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Religious Studies🙏🏽 > The problem of evil > Flashcards

The problem of evil Flashcards

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1
Q

Evil

A

used to cover actions, motives and suffering of humans/animals

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2
Q

Moral evil

A

evil caused by moral agents (humans)

- war, rape, murder

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3
Q

Natural evil

A

causes suffering but is not by a moral agent (nature)

- earthquakes, illnesses, volcanic eruptions

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4
Q

Monists - There is no evil

A

the universe is a single harmonious unity that is good, evil is just a mere illusion.
Evil causes the feeling of suffering = we do not see the whole picture
God did not deliberately create evil

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5
Q

Atheists - There is no God

A

evil is convincing that there is no God
- loving God would not create a world full of suffering
if he existed, he would be responsible for the evil in the world

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6
Q

Hindu and Buddhist - Our view of evil is distorted

A

evil is an illusion brought by humans greed/selfishness
all suffering is the result of evil committed in the previous life
Action of person in one life, affects another person in another life - God is not responsible
evil overcome by good actions to gain good karma

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7
Q

Monotheistic Religions - the reality of evil

A

scriptures give mixture of both good and evil experiences
evil seen as utterly bad but entirely real
God becomes human to take on human sin through genuine suffering
- Job (suffering servant) = did not lose faith

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8
Q

Zoroastrianism - the dualist nation

A

the universe is a battlefield where good and evil fight for supremacy
God = source of perfect good vs power of darkness

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9
Q

David Hume says “…”

A

“the problem of evil is the ‘rock of atheism’”

  • God is not omnipotent
  • God is not omnibenevolent
  • Or evil does not exist
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10
Q

If God is all knowing and all loving - Hume

A

he must want to abolish evil and suffering

- not wishing us to suffer unnecessarily

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11
Q

If God is omnipotent - Hume

A

God is able to prevent us from suffering unnecessarily

- having power over everything including evil

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12
Q

Evil and suffering exist - Hume

A

therefore God must not be all-loving and all-powerful

- if God created the world containing evil; he must have created it

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13
Q

Analysis: David Hume

A 
testing faith in God
 - life is a test
free will given to humans
 - God is not responsible for evil
evil is an illusion
 - Monists, Buddhists, Hindus
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14
Q

Logical

A

‘the mere existence of evil is logically incompatible with the existence of an all-loving, all-powerful God’

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15
Q

Evidential

A

‘the amount of evil that exists is incompatible with the existence of an all-loving, all-powerful God’

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16
Q

The inconsistent triad J.L.Mackie

A

Three propositions comprising the problem of evil
the only solution to problem of evil that is recognised as a true theodicy
A good omnipotent thing eliminates evil completely

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17
Q

God has created the world out of nothing - Mackie

A

totally responsible for it

- a world could have been created without evil

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18
Q

God is omniscient - Mackie

A

knows and sees everything

- he must know how to stop evil

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19
Q

God is omnibenevolent - Mackie

A

he would wish to end all evil

- no loving God would choose his creation to suffer

20
Q

Evil and suffering do exist - Mackie

A

so either God is not omnipotent/omnibenevolent or does not exist; one must be removed

21
Q

Theodicy

A

an attempt to answer the question of why good God permits the manifestation of evil

22
Q

Aquinas - solving the problem of evil

A

God allows evil to exist as part of his greater plan of love

- no contradiction of his characteristics because he has a reason for evil to exist

23
Q

Augustine Hippo

A 
'either God is not able to abolish evil
 - not all powerful
or 
he's not willing
 - not all-good'
24
Q

Strengths of the inconsistent triad

A
  • three simple prepositions
  • logical
  • simple to understand
25
Q

Augustinian theodicy

- soul deciding

A

God created the world and it was perfect, without the existence of evil or suffering
Evil = privation of goodness
- God could not have created evil
Evil originated from free will - possessed by angels and humans
Perfection was ruined by sin

26
Q

Augustine evil

A

Going wrong of something that is in itself good

- e.g. evil of sickness = lack of physical of good health

27
Q

Augustine believed - God not intervening

A

God is right right for not intervening
- punishment is justice for human sin
“those who rejected God would suffer eternal torment”

28
Q

Strengths: Augustinian theodicy

A
  • clears God of any responsibility of evil existing
  • logical for religious believers
    • original sin
  • explains the POE
  • provides hope
29
Q

Weaknesses: Augustinian theodicy

A

goes against the theory of evolution

  • evil and suffering is still a problem
    • God existing
30
Q

Schleiermacher - Augustinian theodicy criticism

A

contradiction to claim that a perfectly created world went wrong
- implying that evil created itself
Either God created an imperfect world or He made it wrong

31
Q

Iranean theodicy

- Soul making

A

God had a plan and a purpose to provide humanity with the opportunity to develop the qualities necessary to become perfect

32
Q

First stage of creation - Iranean theodicy

A

Humans were created immature and needs to develop

33
Q

Second stage of creation - Iranean theodicy

A

Humans will respond to situations then become a ‘child of God’

34
Q

Peter Cole - Iranean theodicy

A

The presence of evil helps people to grow and develop

35
Q

Iraneus concluded - human development

A

Eventually evil and suffering will be overcome and humanity will develop into God’s perfect likeness

36
Q

John Hick - Iranean theodicy

A

If God made humanity perfect then we would be like robots, loving God without thought or question.
- love would be valueless

37
Q

Epistemic distance

A

a distance in dimension or knowledge

- humans would have no choice but to believe and obey God if there was no distance

38
Q

AO2: Augustine believed God created the world perfectly

A

Iraneus argued we were made imperfectly and given the freedom to choose to become good/evil

39
Q

AO2: Augustine saw the world as a ‘soul deciding’ place

A

Iraneus saw the world as a ‘soul making’ placing

  • evil was necessary to aid this development
  • natural evil = develop compassion
40
Q

AO2: Augustine stated that evil existed due to ‘the fall’

A

You don’t need to experience evil to develop compassion
Iraneus - evil = necessary part of life
- make us into better people

41
Q

AO2: Good is not always guaranteed

A

Those who have not completed their development will continue their ‘soul making’ after death

42
Q

Iraneus believed - imperfect world, responsible God

A

God is partly responsible for evil
- evil = how we grow and learn
The world was made imperfect
- moral evil = result of freewill to follow or disobey God

43
Q

AO2: Iraneus states - imperfect world, responsible God

A 
God is not responsible for evil
  -free will + perfect world
Moral evil comes from
  - fall of Adam + Eve
  - disobedience of angels
44
Q

Richard Swinburne

A

God can not intervene to stop suffering from occurring as it would jeopardise human freedom that he gave

45
Q

Death is necessary; humans taking responsibility for their actions

A

If we were immortal there would be no need for responsibility

46
Q

John Hick - Freewill defence

A

We must demand a world free of evil or accept the one we have

47
Q

John Hick - free agents

A

The free agents could have been created not causing evil and suffering to exist
- they would always choose good over evil

Religious Studies🙏🏽 (12 decks)

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