FWD

• What is the FWD?

  A collection of different arguments that centre on justifying the existence of evil through the requirements of free will
• What does Augustine argue about free will?

  Free will is a valuable gift from God to humans and angels. He justifies the Fall because he argues that a world with free will is more valuable and perfect than a world without it. Despite its consequences, Augustine refers to the Fall as 'Oh happy fault' as Adam and Eve's abuse of FW made it necessary to send Jesus and open up the possibility of salvation
• How does Augustine respond to the logical problem of evil?

  It is weakened because an all powerful and all loving God did not create evil. Evil is merely an absence of good. Evil does not exist
• Hick's FWD ideas

  Evil is needed to help us to develop into the likeness of God
• What does Swinburne say about the FWD?

  He argues that the value of free will justifies the extent of evil and suffering in the world. The value of freedom is directly proportionate to its extent or scope.
• What is Swinburne's toy box argument?

  Consider a toy world where the inhabitants are free, but only to choose between more or less good actions. They cannot choose to act in harmful or immoral ways. It seems right to credit those who act well but they couldn't really do anything else. This diminishes the value of their choices. Choosing to live morally means more in a world where the inhabitants have the choice to cause evil and suffering and not JUST act morally
• How does Swinburne respond to the logical or evidential problem of evil?

  The extent of evil is necessary to help us show compassion
• What does JL Mackie say about the FWD?

  It is no contradiction to suppose that an omnipotent being could create beings who were genuinely free but always made the correct moral decision when faced with a choice.
• What is Plantinga's Transworld Depravity argument?

  1. The argument is about whether God, being so powerful, could have made humans with free will but also only the ability to always make the right decision. For some this would be a contradiction and God cannot contradict himself
  2. JL Mackie argued that it would not be a contradiction. If God truly was omnipotent it would be possible. Mackie argued that God could have allowed us to have the options of both good and evil but we always choose good
  3. Plantinga argues back that God simply could not have created us truly free but with the ability to always make right choices. This is because true freedom has to always include the REAL possibility of doing wrong not just the idea of doing wrong
• What does Richard Swinburne offer an explanation of natural evil by using the FWD?

  Death serves two purposes

  1. The existence of death is crucial to avoid the toy world, where moral choices become meaningless. By having a limited time span, our choices take on enormous importance.
  2. Death places a cap on how much suffering we endure. If death did not exist our capacity to suffer would be enormous. A truly benevolent God is required to allow death in the world