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During World War II about 65 million people died, during the famines in British India about 27 million people died, during the fall of the Ming Dynasty about 25 million people died, during the Stalin Dictatorship about 20 million people died (White), during the Boston Marathon Bombing three people died (“Boston Marathon Terror Attack Fast Facts”), and according to the Central Intelligence Agency out of 100,000 people, 839 die per year (“The World Factbook”). Have you ever wondered how many of those 829 people are actually murdered, stripped out of their lives? 5.3 out of every 100,000 people are murdered yearly and most of them are innocent people (“Assault or Homicide”). Even though the world has always strived to enforced justice in humanity, evil always finds the way in the cracks of society. We can perceive the results of its presence all around us: in wars, disasters, hunger, among others.
The constant presence of evilness in life has led many people to question its source and the reason behind it. Most of the approaches taken to answer those questions are from a religious point of view. However, the issue with this approaches is that a new series a questions surface, including questioning the omnipotence of God himself. Religion has taught us how God is morally perfect and omnipotent (Tooley). That belief has existed for so long that now it is practically hardwired into our brain. It is because of that belief that we are unable to understand how God being morally perfect can allow so many catastrophes around the world to happen all the time. Those questions raised in relation to God are described as issues with theodicy (Cunningham, and Kelsay 102).
In a literal definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, theodicy i...
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... Prevention. N.p., 30 May 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
"Boston Marathon Terror Attack Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
Cunningham, Lawrence S., and John Kelsay. The Sacred Quest: An Invitation to the Study of Religion. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006. Print.
"Introduction to the Holocaust." Holocaust Encyclopedia. United Stated Holocaust Memorial Museum, 10 June 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
"The World Factbook." Central Intelligence Agency. N.p., 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
"Theodicy." Merriam-Webster. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
Tooley, Michael. "The Problem of Evil." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
White, Matthew. "The 100 Worst Wars,Genocides and Dictators in History: 10 Bloodiest."Book of Horrible Things. N.p., 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
Introduction to Philosophy Dr. Butterfield 9 March 2014 The Problem of Evil “The problem of evil” has been a controversial topic for not only philosophers, but also people of different faiths all over the world. The problem of evil poses the questions that if there is a higher power, a perfect God, how can that higher power allow such evils to occur in this world? How could this perfect God create such evils in the world? How could he allow such suffering? As these questions have been asked
In, “The Problem of Evil,” Eleonore Stump argues that the existence of evil in our world does not mean God cannot exist. Stump gives the claim, the good produced by free will overwrites the subsequent evil, making Union with God possible. In this paper I hope to show that God can exist alongside evil, but my belief is that human free will is limited. There are three claims that the majority of intelligent people are committed to and agree upon if God exists; God is omnipotent, God is omniscient
Religion TOPIC The Problem of Evil, why people suffer and how to deal with it. It’s the sort of thing the religion was invented for. THE CONCEPT OF EVIL: The existence of evil in the world is a major problem. The word evil can be used to describe some natural or manmade events that cause suffering. Evil can be natural. Like hundreds of people die daily, due to some disease or illness, flood, disasters these are due to nature and man has no control on these type of natural evils. But if we see the
Evil and God have been topics that people put together and discuss about. Many think that evil cannot exist if God exists, but others think that God still exists even with evil in the world. The problem of evil has been debated by many people, and one of these people is Gottfried Leibniz, with whom I agree with. The problem of evil has been a huge debate between atheists and theists. The problem of evil is how can evil occur in the world if God, a perfect being, created the world, and why do
whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” (Lewis, 1994, p. 91). Throughout history man has had to struggle with the problem of evil. It is one of the greatest problems of the world. Unquestionably, there is no greater challenge to man’s faith then the existence of evil and a suffering world. The problem can be stated simply: If God is an all-knowing and all-loving God, how can He allow evil? If God is so good
The most famous argument against God’s existence is the problem of evil. God and religion is often a hot topic in society and many people often steer clear of bringing up the topic unless they are sure they will not get into a heated discussion about it. Information is extremely limited when it comes to trying to figure out the problem of evil. That being said; the problem of evil is defined by trying to argue that “if god is all-powerful (omnipotent), all-knowing (omniscient), and just, then how
The problem of evil has been a question that philosophers have been trying to answer for centuries. It simply states that if God exists and is perfect and all-powerful then why evil does exist in our world. Two great philosophers named Gottfried Leibniz and Nicolas Malebranche attempt to answer this question with their own unique solutions. Although they both answer the same question they have drastically different views. Specifically, they disagree on whether or not this world could be the best
The Problem of Evil is an argument that highlights the contradiction between the existence of evil and the existence of God. The Problem of Evil basically states that if a perfect being like God existed, then existence of evil should not and is impossible to co-exist with, because such an almighty, all-power God would not allow it to. It is apparent to some people that the existence of evil and suffering itself in our world is the biggest challenge against the belief in the perfect being, higher
regarding our place in it. These arguments are endeavors to resolve queries plaguing philosophers and scientists alike. I do not believe any of these arguments make an irrefutable case for God’s existence, however, to a certain degree; they offer ample food for thought. Arguments for God’s existence come in many different versions – some draw on science, some on personal experience, and some on philosophy. The primary focus of this thesis is the philosophical argument regarding The Problem of Evil
In, “The Problem of Evil,” Eleonore Stump holds the belief that the existence of evil in our world does not automatically disprove God’s existence. The belief that God cannot live alongside evil is considered to be the Evidential Problem of evil and this is what Stump is arguing against in her paper. Stump argues, the ability to fix our defective free will makes Union with God possible, which overwrites all the un-absorbable evils in the world, showing both God and un-absorbable evils can coexist
The Problem of Evil “…And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9-13) As it says in the Bible, we wish to be led astray from evil. However, evil is a very curious subject. For most intensive purposes, evil can be described as cruel, heinous, and unnecessary punishment. Evil is a relatively accepted concept in the world today, although it is not completely understood. Evil is supposedly all around us, and at all times. It is more often than not associated with a figure
Philosophy of Religion May 1, 2014 Problems of Evil In this country, according to CSN news, “74 percent of U.S. adults believe in god.” That is a pretty high number for such a complex, modernized society. But where does all the faith and belief come from? People believe that God is always looking out for us and that he would never do anything to hurt us intentionally. People believe that God is in control of our destiny and controls everything that happens to us in this world. But then, this brings me to
The problem of evil and the existence of God has been a philosophical question that philosophers have tried to tackle for centuries. Evil and the horrible events that are happening in our world are the primary objection to the existence of God. This raises a significant question that threatens Christian theology. If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good, and all-perfect, then why do we live in a world with imperfections and evil? How could God allow innocent lives to suffer without intervening
Although it may never be completely resolved, the problem of evil has been considered by Christian theologians, and within the Bible itself, for centuries. Each potential solution, regardless of its content, emphasizes a common point: Just because evil exists does not mean that faith should be abandoned. In fact, evil’s purpose may be to strengthen our faith in God. For example, Peter Kreeft states that “evil is not a thing but a wrong choice”. Because God creates things, but does not directly make
Throughout the world, most people believe in some type of god or gods, and the majority of them understand God as all-good, all-knowing (omniscient), and all-powerful (omnipotent). However, there is a major objection to the latter belief: the “problem of evil” (P.O.E.) argument. According to this theory, God’s existence is unlikely, if not illogical, because a good, omniscient, and omnipotent being would not allow unnecessary suffering, of which there are enormous amounts. In this paper, I will