Evil and Suffering

Question 1

natural evil
give an example and a Biblical example

Answer 1

any suffering brought about as a consequence of events outside the control of free will agents
e.g. earthquakes
Old Testament - flooding of Red Sea

Question 2

moral evil

Answer 2

any suffering brought about through the actions of a free will agent
e.g murder

Question 3

who created the logical problem of evil

Answer 3

Epicurus - 3rd century
God wants to abolish evil and can’t or he can but does not want to. If God can or wants to why is it here

Question 4

who reinvented the logical problem

Answer 4

J L Mackie - 20th
the inconsistent Triad
tries to resolve the questions about Paradox

Question 5

what are the 3 points on inconsistent Triad?

Answer 5

1. God is not omnipotent - loves world but can’t prevent evil
2. God is not benevolent - has power but does not want to
3. evil does not exist - problem is our intrepation of our experience

Question 6

how does the inconsistent Triad rest on assumption -2

Answer 6

1. assumes God were omnipotent and benevolent he would therefore remove evil but evolved may serve some higher purpose.
2. Aquinas what we assume to be good may not be what we understand as good - Like God, relent to time and culture which changes

Question 7

who created the evidential argument - 3

Answer 7

1. William Rowe
2. argument based on evidence of the kinds of evils and amount of them
3. argument based on unjustified evil , as not all suffering is pointless

Question 8

what is Rowes argument - 3

Answer 8

1. exist instances of intense suffering which are omnipotent being could of prevented without losing some greater good
2. an omniscient wholly being would prevent intense suffering unless it could not without losing some greater good
3. concludes doesn’t exist an omnipotent omniscient wholly good being

Question 9

what does Dostoyevsky say and which argument doe sit apply to

Answer 9

‘better for God to have created no world than this one’ - evidential

Question 10

what is Rowes example

Answer 10

fawn - pointless suffering

Question 11

what are some links between suffering and evil - 3

Answer 11

1. suffering is caused by evil
2. Rowe accepts some suffering is good
3. Dostoyevsky ‘I most respectfully return my ticket’

Question 12

determinism

Answer 12

no free will at all

Question 13

compatibilist view of freedom

Answer 13

freedom and determinism compatible
we are free to do what we want but what we want would be determined

Question 14

non compatiblst view of freedom

Answer 14

free will and determinism not compatible - God could not given us a nature which ensures that we always did what was good

Question 15

what is the free will defence

Answer 15

gift of free will - gives permission to do evil and ability to opportunity to do evil

Question 16

who were the 3 main people in the free will defence

Answer 16

augustine, plantinga and Swinburne

Question 17

what was augustines 2 major assumptions

Answer 17

1. evil didn’t come from God
2. evil came from misuse of free will

Question 18

who does plantinga attack and what’s his argument

Answer 18

Mackie
tries to show Gods existence is not logical impossible in face of existence of evil
1, things can be logically absurd GoD IS ABLE TO DO LOGICALLY POSSIBLE THINGS. could not create a world were people choice good
2. a world with free people is better than no free creatures
3. moral good is only possible if there is also moral evil

Question 19

what are swinburnes 3 points about free will defence

Answer 19

1. response to holocaust - less freedom humans get to bring about large scale horrors
   God would be like overprotective parent
2. death is essential life is limited bring about genuine actions
3. must be accountability to actions

Question 20

critiques of free will defence

Answer 20

1. without freewill would be robots - evil worth price
2. free will theodicy only address moral evil not natural
3. how convincing is it in justifying evil as an acceptable price for our freedom

Question 21

what was Griffins argument

Answer 21

process theodicy

Question 22

who was Griffin influenced by

Answer 22

AN whitehead on quantum machinanics
constant change - God being process growing and changing
church teachings can only be accepted on common experience

Question 23

How does Griffin reject the traditional christian view

Answer 23

1. genesis is mistranslated the world was created from nothing. should be understood as God bringing order out of pre existences
2. God can’t be said to be in full control of universe

Question 24

what does Griffin conclude

Answer 24

1. God can’t control the workings of physical universe
2. God is powerful but not omnipotent
3. God’s role persuade matter into greater complexity and order more complex more enjoyable
4. The complexity is a gradual process - God can’t interfere God has no power in this scene.
5. God suffers with us

Question 25

how does process theodicy implicate the problem of evil and suffering for faith - 1

Answer 25

1. official teaching of catholics

Question 26

strength of process theodicy - 4

Answer 26

1. Gods lack of omnipotence avoids issue of why God doesn't intervene 2. God as fellow sufferer provides comfort 3. Justifies God and evil and suffering co - existing on basis of God willing increasing complexity 4. based on quatum machinancs making it fit with science

Question 27

weakness of process theodicy - 3

Answer 27

1. Theists reject as making God weaker and unworthy of worship 2. doesn't address why God would will increasing levels of suffering which could get worse 3. majority scientists reject idea of eternal universe

Question 28

who created soul making theodicy

Answer 28

Hick

Question 29

what is epistemic distance

Answer 29

a distance between God and humans

Question 30

what does Hick bier for his theodicy

Answer 30

God created an imperfect world deliberately Adam and Eve imperfect from start parent who doesn't shield child

Question 31

what was Irenaeus argument and where did it come from

Answer 31

intrepation of Gensis 1 the prescence of evil was a deliberate action of an omnibenevolent God who wanted his creation to develop spiritual perfection.

Question 32

what is moral evil give qualitlites of second order goods Give Leibnizs quote first order evil ( misery)-> second order good. First order evil (pain) -> first order good

Answer 32

when humans mistreat their free will courage, generosity are second order goods best of all possible worlds misery into hope pian into pleasure

Question 33

what are second order goods?

Answer 33

universe is better with some evil rather than no evil come from first order evils

Question 34

hicks response to objections - 3

Answer 34

1. It does not justify animal suffering. Response: Animals have no fear of death but experience pain to warn of danger and survive. 2. There are still pointless evils in the world. Response: Certain evils must remain a mystery to maintain epistemic distance/ freedom. Being able to explain all evils would leave us without faith or hope. 3. It does not justify the extent of evil in the world.

Question 35

wat is plantingas response to hicks

Answer 35

illogical to argue that humans could have been created to always choose good free will can't account for natural evil which he links to fall in genesis 3

Question 36

what is Mackie oppion on hick

Answer 36

rejects he understood second order goods come from first order evils but second order evils are also important third order goods give us chance to prove Concludes God doesn't exist as God could give free will to choice good if he was omnipotent

Question 37

strengths for Hick - 4

Answer 37

1. purpose for suffering 2. compatable with science 3. accessable to all through analogy 4. maintains belief in life after death - rewarded

Question 38

weaknesses for hick - 3

Answer 38

1. intense suffering is soul breaking 2. concept of heaven for all seems unjust 3. Hick accepts evolution so how can he differ between human and animal suffering