The Problem of Evil

    Cards (37)

    • Theodicy
      A theory to justify God's righteousness (when faced with evil)
    • Moral evil
      Evil that is a result of human free will
    • Ntaural evil
      Evil that comes from nature or natural sources
    • Inconsistent triad
      • A triad (three things) of items that do not seem to be able all to be true at the same time - in this case, God being all-powerful, all-loving and evil existing 
    • ‘And if the suffering of children goes to make up the sum of suffering needed to buy truth, then i assert beforehand that the whole of thr truth is not worth such a price’ 
    • who first stated the logical problem of Evil
      • stated first by Epicurus in the third century BCE, how can God be all powerful and all loving and allow evil in his world 
    • possible solutions for while parts of the inconsistent traid must not be true
      1. perhaps God is not omnipotent and cannot control evil
      2. Perhaps god is not benevolent instead this is a view that has come from the New testemant’s focus on love, the Old Testemant God’s view of justice seems to be fair but brutal EX: The way God fights for the people of Israel
      3. maybe our definitions of omnipotence and benevolence need to change
      4. Perhaps evil does not exist as we think it does - it is not a substance like goodness is 
    • If God really knows everything , what could possibly make up for the suffering he allows in the world
      1. Perhaps evil is part of a ‘bigger picture’ that God has
      2. suffering is good as teaches to learn from mistakes
      3. suffering can bring out the best in people
      4. God needs to test humans in some way
      5. if we have free will, then must accept suffering
      6. The bible suggest that there comes a point where we have to ‘let go’ our questions about evil and suffering and accept the love of God. 
    • Privation
      • a lack or absence of something 
    • The Fall
       the moment when Adama and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree; humans are ‘fallen’ because of this moment
    • What is Augustine’s original perfection 

      • he believed god could only create a perfect world. This led him to say that evil is an absence or privation of good (privatio boni). In the same way that blindness is an absence of sight or darkness is a lack of light, so evil is falling short of good. 
    • What is The Fall 
      Augustine saw The Fall as central to understanding why humans have an absence of good in themsleves. Even before Adam and Eve, some angels who were perfect missused their free will and fell from Gods grace and hell was created. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, giving into temptation and broke the harmonious relationship between humans and God, thus evil stems from disobedience 
    • What is Augustines’s theoodicy
      1. Everything created perfectly by God
      2. But all things fall short of perfection due to the Fall of angels and humans + led to loss of harmony in nature (evil)
      3. All humans deserved to be punished for the Original Sin because all ’seminally present in the loins of Adam’, their descendents 
      4. as God is just and fair, cannot stop evil because cannot interfere with free actions but sent jesus to earth, sign of his grace give opportunity to go to heaven
      5. Evil part of the natural balance of universe, A world with evil and genuine free will is better than a world without choice
    • What example does Augustine compare the natural balance of the world to, a place in which both evil and genuine free will is better than a world without choice 
      Augustine compared this to a runaway horse, which is better than a stone that stays in place by itself because the stone has no movement or perception of its own    
    • Soul-deciding theodicy 

      • A theodicy that emphasises that evil requires a decision from humans about whether they will follow God or give in to evil 
      • For Augustine evil comes ultimatley from the Fall, however Gods benevolence shows that humans have not been abandoned. 
      • For Augustine all evil is a sin and the modern term for his theodicy is the Soul-deciding theodicy. We have to decide whether or not to obey God
    • What is the idea of privation (a strength to Augustines theodicy)

      • The idea that something is bad if it falls short of our expectations for it. Some might argue that Augustine’s thodicy is therefore internally coherent: evil does not mean God has fallen short of expectations, we have 
    • Who supported a stength to Augustines thodicy called the idea of privation
      • Twentieth-century thinker Herbert McCabe, who said that a bad deckchair is not the same as a bad grape: the deckchair may be bad if it collpases when you sit on iy, but that wouldnt make a grape bad
    • Strengths - Augustines theodicy
      1. Argument fits with experience of world, free will causes suffering, could cause all + natural evil. If didn't have free will, life worthless ?
      2. Aquinas - natural evil, said only be evil cause of way look at the world (cat eating mouse not evil from cat’s perspective). Aquinas -death is punishment from Fall gives motivation.
      3. Privation emphasises goodness of God. Supported - herbert McCabe, idea something is bad if falls short of expectations. Some argue Augustine’s thodicy, is internally coherent: evil doesn't mean God fallen short of expectations, we have 
    • What is Irenaen theodicies
      • Augustine emphasises evil as punishment, Irenaeus sees it as opportunity. 
      • Soul-making. idea that evil is in world to help people develop their characters. Evil and free will both part of Gods shaping world to perfection 
      • Central to this theodicy is the verse in Genesis where God creates humans both in his image and in his likeness . For Irenaeus God’s likeness is something that we as a human race need to achieve through the developemnt of our characters becasue true likeness is chosen, not given. 
      • Evil is part of the process over the course of the human history. 
    • Soul-making theodicy
      A theodicy that explains evil as a way of developing or making the soul
    • Then God said 'Let us make human kind in our image, in our likeness'
      • GENESIS
    • Weaknesses - Augustine's theodicy

