(i) ‘Suffering is not always evil.’(15 marks)

Question 1

 The existence of evil helps human beings to appreciate the good
in the world: if there was no evil, people would not be able to
recognise the good.
 Suffering can help human beings to become better human beings:
it may help them, for example, to becoming more loving,
empathetic and courageous.  The suffering of Jesus was a good thing, because by it God
showed love for the world and saved human beings from their
sins.
 Most human suffering is unnecessary and is proof that either God
is not all-loving, is not all-powerful or does not exist.
 Suffering can just as easily destroy people as make them better.
Some forms of suffering are so horrible and final that they could
never lead to other goods.
 Why was Jesus’ suffering necessary? If God is all-powerful and
all-loving, why could God not forgive humanity’s sins without
having to make Jesus suffer?
Possible sources could include:
 Isaiah 53; John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris 13 & 23
 They may refer to atheist thinkers who have presented versions of
the Problem of Evil, e.g. Hume or Mackie’s Inconsistent Triad.