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Free Will Theodicy Essay

816 Words4 Pages

Some philosophers argue that if God exists, holds power, and has the desire to avert evil, then evil wouldn’t exist. In an attempt to solve this issue, other philosophers have acknowledged that the free will theodicy provides a sufficient solution to the problem of evil. However, in rebuttal, I argue that the free will theodicy does not provide an extensive solution for the problem of evil.

Argument Summary
The problem of evil is primarily known as a challenge posed to the existence of God. Theists, firm believers in the existence of a God, often believe that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good. Also known as, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent. However, atheists, an individual who disbelieves in God, argue that the …show more content…

For example, a theist might argue that God does not hold enough power to stop evil. This is known as a theodicy, an attempt to justify that the existence of evil does not prove a lack of God’s existence. The most popular theodicy among theists is known as the Free Will Theodicy. This defense describes that God being all good, extended this goodness by providing individuals with free will and allowing them to be free beings. Moreover, having free will means giving people the choice and power to make evil decisions that some individuals often abuse. The theodicy describes that God is not a creator of evil but evil can not be abolished revoking individuals their right to freedom. Theists often support this argument by mentioning that a society without free will would be remarkably worse than a world with the presence of evil. This provides evidence of God’s being omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent. Theists mention that God allowing evil proves he’s all-good because he is providing the best world for us, even if it means a world containing evil. It proves that God is all-knowing because he has the knowledge to know a world without free will would be far more dangerous for society than one without evil. Lastly, this proves God is all powerful because he holds the power to provide this “better” …show more content…

Theists explain God as an omnipent individual, a person with unlimited power. However, if God truly held unlimited power he’d have the ability to create a society with freedom and without moral evils such as murder, rape, and abuse. If God were real and obtained these omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent abilities he would’ve created a world where people utilized freedom for good. For example, God would ensure that the free choices individuals made were only correct choices that are far from evil. God giving humans the free will to make cruel choices such as murder, torture and robberies proves that the free will theodicy does not provide a solution to the problem of evil. The problem of evil can’t be solved by the free will theodicy because it fails to provide an explanation for God’s lack of power and inability to make humans incapable of evil

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