The Problem of Evil

• Moral evil


  Wilful evil acts of human beings such as murder and theft
• Examples of moral evil

  • Murder
  • Rape
  • Theft
  • Dishonesty
  • Act of injustice
  • War
• Natural evil


  Natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, and famines. It can also include fatal diseases and birth defects.
• Natural evil does not have perpetrators and has only victims
• Natural evil is generally considered to be the result of natural processes
• The Problem of Evil

  The question of how an all-powerful and all-loving God can allow his creation to suffer without coming to its recuse and putting an end to the torment
• Post WWII saw a dramatic decline in religion – after all the atrocities witnessed, people began to question their faith in God
• Murray Haar: 'Where was God, and where were we?'
• The classical view of God, as all loving and all powerful, was dead for many after the Holocaust
• Omnipotent


  • If God is all-powerful, then he can do everything. He could of created a world free from evil and suffering, or at least have the power to prevent it.
• Omniscient


  • If God is all-knowing, then he has complete knowledge of evil in the universe; including the knowledge of how to stop it.
• Omnibenevolent


  • If God is all-loving, then he would wish to end all evil and suffering. No loving being would allow his creations to suffer physical and mental torment
• David Hume argued that only two of the three (Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnibenevolent) can exist alongside each other, therefore either God is not Omnipotent, or he is not Omnibenevolent, or he does not exist
• Theodicy


  Vindication of God. It is to answer the question of why a good God permits the manifestation of evil, thus resolving the issue of the problem of evil.
• Theodicies


  • The Free-Will Theodicy
  • The Augustinian Theodicy
  • Suffering exists to test our faith
• The Free Will Defence

  Evil is the result of our free will. God gave us free will, as something that is very good. It is better to have a universe with free will than without.
• The free will defence only deals with moral evil and doesn't account for natural evil
• Augustinian Theodicy: Original Sin

  Catholics believe that all humans are born with original sin as a result of the fall of Adam and Eve. This means that all humans are born with the urge to sin and disobey God.
• According to Christian belief, sin Separates humans from God, bringing lasting punishment
• Augustine of Hippo argues that natural evil is a result of the moral evil of human beings. He claims that the choice of Adam and Eve to disobey God led to 'The Fall'.
• Test of faith


  Suffering is a part of human existence and enables Christians to demonstrate their commitment to God
• Job: 'The lord Giveth and the Lord taketh away'
• The Psalms show that suffering is intended to be a part of life and that joy and suffering cannot exist without each other. They also show that suffering can bring Christians closer to God.