In this reading reflection I will be discussing Richard Swinburne’s argument on “Why God Allows Evil” which starts on page 254 in “Exploring Philosophy: An Anthology” by Steven M. Cahn. This was also discussed in class on 9/15/16. In his argument Swinburne states that “An omnipotent God could have prevented this evil, and surely a perfectly good and omnipotent God would have done so. So why is there evil?”(Swinburne, 254). In theory, he thinks that if God exists then evil should not, but it does. So he creates and argues a theodicy to show that God and evil can exist at the same time. He comes up with the “Free Will Theodicy” which states that humans are the cause of evil, not God. The Free Will Theodicy discusses two kinds of evil: moral evil and natural evil. Natural evil is evil that is not caused by human choice such as natural disasters and disease. Moral evil is caused by human choices and …show more content…
If humans are the cause of moral evil, who causes natural evil? Technically natural evil does not have a cause, but rather where did they come from? Connecting this a bit to Paley’s “Argument from Design” organic life probably has a designer, so if natural disasters and diseases are organic life, do they not have a designer, and would that designer not be God? I was just wondering about that and if God could possibly be the cause of some evil. Also, God created humans so is he counted somewhat guilty of the evil in the world because his creations cause it? In conclusion, Richard Swinburne argues that God and evil can exist at the same time with the Free Will Theodicy. He believes that God is not the cause of evil, but humans and their free will to make choices. But I thought it would be interesting to ask where natural evil came from because according to Paley’s “Argument from Design” organic life probably has a designer, so it makes me curious to know if it does have one and of so,
The only thing responsible for evil is the human being. Throughout the whole book, the author struggles with understanding how God could watch the evil taking place. The author loses of his faith, which causes the reader to also question God presence in this tragedy of human events: World War
“The Problem of Evil” by Peter van Inwagen, is a series of lectures that that presents van Inwagen’s various responses to problem of evil. In this essay, I will present “the local problem of evil” (from chapter 6 of the book), the solution van Inwagen proposes for this problem, and my critique of his solution. “The local problem of evil,” according to van Inwagen, is the hypothetical response an atheist would have towards van Inwagen’s solution of “the global problem of evil” which is, “If god existed, then why is there so much evil in the world?” The argument of “the local problem of evil” is “If god existed then why are there specific horrors that occur in the world, like children dying in a horrific car crash?” The argument that is drawn
The roots of evil are either logical or evidential problem of evil. For example, the first logical argument is that evil is a necessity in our world. Hank explains the the purpose of evil in a sense that “good can’t exist without its opposite….. You can’t understand the concept of pleasure without experiencing pain first” (Crash Course #13). Hank’s first argument hints that God is aware of the evil and powerful enough to prevent it but chooses not too.
There are two main ways in which natural evil operates to give humans those choices. First of all, natural evil provides chance for humans to learn how to bring the evil. For example, I can choose to ignore my sick friends instead of showing compassion towards the sufferer. If I get sick, I can either choose to spread it to others or subdue to disease and prevent it from spreading. Humans have the free will to choose to be good or evil.
Analytical Response Paper – “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards Thesis: Jonathan Edwards, the sermon ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” states that God continuously saves us from our sins. Summary: Edwards starts the sermon describing a picture of hell, and how God continuously saves us from hell. Edwards wants to warn people of the reality of hell, and the fact the God constantly gives humankind chances instead of letting them burn in hell.
On the other hand, theists like Swinburne, believe that evil is necessary for important reasons such as that it helps us grow and improve. In this paper I will argue that the theist is right, because the good of the evil in this specific case on problems beyond one’s control, outweighs the bad that comes from it. I will begin by stating the objection the anti-theodicist gives for why it is wrong that there is a problem of evil. (<--fix) Regarding passive evil not caused by human action, the anti-theodicist claims that there is an issue with a creator, God, allowing a world to exist where evil things happen, which are not caused by human beings (180-181).
At the beginning of the article, Mackie states that the initial issue with God’s existence is that, “God is omnipotent; God is wholly good; and yet evil exists” (Mackie, Paragraph 3). If god is such a pure and good being, then he should be able to combat all evil. The first statement that showcases that God is omnipotent, God is wholly good, then evil cannot possibly exist. The definition of omnipotent is
People, for the most part, are inherently good. It is life that makes them evil, people are affected by events, influences, and circumstances. For the most part, there is an explanation for every “evil” person 's behavior. I will focus on the impact that conditions have on people, as well as the cases of inherently evil people. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a perfect example of inherently good people making poor choices and hurting others because of the things that have impacted them.
We all like to think that evil is not born within us, but rather nurtured into us; while this may be true for some, others have evil born directly into them. When man toys with the powers reserved for only God, God strikes back with a wicked evil to show man the power that they truly lack. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein contains a prime example of a being born of unnatural causes and thus having these evil urges that they cannot control. Frankenstein’s monster is a highly intelligent being, and hence he is very manipulative.
One might object to the Problem of Evil by giving a theodicy. A theodicy is basically a justification that explains why God allows evil things to happen even though he is all-PGK. In addition, a theodicy is on the “God is all-PGK” side because it might prove that evil is needed in this world in intention of God, and evil is, of course, under control of God. One theodicy is free will. Free will is a gift from God.
Is man evil by nature, or is man evil because of the way they were raised? Though many disagree, man is born with evil in the eyes of society. This is why there is evil in the world and why there is war among
Evil is a simple word that we learn at a young age and that we understand is bad. However, our youth and innocence prevents us from knowing the weight the word holds. As our understanding of evil develops, we begin to see evil all around us. Although we hold common societal definitions of evil, each person is bound to view evil slightly different from others. Someone might consider alcoholism evil, while others consider it normal: someone might believe racism is evil, while others believe it is natural.
In Christianity, evil, or Lucifer comes from the world of angels and was removed from that place due to his act of rebellion against God. Evil was not created by God but was a perversion of his creation. As stated in Christianity, to have a truly spiritual contact with God, a human must choose it freely. Evil is in our world through sins that people commit. Sinning is the destruction of spiritual life and turns us away from goodness and mercy.
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God” – Corrie ten Boom. Christian or not, these words have a sort of calming tone that allows someone to feel at ease that someone or something is always watching over them. However, if we question the very existence of this supernatural being, we can only speculate on why God lets so many terrible things happen in the world. In order to logically make sense of this questionable dilemma, there have been many people over the years of mankind who have tried to explain “God’s ways to man”. Some of these people include Alexander Pope and John Milton, each of which have very different attitudes of going about this problem.
Then when the leader of the angels Lucifer became jealous of god he was cast out of heaven along with other fallen angels, this is how evil entered this world. Saint Augustine argued that, “evil is the absence of something good and the only way for god to have created a world without evil would to be to create another god like himself” (Velasquez, 2014p.263). Other answers include god created evil so we could have free will to choose god. Richard Swinburne explains, “it is not logical that god would give us free will and yet ensure we always use it the right way” (Velasquez, 2014p.264). Lastly, John Hicks argues that we would be dissatisfied in a world without evil.