02 Challenges To Religion - A Problem Of Evil

Question 1

What is a Christian apologist?

Answer 1

Defends God.

Question 2

Who is Stephen Fry?

Answer 2

A new atheist

Question 3

What is a new atheist?

Answer 3

They think that everyone should stop believing in God.

Question 4

What is moral evil?

Answer 4

Any suffering that is brought about by the free-will agent.

Question 5

What can free-will agents’ actions result in due to their ability to choose ‘good’ or ‘evil’?

Answer 5

The suffering of others.

Question 6

What did God allow causing us to question how he made us?

Answer 6

Moral evil.

Question 7

What is natural evil?

Answer 7

Any suffering that is brought about as a consequence of the events outside the control of free-will agents.
Events that occur as part of natural order.

Question 8

What is omnibonevolece?

Answer 8

All loving

Question 9

What is omnipotence?

Answer 9

All powerful.

Question 10

What is omniscience?

Answer 10

All knowing

Question 11

What is eternal?

Answer 11

Has always existed and will always be here.

Question 12

What features does a God of classical theism have?

Answer 12

•omnibonevolence
•omnipotence
•omniscience
•eternal

Question 13

How does omnibonevolence relate to suffering?

Answer 13

He would want to end suffering.

Question 14

How does omnipotence relate to suffering?

Answer 14

Would have the ability to end suffering.

Question 15

How does omniscience relate to suffering?

Answer 15

Would know how to end suffering and how future events would turn out.

Question 16

How does eternal relate to suffering?

Answer 16

Creates ex-nihilo so is ultimately responsible for everything.

Question 17

State the epicurean paradox.

Answer 17

“Is God willing to prevent evil but not able? Then he is not omnipotent”.
“Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent”.
“Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?”.
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

Question 18

Who came up with the Epicurean paradox?

Answer 18

Epicurus.

Question 19

Who came up with the inconsistent triad?

Answer 19

J. L. Mackie.

Question 20

What is the inconsistent triad?

Answer 20

There are 3 points to the triad: God is omnibonevolent, God is omnipotent and evil exists. Mackie points out that all three points cannot logically co-exist.

Question 21

Explain the inconsistent triad

Answer 21

If we removed one of the points the problem is solved. Hume says we cannot remove evil exists because there is too much evidence of evil and suffering. If we removed one of the other attributes then it is no longer the God of classical theism. Such a God is not worthy of worship.

Question 22

What have some philosophers, such as A. N. Whitehead suggested?

Answer 22

That God may not be omnipotent.

Question 23

What do process theologians suggest about God’s omnipotence?

Answer 23

They suggest that God started off the process of creation but does not have the power to remove evil. If this is the case then God is not responsible suffering and evil. However, this would not be a God of classical theism.

Question 24

Can we remove omnibonevolent? Explain. (Inconsistent triad)

Answer 24

-if he were omnibonevolent he would want to remove evil so that his creation would not suffer.
-if we remove omnibonevolence:
-such a God may not be considered malicious, and may even sadistically enjoy seeing his creation suffer.
-this type of God is not comprehensible to those of classical theist religions.

Question 25

What example does Swimbourne use to suggest that there may be a reason why God allows us to suffer.

Answer 25

If a toddler was playing in the kitchen whilst the parent is using the oven and he was to wonder over and touch it. The parents smack his hand and the toddler suffers as a result. He was unaware of the danger he was facing by having a pan of hot liquid fall upon him. The toddler did not have the parent’s perspective. And like the toddler, creation does not share God’s perspective.

Question 26

Why could it be our perception that is at fault in the problem of evil?

Answer 26

If we were to see the universe from God’s eye view, then we may see that evil is not what think it is and that it has purpose that we do not understand.

Question 27

Why does Hume say that evil exists cannot be removed from the inconsistent triad?

Answer 27

The effects of evil are felt too widely and its presence too vivid for us to dismiss it.

Question 28

Who are the 2 scholars from the evidential problem?

Answer 28

-William Rowe -Gregory Paul

Question 29

Explain William Rowe’s evidential problem.

Answer 29

-whilst it seemed reasonable for God to allow some limited suffering to enable humans to grow and develop, he could not accept what he called ‘intense’ suffering. -animal suffering also seems pointless.

Question 30

Why is Rowe’s evidential problem different to Epicurus and Mackie’s problem of evil arguements?

Answer 30

Rowe’s is based on evidence while Epicurus and Mackie’s is based on logic.

Question 31

What example does Rowe use for his evidential problem of evil?

Answer 31

-a fawn caught in a forest fire. -an omnipotent and omniscient being would know when intense suffering was about to take place. -an all-loving being would prevent evil and suffering that had no purpose and was pointless and avoidable. -such evil and suffering does happen. -therefore God probably does not exist.

Question 32

Explain Gregory Paul’s evidential problem of evil.

Answer 32

-he argues that the death of so many innocent children challenges the existence of God. -millions of innocent children suffer and die every year, from both natural and evil cause. -these children are too young to be able to make choices about God, they have no free will. -he calls it ‘the holocaust of the children.’ -no omnibonevolent, omnipotent being would permit such suffering. -therefore, God does not exist.