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The Problem of Evil - Coggle Diagram

- - - - The obvious seat of blame is Goc, because it should be easy for an omnipotent God to control the forces of nature, particularly since most Christians believe that God created the laws of nature in the first place. Moreover in the Bible God uses Natrual evils as a form of a punishment. For example the plagues were intended to pursuade the Egyptian Pharoah to let the Hebrew slaves go free. In the new-Testement this is slightly different as Jesusninstead preforms miracles over over the world of nature, he heals people from disease such as Blindness and leprosy, he also miraculously multiplies bread,fish and wine, and he calms the forces of wind and sea on Lake Galilee in order to save the disciples from drowning. The point therefore stands that if Gid controls Natrual evils 2,000 years ago, why does he not control them now.
- - - - Hick’s theodicy incorporates evolution as being part of the first stage of human development, so his theodicy fits generally with scentfifc evidence about the origins of the human race
      - Hick’s argues that if docterine of hell is true, then that alone would allow the worst part of the problem of evil. If hell exists, then the kind of God who might send you there might be just, but he would not be loving.
      - Hick/s argumnet that evil is justified because it is necessary for soul making is also powerful. Individual people, and humanity as a whole, cannot develop without challenge, and suffering develops character. It would be unrealistic to suppose that we can experience great goodness without also being exposed to great evils
      - The most powerful part of Hick’s argument is his view that we are created at an epistemic distance from God. Hick can use this to Justify any form of evil, including animal suffering and pointless suffering, because his thesis is that the end justifies the means
- - - - John Mackie was an atheist who wrote his criticism of the Free Will Defense in his satirically names book, “Miracle of Theism”. One of Mckies’s main reasons for believing that God does not exist is the Problem of Evil. Mackie presents this by constructing his own version of the free-will-Defense,and then rejecting it.
        
        Mackie’s) account of free will defense
        
        1-We can refer to happiness and pleasure as first order good, for example someone who is experiencing the pleasure of reading a good book or eating a delicious meal is in a state of first-order -good.
        
        3-First order evils include headaches,or breakups, or even the feeling of being offended. If anyone is experiencing these feeling we would say that they are in the state of a first order evil.
        
        2-corresponding to first order goods, unhappiness , unhappiness,pain and misery are know as first order evils,l.
        
        4-And if we come across someone who is experiencing a first order evil, we can either reduce or enhance their misery. By being kind, or we can enhance their misery by being mean. This is the same with someone who is experiencing a first order good, they can be enhanced or reduced through our reaction. Link Title
        
        5-Sympathy, understanding,kindness,compassion,love, and generosity are all therefore higher order goods than-the first order goods then the first order goods of happiness and pleasure. In effect they are known as second order goods.
        
        6-In the same way, spite, meanness, envy, jealousy, greed, and selfishness are second order evils. Therefore we might say that second order evil exist to maximise first order evil and to minimise first order goods.
        
        Equally second order evil exists to maximise the first order evil and to minimise first order good.
        
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- - - - 1-God’s creation is very important. And because of this God could not eliminate much of the evil and suffering in this world without eliminating the greater good of having created persons with free will, who would go out and do good deeds, aswell as love him.
        
        2-according to plantinga libertain free will is morally sufficient. Which means people have the chance to put into practice Mackie’s second order goods of symphathy, love, compassion, and so on. This king of freedom is the most important, because it means that people are morally responsible for their decisions. Moreover they can be praised and rewarded if they do what is right, or blamed and punished if they do wrong. Plantungas argumnet aims to show that there is not logical possibility where God could have created beings who would always make free,good choices.
        
        Pantinga draws three worlds to choose from they God could have created
        
        The first world PW1-God creates people with morally significant free will-God does not casually determine people in every situation to choose what is right and what is wrong. And there is evil and suffering.
        
        The second world PW2- God creates a person with morally significant Fred will. Gid causally determines people in every situation to chose what is right and avoid what is wrong. There is no evil or suffering in PW2
        
        PW3-the final world god creates a person with morally significant free will. Gid casually determines people in every situation to choose what is right and avoid what is wrong. Finally there is no evil or suffering in PW3
        
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- - - - 1-Plantinga MSR2 is that “God allowed Natrual evil to enter the world as part of Adam and Eve’s punishment for their sin in the garden of Eden”
        
        2-In the view of nearly all of the philosophers who comment on this MSR 2 is ludicrous, as it is unscientific and relies on the mythological narrative of Adam and Eve.
        
