Problem of evil

PROBLEM OF EVIL

A01

THE INCONSISTENT TRIAD: 

The statements: ‘Evil exists’, ‘God is all powerful’ & ‘God is all loving’ cannot simultaneously all be true, because they contradict each other. So one has to give. It cannot be that evil does not exist- because we know it does through evil in our world:

Natural evil: landslides, volcanoes, etc- can ruin peoples lives, kill them, render them homeless. – natural disasters. 

Moral evil: conscious human wrongdoing- the holocaust, ****, murder, jimmy Saville, Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Whinestein. 

Maybe: good and evil simply happen by change, without the agency of God. 

Mill: the extent of evil and suffering in the world does not suggest a good God, but instead that if there is a creator, he is malovent- or uncaring (maybe like Aristotles prime mover? Or anselms uncaring god (although this would be a problem bc he is ‘perfect’))

Dif theodicies, which all attempt to sole the problem of evil (in terms of the xian God):

Theodicy: an attempt to justify God in the face of evil in the world. 

Augustine: privation (privatio boni)

Evil is the absence of God. 

Able to happen by own free will of humans bc God is absent. 

We & the world are made good- evil is where God becomes absent & is rejected. 

So, the evil happens uninfluenced by God. 

Some angels created with less grace than others- so less able to worship God without falling to temptation & sin. – ended up falling away form god and becoming sinful bc they misused their free will. 

Adam and Eve tempted by a fallen angel

The fall of man (original sin)& its consequences. – one of which being evil & hardship, which God teaches us by & therefore not his fault. He doesn’t do the evil, but it serves a teachings purpose. 

Privation also explains natural evil- consequences of the original sin.- was so catastrophic it caused lions to eat people etc- unbalanced the natural order of the world. 

Irenaus: ‘soul making’ (Hick)

God allows evil and suffering so that people can develop into freely chosen mature relationships with god. 

Needs to be evil in the world for us to appreciate good. 

Fewer good things for us to actually value them. 

We are made in gods image but we have to grow into gods likeness. – free will is an important part of us being made in gods image, if we don’t, what good are our good actions? Anselm says we are not praiseworthy unless we consciously choose ourselves to do good. 

No relationship with god unless we genuinely have the option to choose otherwise. 

Hick: Irenaean approach:

‘Soul making’- purpose of evil- stole the phrase form john Keats lol

Evil is a product of Gods love, part of his plan, because he loves us.

God loves us and wants us t become good on out own authentically, despite the fact we sin, he is patient and loving- Anselm- what good is our good if we are not doing it ourselves at all?

God delicately keeps himself partly superstate form humans so there…