustaining

Question 8

suffereing

Answer 8

something unpleasant or painful

Question 9

evil

Answer 9

a negative force, possibly a personal being, that willingly bring suffering

Question 10

natural suffering

Answer 10

unpleasant or painful event resulting from natural causes

Question 11

moral suffering

Answer 11

Unpleasant or painful event resulting from human free will

Question 12

problem of evil and suffering

Answer 12

The challenge to theist as to how you can explain the existence of evil and an all loving, all powerful Gd.
- An all loving Gd would remove any suffering
- An all powerful Gd could remove any suffering
If we know suffering exist there then cannot be an all powerful and all loving Gd

Question 13

theodicy

Answer 13

a thiestic responce to the existence of suffering - an explanation of why an all powerful and all loving Gd has allowed there to be suffering in the world.

Question 14

Key ways to evaluate a theodicy

Answer 14

• does it defend Gd’s omnipotence?
• does it defend Gd’s omnibenevolence?
• does it recognise the reality of suffering?
  A theodicy SHOULD do all three to be a successful theodicy.

Question 15

Adam and Eve story

Answer 15

Gd created the world perfectly no suffering, no evil and no conflict between species Adam and Eve were allowed to eat anything EXCEPT fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Serpent tempted Eve who tempted Adam - they both ate from the forbidden tree of knowledge (original or first sin)
Gd punished them taking their free action seriously:
* Adam and Eve banished from Eden
* Eve punished with dangers of pregnancy and became mortal (can die)
* Adam punished with struggling to feed his family and became mortal (can die)
* Perfect world becomes corrupted and damaged - hatred between species

Question 16

take away from Adam and Eve

Answer 16

Punishment is a matter of justice and so goodness (omnibenevolence)
Punishment respects free-will (gift granted from love - omnibenevolence)

Question 17

Job story

Answer 17

• Job is a faithful worshipper and good man
• Gd points out how good Job is and someone says Job is only good because Job has been given a good life from Gd AND if he had a hard life then he would lose his faith and curse Gd
• Gd allows Job to be tested and he loses his family, wealth, health, etc but never loses his commitment to Gd or his goodness i.e. he passes the test
• Gd restores everything that Job has lost.

Question 18

Job take away

Answer 18

suffering is a means by which humans are tested so that only those who deserve heaven get heaven (justice is a part of omnibenevolence)

Question 19

irenaeus take away

Answer 19

IF GOD JUST CREATED US IN THIS FINAL FORM THEN THEY WOULD NOT BE GENUINE VIRTUES OR FAITH
St Paul says that suffering is valuable as it produces perseverance (the ability to stick with something and endure/stoicism), character and hope

Question 19

irenaeus theodicy

Answer 19

• Gd creates humans in the IMAGE of Gd - beings with free-will and with the POTENTIAL to develop virtues and faith
• Gd creates natural suffering and tolerates moral suffering as a means of DEVELOPING us from this image into the LIKENESS of Gd - a perfectly moral, faithful being.

Question 20

free will theodicy

Answer 20

This is part of Irenaeus and Augustine’s theodicies
Freewill is a loving gift from Gd which gives humans the potential develop an infinitely valuable, loving relationship with Gd and/or genuine virtues.
The price of this gift is our capacity to cause moral evil.
BUT this theodicy says that this price is worth paying as the benefits of free will (genuine virtue and genuine relationship with Gd) are worth it. Afterall, as Hick and Swinburne say, without free will we would be like puppets or robots - our character, actions, and relationships would be meaningless.

Question 21

Buddhism’s views on suffering

Answer 21

• Suffering (Dukkha) is part of life and unavoidable (1st Noble Truth)
• We suffer because we crave more things and for things not to change which is inevitable (2nd Noble Truth)
• It is possible to overcome suffering (3rd Noble Truth)
• To do this, you need to follow the eightfold path (4th Noble Truth) e.g. right speech, right action, right view, right meditation, etc.
  REMEMBER BUDDHISM HAS NO GOD AND SO DOES NOT FACE THE PROBLEM OF EVIL/SUFFERING but has a view on suffering

Question 22

Hinduism/Jainism views on suffering

Answer 22

Karma - if I make others suffer then it will negatively affect my life now and in future lives (Samsara - cycle of life, death and rebirth)
My suffering is just retribution of past actions and an opportunity for me to improve my spiritual life and move closer to Moksha - escaping samsara.