Process theodicy

• Originally proposed by A.N Whitehead (C19-20th) and then adapted by David Griffin (C20-21st)
• God is connected to the physical world and is not transcendent
• Griffin rejected ex nihilo. He pointed to an alternative translation of Genesis 1:1-3


  Instead of creating the world from scratch, God simply just persuaded matter to come together and form something
• Solves the problem of evil as because God is not omnipotent, he cannot help with suffering
• Issues with process theodicy

  Is a God that isn't omnipotent worthy of worship?
• Process theodicy has been criticised for being too liberal and undermining traditional Christian beliefs about God
• Theodicies are attempts to reconcile the existence of evil with the belief in an omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent
• Theodicies are attempts to explain how God can be all powerful, good and loving yet allow evil to exist.
• God is immanent, meaning that he cannot intervene in the world from the outside to stop evil.
• God has the power to influence humanity, only he cannot control people's behaviour or the world's events. God cannot override human freewill
• Instead, God tries to persuade us to do good.
• God is intimately involved in the world, not at an epistemic distance
• God suffers to when moral evil stops him from being able to help humanity to be better
• A.N Whitehead - God is "the fellow sufferer who understands"
• Moral evil exists as humans chose to do evil, and were created imperfectly
• Natural evil exists as the world has the potential to go wrong
• Strengths of Process Thought

  Removes the logical problem, by agreeing with Mackie's inconsistent triad, God is not omnipotent
• Strengths of Process Thought

  It explains why natural evil exists - the world was made from imperfect substances to begin with, so has the potential to go wrong
• Strengths of Process Thought

  God has a personal experience of what people are going through - comforting, strengthens believers relationship with Him. God is not distant
• Strengths of Process Thought

  Concurrent with evolutionary theory - God is seen as being responsible for it. This removes the problem of the creation story being scientifically inaccurate
• Weaknesses of Process Thought

  Not a theodicy - Process Theodicy is not a justification of God in the face of evil, because it no longer upholds his three characteristics. Unacceptable on religious and philisophical grounds
• Weaknesses of Process Thought

  Co-sufferer is only comforting if God is regarded as omnipotent - It is God's choice to suffer with us
• Weaknesses of Process Thought

  Why is this God worthy of worship?
• Weaknesses of Process Thought

  Logically, there is no guarantee in this process that good with triumph over evil in the end