Theodicy: why does God allow evil? (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, January 31, 2017, 18:58 (2851 days ago)

We have mentioned this area of theology in the past, but here is an essay on the subject with a full exposure:

https://aeon.co/ideas/bad-things-happen-for-a-reason-and-other-idiocies-of-theodicy?utm...

"The problem of evil is a classic dilemma in the philosophy of religion. The relative ease with which the problem can be stated belies the depth of the challenge that it presents to traditional monotheism. Roughly, it can be summarised as follows:

"If God is omnipotent, then He has the power to create a world without evil.

"If God is omniscient, then no moment of evil goes divinely unnoticed.

"If God is omnibenevolent, then He has the desire to rid the world of evil.

"Therefore, the world should be perfect, or at least free of undeserved suffering. Yet, a cursory glance reveals a world that clearly is not inherently just or free from undeserved suffering.

***

"Many solutions to the problem of evil – called ‘theodicies’ – have been proposed. There is the argument of free will, attributing evil not to God but to humanity’s misuse of its own freedom. Others have argued that certain kinds of moral goodness – compassion, for instance – are not possible in a world without evil, and the value of these types of goodness outweighs the evils on which their existence depends. There is also what I call ‘the big-picture defence’, claiming that evil only appears as such from our limited perspectives. Were we able to see things from the perspective of God, we would see that, in the grand scheme of things, every apparent evil plays a necessary role in making the world more perfect.

***

"The essential difficulty of the problem of evil is how to reconcile its apparent existence with a loving, all-powerful deity. One popular method has been to reassert the inherent justice of the world, implying, if not explicitly claiming, the righteousness of the suffering that we witness throughout it. The result is, essentially, a theological form of victim-blaming.

***

"Natural disasters and terrorist attacks are either random events in a chaotic world, or they are explicable events within a discernible pattern. In the former case, we inhabit an essentially amoral universe: bad things happen to good people, children die premature deaths, and tragedy strikes without remorse, all without rhyme or reason. In the latter case, we inhabit a much more hospitable universe where there is some sort of inherent order: a place where morality is inscribed into the very fabric of things, assuring us that, if only we play by the rules, evil will be punished, goodness will be rewarded, and justice will reign supreme.

***

"Theodicy authorises only the suffering of the less fortunate when it indulges in willful blindness and insists on justice as a foregone conclusion, denying reality in favour of comforting ignorance. Alternatively, when justice is construed as hope – as a vision of what the world could possibly be – it functions as a lodestar. This acknowledges the disturbing realities with which we are surrounded, and refuses to be disillusioned by them. By regarding justice as an ideal rather than a present reality, one’s vision of the inequalities and brutalities of the present moment remains unobstructed, allowing them to be faced. The just universe in which we should believe is the one that can be created only through dedicated effort and real action on our part. But that can happen only if we refuse to take shelter in soothing fantasies."

Comment: My thought is the same as before. The author's mistake is the usual one, using religion as a starting point. Part of the problem is ascribing to God that He loves us. We do not know that. But God has given us a giant brain to solve the problems presented at least as far as disease presents, as asteroids present, as earthquakes and severe weather present. We have cured much disease and will do more, we can learn to redirect asteroids, and develop better warning systems for earthquakes and weather, as examples of our capabilities. I believe in a tough-love God who expects us to solve problems. Life in the Garden of Eden is easy but boring.