Evil and Suffering mind map

Created by: Rachel
Created on: 10-02-13 16:22

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evil and suffering
- suffering
  - the inconsistent triad
    - god is omnibenevolent
    - god is omniscient
    - Evil exists
- Natural evil
  - the apparent malfunctioning of the world
  - examples: disease, famine, earthquakes, tsunami
- moral evil
  - result of human action which is morally wrong
    - examples: the holocaust, 9/11, 7/7, wars
- Theodicy: is an attempt to reconcile the existance of god
  - Augustine's theodicy: evil is not created by God and therefore God and evil can exist simoultaneoulsy
    - strengths: it explains natural and moral evil with the help of the story of Adam and Eve. God gave humanity free will out of his lovingness
    - weaknesses: it relies on outdated narratives therefore it is not applicable to the modern world. if God is so loving, why is salvation only offered through christ? an omniscient God would know what we would do with the gift of free will. Evil cannot have just occured
    - Conclusion: if evil was not created by God, it was created by free will which was given to us by God so therefore he has passively created evil and it does not fit with the inconsistent triad
  - Irenaeus' theodicy: God created an imperfect world so that humanity could develop perfection. God gave us free will so that we could freely move towards God
    - strengths: it explains and justifies the presence of evil -we strive to meet challenges through suffering in order to gain perfection. he has graciously given us free will
    - weaknesses:if God created an imperfect world, then he is partly responsible for the existance of evil. suffering does not always lead to faith but alternatively atheism
    - conclusion: his theory suggests that we would all go to heaven, so why be good at all? does it really justify both the existance of evil and God simoultaneously?

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Evil and Suffering mind map

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