      1. Requires reading of Genesis not always accepted by Christians, challenged by Evolution - species adapt towards perfection, Augustine argues move away from it
      2. Why all humans punished for bring descendants, innocent baby, not biologically true ?
      3. if God made all things perfect why went wrong, made Hell assumed things go wrong, blame not all on humans - maybe we just cannot be perfect
      4. Argues humans natural inclination to sin + god chooses who goes to heaven thus not held responsible for actions , no free will
    • Epistemic distance 

      • The gap in knowledge between God and humanity; human inability to know God fully 
    • Instrumental good 

      • A good that is good for a particular purpose 
    • John Hick’s reworking 

      • free will starting point when considering problem of Evil. must be genuine + given to have relationship with God. true freedom comes possibility of consequences (negative). Genuine freedom requires all consequences to be free from God’s intervention 
      • uses epistemic distance between God and humanity, gap in knowledge gives space to use freedom fully
      • believes something is good when purpose considered. If a world with no pain , not good on the sense of soul-making, known as instrumental good - for development into God’s likeness. Hick’s - ‘vale of soul-making’
    • 5 sumary point according to Hick 
      1. made in God’s image, but must develop into his likeness 
      2. In vale of soul-making must overcome epistemic distance 
      3. only with free will; if God presented himself to we would not be able to choose a relationship with him
      4. need evil and suffering in this process, respond appropriately
      5. response to suffering develops compassion helps us grow.
      Argued Hell contributes to problem of evil - no good comes from place of eternal suffering. Said Hell is place of further soul-making before humans go to heaven, as some innocent in their death. Believes in universal salvation.
    • Universal Salvation
      The idea that everyone goes to heaven
    • Strengths - Hick’s argument
      1. overcomes Augustine's weaknesses. Evil is tool used by God, doesn't rely on seminal presence to justify approach.
      2. Parallel to modern evolution + non-literal approach to Genesis, incorporates suffering many experience. 
      3. Looks beyond moment of suffering to bigger picture, recognises role of Jesus, not just role model but reason many go to heaven. Places relationships centre of human existence - with God + eachother.
      4. Sees true virtues not given, must be developed 
      5. Universal salvation closer understanding of a God who loves his creation. 
      6. gives purpose to natural evil
      • FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. FOR GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD THROUGH HIM JOHN 3: 16-17
    • Weaknesses - Hick's argument
      1. why Epistemic gap so big, why loads of suffering
      2. doesn't take into account mother nature suffering
      3. why not create world where humans always make right choices, Hick doenst explain imbalance of suffering suggests end goal in heaven is worth it
      4. universal salvation may remove freedom + undermine Jesus sacrafice
      5. why would perfect God use evil as means to end
      6. babies with disabilities unable to use suffering in developmental way. fair for them to suffer
    • Analysing the logical and evidental approaches 

      Logical problem of evil contains some assumptions
      • If God is all powerful then why give humans free will, power must be limited
      • All-loving God assumes understanding of love is correct - Hick sees suffering as developmental so view of God more benevolent
      • Evil existing is challenged by Augustine says it is a privation. Irenean theodicies dont deny evil exists but argue existence not set against omnipotence and benevolence
    • Augustine : is God spared the blame - YES
      1. Privation means evil not something God can make
      2. Natural Evil comes by disruption to order of god's creation
      3. Moral evil comes about by continued use of free will
      4. The focus is God's refusal to engage with evil - God keeps away from it
    • Augustine : is God spared the blame - NO
      1. Evil seems to be more significant than a 'privation'
      2. God could still stop, prevent or change natural evils - or protect the victims
      3. God does not have to hols us accountable for the sins of Adam and Eve
      4. God doesn't hsve to keep away from it - that is not the sign of a loving creator
    • HICK : does soul-making justify evil ?
      • His arguent doesn't explore balance of suffering or mother natures suffering.
      • Argues universal salvation justifys suffering of world, but if know going to heaven then perhaps freedom not genuine
      • Religious believers might feel suffering improves people in long term allows them to put trust in God, suffering could be intrinsically good like how Jesus suffered for salvation
    • IRENAEUS ARGUMENT 

      Hick adapted Irenaeus' theodicy - more details about his argument
      • Irenaeus belived God created humans in his image need to develope into his likeness. EX: like child on mothers milk
      • Development uses suffering to learn, EX: just like Jonah learnt in belly of whale
      • God moulds clay , it needs to remain moist like us to be open to his workmanship and will be highly rewarded if not condemed to Hell
    • what did 18th century athesit David Hume describe the problem of Evil as
      the rock of atheism
    • What is the Free-Will Defence
      main theological response to the problem of evil. the notion that God may choose not to prevent evil and suffering for a higher good. That higher good is the concept of human freedom, the right of humans to choose for themselves between good and evil. The higher good is designed to allow humans the chance to achieve the highest good
      • Vardy illustrates this with his parable of the King and the peasant girl.
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