The Problem of Evil and Suffering Key Terms

Question 1

Moral Evil

Answer 1

The results of human action, such as murder or theft

Question 2

Natural Evil

Answer 2

Problems in the natural world, which lead to tsunamis, earthquakes and famines

Question 3

Inconsistent Triad

Answer 3

God is all-loving and all-powerful, yet evil exists.

Question 4

Theodicy

Answer 4

Literally ‘righteous God’
A theodicy is an argument that suggests God is right to allow the existence of evil and suffering because, in some way or another, they are necessary

Question 5

Epistemic distance

Answer 5

God keeps a distance from humanity in order not to overwhelm

Question 6

Counter-factual hypothesis

Answer 6

If God interferes, then humanity cannot develop

Question 7

St Augustine (354-430CE)

Answer 7

Believed God is all good.
Evil is just a privation from good and is our punishment for the “original sin”.
Bible: “God saw all that he made, and it was very good.”
God gave us free will and humans decided to not follow the good path.

Question 8

St Irenaeus (130-202CE)
\+ John Hick (1922-2012)

Answer 8

Irenaeus
-God deliberately made the world and humans imperfectly to be able to develop into perfection.
- free will, God gave us the free choice to choose either good or evil.
- therefore God had to permit evil and suffering to occur.
Hick (from Philosophy of Religion 1973)
-epistemic distance (God keeps a distance as not to overwhelm!)

Question 9

J.L. Mackie

Answer 9

Inconsistent Triad!