THIS IS THE BASIC SKELETON OF WHAT WE WENT THROUGH IN CLASS.
MORE WILL BE COMING SOON.
Why is there evil and suffering in this world?
Why is it important to think about this tough question?
This is the toughest
question
Logical → philosophical
Personal
What is evil?
Good without evil.
Evil needs good
Kinds of evil:
Moral evil
Natural evil
What is the problem of evil?
- God exists
- God is omnipotent
- God is omniscient
- God is omnibenevolent
- God created the world
- The world contains evil.
ANOTHER WAY TO THINK ABOUT
A perfectly powerful being can prevent
any evil.
A perfectly good being will prevent
evil as far as he can.
God is perfectly powerful and good.
So, if a perfectly powerful and good
God exists, there will be no evil.
There is evil.
Therefore, God doesn’t exist.
Where is the
contradiction?
Deductive problem of
evil.
→ logical contradiction
at its core. Therefore necessarily false
We will look at this and
show why it is not logically true
Inductive problem of
evil
→ Christianity probably
false
We will look at
evidential form, rather than logical form of the problem of evil
"variety and profusion of evil in our world, although
perhaps not logically inconsistent with the existence of the theistic God,
provides rational support for atheism" Nash 195
move from strong assertion (logically impossible) to
moderate assertion (rationally improbable)
What is theodicy?
a defense of God’s righteousness in light of the reality that evil exists
in the universe He created.
What types of theodicy
are there
Free Will Theodicy:
Argues that God created humans with free will, which is a
great good. However, this allows for the possibility—and actuality—of humans
choosing evil.
GOD COULD HAVE CREATED A WORLD WITHOUT MORAL EVIL.
natural law theodicy
God allows natural evil—such as earthquakes or disease—to
exist because it shows order and stability
Human development -> free will
Soul making
"In order for God to produce the virtuous beings with whom he wants fellowship, these individuals must face challenges that teach them the intrinsic worth of the virtues he possesses perfectly.
Contrast and Appreciation Theodicy:
Maintains that goodness cannot be understood or appreciated
without the contrast of evil, similar to needing darkness to appreciate light.
Eschatological Theodicy (Appeal to the Afterlife):
Asserts that the injustices and sufferings of this life
will be rectified in an afterlife, where ultimate harmony and justice are
achieved.
Finite God Theodicy:
Modifies the definition of God, proposing that God is
all-good but not all-powerful (omnipotent), and therefore cannot stop all evil.
Anti-theodicy:
Argues that attempting to justify God’s allowing of
suffering is morally wrong or offensive.
AND EVEN MORE
Some theodicies have no
Biblical support.
Other have some
Plantinga
Can an omnipotent being
truly do anything?
Pseudotask (logically impossible action)
Is it true a good being
always eliminates evil as far it can?
Plantinga’s three
statements
An omnipotent, omniscient, omniscient God created the world
God creates a world containing evil and has a good reason
for doing it
Therefore, the world contains evil
So, why Is #2 true?
Why is there evil and suffering in this world?
"Our response the problem of evil, then, may take
either of two approaches. We may argue that the second premise above is false
and seek to demonstrate that it is false by showing God’s reasons for
permitting evil – the way of “theodicy.” Or we could argue that the second
premise is unproven because unbelievers can’t rule out God’s
having a good reason for permitting evil – the way of 'inscrutability.'”
- MacArthur
Inscrutability
Romans 11
Mystery/Inscrutability/ Submission:
Holds that the reasons for suffering are beyond human
comprehension and must be accepted as a mystery of God’s sovereignty.
definition of inscrutability
the quality or state of being inscrutable
not readily investigated, interpreted, or understood : mysterious
The Gospel Coalition
"The way of inscrutability
argues, more modestly, that no one knows that premise (2) is true
because no one can know enough to conclude that God doesn’t have good
reason for permitting evil. We just cannot grasp God’s knowledge, the
complexity of his plans, or the deep nature of the good he aims at in
providence. And there is no proof that God does not have good reasons
for allowing evil, but because he is good we can only assume that he does. Here
we don’t have to come up with ‘theodicies’ to defend God against the problem of
evil. Rather, the way of inscrutability shows that it is entirely to be expected
that creatures like us can’t come up with God’s reasons, given who God
is and who we are."
Romans 11:33-36
Hebrew 11
Last chapters of Job
