the problem of evil and suffering. if god exists, why does the world experience evil and suffering?
TRANSCRIPT
The Problem of Evil and Suffering.
If God exists, why does the world experience evil and suffering?
Natural EvilNatural evil is suffering and destruction which comes from nature and is not man-made.
What are your
reactions to these
images?
Earthquakes
In 2003, an earthquake in Iran killed over 30,000 people.
Moral Evil
This is the evil caused when one human intentionally harms another.
What are your
reactions to
these images?
Are your
reactions
different to the
images of
natural evil?
Why?
How?
War
Since 1900, there have only been 15 days in total where there has been no war happening in the world.
It is estimated that 35,000,000 people were killed during WWI alone.
The Problem of Evil
• It is clear that our world is not a pleasant place to live.
• We have to contend with natural disasters and humans intentionally harming other humans.
• This causes philosophers and religious believers one significant problem. Can you think what?
The Problem of Evil
All loving
Benevolent
All powerful
Omnipotent
All knowing
Omniscient
Most religious believers
think that God has
these three
characteristics or
attributes.
The Problem of Evil
All loving
Benevolent
All knowing
Omniscient
All powerful
Omnipotent
EVIL
If we add evil and suffering into the picture,
then perhaps God cannot be all these
things.
Either he is loving and powerful but does
not know about the evil.
Or
Perhaps he knows about the evil and loves
us but is not powerful enough to stop it.
Or
Perhaps he knows about the evil and could
stop it but doesn’t really love us at all.
The Problem of Evil
• Some people think that the problem cannot be solved.
• They think that the only solution is to believe that God does not exist.
• This is called ATHEISM.
Professor Richard Dawkins is a well known atheist
A Theodicy – This is an attempt to explain why evil happens
without denying God’s existence.
• John Hick, a famous philosopher, argued that perhaps the suffering in the world was intentional.
• Maybe when we suffer, we become stronger people who are able to grow and develop.
• This development will prepare us for heaven.
• He called this soul-making.
• What do you think about this idea?
• Can you think of any strengths and weaknesses?
Christianity and the Devil
• “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5: 8-9)
• “Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment” (Matthew 17:18)
• What do these New Testament quotes suggest about Christian beliefs in the Devil?
Some people believe that suffering and evil are the result of the work and influence of
the Devil or Satan
Free Will• Free Will is the idea that we can make choices about our own
actions.
• This means we can choose to do good or bad things.
• It also means we can freely choose whether or not to believe in God.
• Some people use their free will to do bad things, and therefore evil and suffering happen in our world.
• Is this a good explanation for evil and suffering? Why?
• Do you believe that we all have free will?