Philosophy Theme 2- Challenges to religious belief

Question 1

What is moral evil?

Answer 1

Suffering caused by humans with free will

Question 2

What is natural evil?

Answer 2

Suffering caused by the natural world without free will

Question 3

What are the qualities of the god of classical theism?

Answer 3

•Omnibenevolent
•Omnipotent
•Omniscient
•Eternal

Question 4

What is the problem with a omnibenevolent God?

Answer 4

If God is all loving he would want to end suffering

Question 5

What is the problem with an omnipotent God?

Answer 5

If God was all powerful he would be able to end suffering

Question 6

What is the problem with an omniscient God?

Answer 6

If God was all knowing he would know how to end suffering and how future events would turn out

Question 7

What is the problem with an eternal God?

Answer 7

God creates ex-Nihlo so he is responsible for everything created

Question 8

What is Ex-Nihlo?

Answer 8

From nothing

Question 9

Who created the Epicurean Paradox?

Answer 9

Epicurus

Question 10

What is the Epicurean Paradox?

Answer 10

•If god is neither able nor willing to prevent evil- Why do we call him God?
•If he is both able and willing- Why is there evil?
•If he is only willing or only able- He isn’t the God of classical theism

Question 11

Who created the inconsistent triad?

Answer 11

J.L Mackie

Question 12

What are the three points of the inconsistent triad?

Answer 12

•God is omnibenevolent
•God is omnipotent
•Evil exists

Question 13

What is the inconsistent triad?

Answer 13

•If we remove one of Gods attributes, the problem of evil is solved
•However this means he isn’t the God of classical theism
•If we remove evil it doesn’t work since there is definite evidence of evil
•These three points can’t logically co-exist

Question 14

Who created the evidential problem?

Answer 14

William Rowe

Question 15

What is the evidential problem?

Answer 15

•Limited suffering is good for humans to grow
•However intense suffering is pointless and avoidable
•An omnibenevolent God would prevent intense suffering
•Therefore God doesn’t exist

Question 16

What is the example Rowe uses to illustrate intense suffering?

Answer 16

•A fawn is trapped in a forest fire
•It burns in the fire with nobody aware or anyone there to help it
•The fawns suffering doesn’t benefit anyone or causes anyone to grow
•This suffering is pointless and could’ve been prevented if God existed

Question 17

Who created the problem of premature deaths?

Answer 17

Gregory S Paul

Question 18

What does Paul call the large amount of child deaths?

Answer 18

Holocaust of the children

Question 19

What is the problem of premature deaths?

Answer 19

•Millions of innocent children die every year from moral and natural evil
•Children are too young to have free will so they aren’t at fault
•No omnibenevolent, omnipotent God would allow this suffering
•Therefore God doesn’t exist

Question 20

What is a Theodicy?

Answer 20

An attempt to show God exists while accepting the existence of suffering and evil

Question 21

What Bible section does Augustine use as an explanation of evil?

Answer 21

Genesis

Question 22

According to Augustine, how does the story of Adam and Eve explain evil?

Answer 22

•God created a perfect world without suffering and evil
•Adam and Eve used their free will to disobey God
•The eating of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil shows the consequence of free will
•As a result evil and suffering entered the world

Question 23

What is evil as a consequence of sin?

Answer 23

•Evil first appeared when angels and humans misused their free will and turned away from God their creator
•All humans have the capability to turn away from god
•Humans are responsible for evil not God because humans chose evil
•The fall of the angels accounts for disorder in the natural order

Question 24

What is evil as a privation?

Answer 24

•God didn’t create evil since it isn’t a part of the created order
•Evil is a lack of good like illness is a lack of health or blindness is a privation of sight

Question 25

Why do all humans have original sin?

Answer 25

-All humans are descended from Adam so we all inherited his guilt and sin known as original sin -As we all share his guilt and sin we deserve to face the same punishment -God judged it to be better to bring good out of evil then to not permit any evil to exist

Question 26

What does Felix culpa mean?

Answer 26

Happy mistake

Question 27

What does ex nihlo mean?

Answer 27

Out of nothing

Question 28

What is Felix Culpa?

Answer 28

Bringing good out of evil

Question 29

What is the cross overcomes evil?

Answer 29

If not for the fall of Adam and Eve then god wouldn't have had to send Jesus into the world to save us from sin

Question 30

What is soul deciding?

Answer 30

Those who seek atonement and chose Christ as their saviour will after their life be resurrected with God in heaven

Question 31

Why is the colour black linked to the problem of evil?

Answer 31

-The presence of evil in the universe is like the colour black in a picture -One its own its not considered a pleasant colour but its in the picture because the artist has a purpose for it -We are only human therefore cannot see the full picture and therefore cant see Gods whole plan

Question 32

How is suffering positive?

Answer 32

-Suffering enables us to appreciate good

Question 33

What bible section does Irenaeus use as an explanation of evil?

Answer 33

Genesis

Question 34

What is Irenaeus theodicy?

Answer 34

-Evil as a result of free will -God didn't create a perfect world -God created humans imperfectly so that they would develop into perfection

Question 35

What is moving from image to likeness of god?

Answer 35

Humans grow from the image (possessing the potential of Gods spiritual perfection) to the likeness (actualising those qualities)

Question 36

What is potential towards actualisation?

Answer 36

Humans have the potential to be like god by making good moral decisions and when they do make these decisions they will actually become like God

Question 37

What is spiritual maturity?

Answer 37

When a person develops by making good moral decisions by their own free will

Question 38

Why does God need our cooperation?

Answer 38

-He gave us free will and didn't create us perfect from the start -God cant intervene otherwise our free will would be lost

Question 39

What does humans having free will explain about evil?

Answer 39

Our free will gives us the choice between good and evil and therefore god allowed evil to exist to not intervene with our free will

Question 40

What is a positive of extreme suffering?

Answer 40

We can develop higher virtues such as empathy, patience

Question 41

What is soul making?

Answer 41

In the end all evil will be overcome and humans will develop into perfection

Question 42

What is the God as a craftsman analogy?

Answer 42

-God is a craftsman and humans are his material -humans should allow God to mould them into perfection by allowing the experiences of life (good and evil) to happen to them