        3-And as Plantinga only has to provide a logical refutal of Mackie, he has therefore successfully refuted his claim that the Free Will Defense is useless. Finally Plantinga is also aided by the fact that Nature must be free to follow the laws by which it works.
- - - - Griffin believe that this is based on a mistranslation of the text
      - The original text reads “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was open the face of the deep, and the Spirt of God was moving over the face of the waters” This translation of the Hebrew shows that God’s first creative act is to create the universe, and it heavily implies that God called the universe into existence from nothing simply by using the words of creative power.
      - However a more likely translation of the Hebrew would be “In the beginning of God’s creating the heavens and the earth, the earth being without form and void, and darkness being upon the face of the deep, and the spirit of God moving over the face of the waters, God said, let there be light”-Whe. Compared the second text gives a radically different view of the passage. This is because of the phrase “The earth being without form and void”-assumes the that the universe a,ready existed before God. And according to Griffin then the universe is uncreated and eternal, and God is inextricably bound with it. God’s creative role was therefore to devolop what was already there, by pursuading it into a state of greater order and complexity.
      - Griffin therefore rejects the idea of God’s omnipotence and the idea of creation out of nothing actually supports the idea that God is omnipotent, because a God who can literally bring the universe into existence from nothing would truly have unlimited power. Therefore following on from the idea of creation from chaos, the chaotic matter will probably have had some power of their own by which God’s will could be opposed.
        
        Griffin believes that it is wrong to think of God as being transcendent, instead he believes God exists is a panentheistic relationship, which means that the Universe is in God. God is therefore not transcendent and cannot eliminate Evil.
        
        Griffin believed that God wishes to pursuance matter towards complexity as increasing complexity in life gives a rise to increased richness of experience and thereby brininging out the increased possibility of enjoyment. Living cells are probably the lowest level at which enjoyment begins, so it is at this selves that we can begin to talk of value. From living cells there is a huge leap to the animal level, especially animals with a central nervous system, they can experience an increased number of different types of value.
        
        Finally then Griffin believes that Evil arose because increased complexity has two faces, one that it brings increased enjoyment, and the other that it also can howeve bring about increased suffering. Subsequently then Griffin agrees that responsibility of the problem of evil must then lie with God. However, Griffin believes that we cannot blame God for this as God’s idea was to produce good, and to avoid suffering. As humans therefore we should be able to understand that humans parents have children despite the suffering this might cause both parent and child. By analogy God could have avoided bringing forth creatures who could go wrong, but then there would have been no world with any significant value in it. Moreover Griffin argues that God suffers pain with us, just as we share the pains of our bodily parts. And finally with regard to the Natrual evils in the world, Griffin argues that they are caused by low levels electrons, and molecules, so it is therefore very difficult for god to affect change, apart from over long periods of time. Therefore there is no way God can stop a tsunami from drowning, or rocks of en earthquake killing pedestrians, or even a speeding car hitting you.
        
        Weaknesses of Process theology
        
        The problem of evil is also seen as a huge probelam. If the the Process God is not omnipotent, at the point when he saw his persuasion of the universe into greater and greater levels of evolutionary complexity was equally bringing about greater amounts of evil, why then did God start a process he could not control.
        
        The suggestion that God cannot control evil is often seen to be a huge nail in the coffin for process theology, because even though God may do his best, there still can be no guarantee that God will succeed in overcoming evil.Process theology therefore admits that there is an element of risk in God’s strategy, because if advanced entities like human sufficient powers to reject God’s pursusaion towards the good, then human existence will probably end in nuclear, biological and chemical obliteration of all species. And if the element of risk is so great, and victory against evil is not Guateeed, then what incentive is there to join or even continue the fight against evil.
        
        God’s lack of omnipotence in Process Theology can be see. As a major weakness. And although the Processs God is powerful, for many his lack of omnipotence makes his worthy of worship.
        
        Strenghts of process theology
        
        2-In the same way, the discovery through quantum mechanics that at the sub-atomic level, reality is a chaotic process of flux and change, gives some support to Griffin’s argumnet that God’s creation of the universe was not creation from nothing but instead was the gradual ordering of pre-existing chaotic material. Griffin is also correct in his Hebrew translations, which is strongly supported by biblical accounts reflecting the Babylonian mythologies.
        
        The fact that God suffers because he contains the entire sensory experience of the universe, means that believers who suffer know that God understands their pain. I
        
        1-From Griffins conclusions it is evident that he has a sense of realism about what God can and cannot do. His conclusion that God is not omnipotent can be seen as a realistic answer to the problem of evil. As God does not have the power to control it.