the logical problem of evil and suffering + religious experience- philosophy Flashcards
what is the inconsistent triad
against god
evil exists
god is omnipotent
god is omnibenevolent
plotinus’s argument
in favour of god
- the universe is perfect and good
- things cant be evil - just less good than other things
- bad things are still deemed good as they are part of a greater good in gods plan
- critical analysis: his argument is a rudimental form of the privation argument - aristotle
what veiw does steven fry hold?
against god
- humanist and athiest
- how can an all loving god create a world with unecessary evil such as: bugs burrowing into childrens eyes to make them blind.
why do christians belive evil exists alongside god
in favour of god
- fall of mankind/original sin means that sin is inherent in humans and we have a predisposition to commit evil acts.
what does the irenian theodicy conclude?
in favour of god
all humans were made in the image of god but were not made in the likeness of god. we must work and do good deeds to become the likeness of god - evil exists to encourage development.
why does irenius consider suffering to be catharitc
in favour of god
becuase good deeds come with the sacrifice of others suffering in the short term so they can experience moral perfection later on
what does john hick talk about in his book ‘evil and the god of love’
in favour of god
hick holds a contemporary modification of irenius and talks about how the only relationship worth having is with god and how the world is instrumentally good which overcomes the problem of the world being intrinsically good becuase the consequence of suffering is what makes for human improvment.
when was st irenius born
120-200AD
what argument did augustine and plotinus uphold
the privation argument
william james Quote
in favour of religeous experience
‘the feelings, acts and experiences of men in their solitude’
what were william james’ 4 qualities of mystical experience
in favour of religious experience
noetic - direct revelation (prophecy)
transciency - quick but life changing
ineffability - go beyond human comprehension so cannot be described in the human intellect
passivity - those affected will feel as though their free-will is being controlled by a superior power
an example of corporate religeous experince and what it means
in favour of religeous experience
toronto blessing
it means a religious experince that has happened on a mass scale. can involve speaking in tounges and feeling drunk.
what does nicholas lash argue about the nature of religeous experience
in favour of religious experience
he argues that its constant in everyday processes, arguing a more realistic approach.
alston james quote:
‘we learn to find god in …………… , ……………………. , …………………………………..’
in favour of religious experience
‘we learn to find god in all life, all freedom, all vitality and creation’
this contributes to the realistic perception of religeous experience that nicholas lash holds.
ludwig feurbach Q:
‘religion is …………………….’
against religious experience
‘religion is a dream of the human mind’
this means that hevan is a human construct, stemming from our natural survival instinct.
sigmund freud interpratation
against religious experience
god is a paternal figure as he represents fear and admiration. we seek confort by consoling in god to reassure our safety from nature.
veiw of john lofland and rodney stork
against religious experience
we cannot prove gods existance when we are unaware of where religious experience stems from.
william alstons veiw
against religious experience
the premise of god being intangible is insufficient as we use our sense to experience him. senses are subjective so they cannot be credited.
dostovesky and hume
agaisnt religious experience
there are many factors that can cause us to misconcieve our experiences so they cannot be credited - i.e. alcohol
peter vardys veiw
against religeous experience
nurture endorces a specific outlook/interperatation that allows you to experience religous phenomenon - insufficient as it should be the same for everyone to be credible.
robert kirkwoods veiw
against religious experience
goes against basic grounds of knowledge.
what does john cottingham argue
in favour of RE + counter argument
he argues that non believers can still have transcendent experiences.
counter: dostevsky and hume contradict this statement as there are many things that can cause human misconceptions
what are the 2 types of religious experience?
private - dreams, non-describable experience (beyond human comprehension), looking at the world from a religious perspective.
public - ordinary experience, extraordinary experience (defys laws of nature)
swinburnes 2 principles
creduility - argument for rationality (i.e. if someone says god exists then god is true)
testimony - the experiences of others are probably oh how they report them
