The Problem of Evil Flashcards
What is the evidential problem of evil?
The sheer amount of evil in the world
What is the logical problem of evil?
How can God be omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and evil exist?
What are the two types of evil?
natural evil and moral evil
What is a theodicy?
The justification of God in the face of evil and suffering
What is a privation?
A lack of an essential characteristic or property e.g. Blindness is a lack of sight
What type of theodicy is Augustine’s?
soul deciding
What is Augustine’s theodicy?
He states that God created a perfect world and that when Lucifer disobeyed God and tempted Adam and Eve to fall evil entered the world. The fall not only caused moral evil due to humans disobeying God but also natural evil as it created an unbalance in nature. As evil is a lack God couldn’t have created it as that is logically impossible.
How does Augustine say some our saved?
As we are all seminally present in Adam we all have original sin and a just God could sent us all to hell. However as God is omnibenevolent he send Jesus to die for humanities’ sins. Those who believe in him have salvation. Therefore his theodicy is soul deciding.
Finish the quote: Augustine - “all…”
“All sin is either sin or punishment for sin”
What are weaknesses of Augustine’s theodicy?
- Schleiermacher - logical error - If God created a perfect world where did evil come from? Isn’t perfection unchanging? Why would anyone rebel in a perfect world?
- Schleiermacher - scientific error- Augustine contradicts evolution, and we weren’t all seminally present in Adam
- Schleiermacher - moral error- an omniscient God would foresee the fall and why did God create hell? He is partly responsible
- Modern Christians argue the fall is symbolic and God created evolution
- Evil seems like more than just a privation
- Dostoyevsky and Vardy argue there is too much suffering for God to be omnibenevolent
What are the strengths of Augustine’s argument?
+ evil is necessary to know goodness
+ Brian Davies - evil is not a substance but a “gap between what there is and what there ought to be”
+ much of evil does see to be humanities fault
What type of theodicy is Augustine’s?
A soul-making theodicy
What is Hick’s theodicy?
He reworks the Ireanus theodicy saying that evil has a purpose to create us into the likeness of God as we were only create in his image. It is therefore a soul-making theodicy. He says Jesus was sent by God as an example of how humans should behave. He said if God created the perfect human then we would be like robots and our love would be valueless. Perfection can come ready made it must be developed through free choice. therefore we have the choice to disobey God and cause harm. Epistemic distance is necessary because if God was too immanent we would follow out of fear. Hick suggests for evil to have a purpose there must be universal salvation.
What is epistemic distance?
The knowledge of God’s existence is not obvious to humans in order to allow free will.
What is Vardy’s analogy to demonstrate epistemic distance?
He suggests it is like a King who falls in love with a peasant girl. He has the power to force her to love him but instead he disguises himself and lets her fall in love with him. - love can’t be commanded
