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Richard Swinburne's Views On The Problem Of Evil

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The Problem of Evil We are all philosophers in some way, and one of the biggest mysteries we seek to unravel is the problem of evil. Evil is all around us disguised in many different forms, and we, as humans, allow it, but why does God allow it? Does God create it? Are God and evil even compatible? Philosophers have many different viewpoints and examples trying to prove that God is real, but there seems to be one problem standing in the way- the problem of evil. This dilemma questions not only God’s existence, but the beliefs others have in God. Why evil exists has been an ongoing mystery, and we are just trying to get to the bottom of it. The first step to understanding the problem of evil is to distinguish an accurate meaning of it. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines evil as, “Morally reprehensible rising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct.” Philosopher, Richard Swinburne, defines evil in two parts; natural evil and moral evil. He explains that natural evil, like disease, sickness and natural disasters, occurs to give us knowledge of what is good and what is bad. Moral evil, the bad choices we choose to make, occurs to enable us to have free-will and responsible choice (Swinburne 255-61). Swinburne, …show more content…

To them, God would not allow the pain and suffering that results from evil. For example, nobody asks for or chooses to have a fatal disease like cancer, so why does God make this evil possible? Some may argue that due to the person’s past actions and choices they deserves it, but what if the person was born with a fatal disease? What could an innocent baby do to deserve such an awful illness? It’s hard to comprehend how God, who is talked so highly of, could create or permit such an evil, therefore, God simply cannot exist. So many aspects contradict Swinburne’s idea of evil and God coexisting. Either of these arguments are valid, and that’s the problem of

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The problem of evil philosophy has been a long debated topic. The idea that God is almighty, God is perfectly good, and evil exists has many different sides, which sparks many different explanations. During Candide, Voltaire addresses the topic with multiple examples applying to both moral and natural evils. However, the problem of evil to me is not as simple as one answer. I believe that there needs to be a certain extent of evil to bring out good and that is why God created it.

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That being stated, how can an Omnibenevolent, Omniscient and Omnipotent God allow evil in this world? We see it daily. Evil runs rampant through the streets. It represents itself in the form of people and groups. We even go so far as to characterize illnesses and suffering as evil.

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Swinburne says that an omnipotent and omnibenevolent being created this world, where these forces coincide. How could evil, in any form, coexist with good in this world? When God

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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

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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?

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JL Mackie was persuasive in his argument by showing that belief in an almighty God is not rational. He proves this by posing the problem of evil. According to JL Mackie, if God exists and is omniscient, omnipotent, and good then evil would not exist. However, evil exists in this world, sometimes in the form of undeserved suffering (diseases that affect humans, earthquakes, famines ...) and others perpetrated by man (murders, wars ...). If God exists and has the capability to be powerful, good, omniscient and omnipotent, why would he let evil be perpetrated?

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The problem of evil takes into account three defining features of God: all-good, all-knowing, and all-powerful and questions whether such a God would permit evil and not interfere. Sinnott-Armstrong discusses his stance by countering responses he coins as the Glorious Response, the Modest Response, and the Overriding Response. Whereas, Craig counters the arguments made by Sinnott-Armstrong. The Glorious Response Thus response suggests evil is

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Jean-Paul Sartre and Soren Kierkegaard are two widely known existentialists who agree on many of the main principles of existentialism, but also disagree on several of the finer details. For example, they both agree that what matters most is action. What a person actually does is what defines the person, and the process of defining one’s self never ceases. By comparing and contrasting how they portray the emotion of anguish - specifically, in Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling and Sartre’s The Humanism of Existentialism – we see another example of the two agreeing on some principles while disagreeing on others.

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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.

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Although God’s existence and the validity of the experiences that may imply God’s existence is still not known, it is enough to say that logically, evil can exist along with God and his properties, even in today’s

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Another Milestone that effects the way we define the notion of “Good and Evil” is largely based on our religion. Therefore, the way we see right from wrong, heaven and hell, light and darkness, Good vs. Evil and God and the Devil comes from the moral criterion that we attempt to apply to our worldviews. However, given the conspicuous contrasts amongst religions, ranging from Christianity to Islam to Judaism. Many people believe that due to the simple fact of religious diversity, this provides the basis to discredit any assumption of moral truths. Some religions define evil as “the result of human sin” or that “Evil is the result of a spiritual being who opposes the Lord God”

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Medieval and Renaissance art differ in the way humans were depicted. Medieval art focused less on precision and emphasize in portraying people according to the social status. Medieval art establish hierarchy by illustrating human’s size bigger based on how high they were ranked in society. Medieval art never had real and accurate proportions. Also, Medieval art focused on religion, often times the drawings were of high ranked citizens achieving divine enlightenment.

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“The Problem of Evil” is simply the question, why does God allow evil to happen? God is omnipotent, omniscient, all-loving, and rational, therefore why does evil exist? There is either no God or he is not what we think he is, since evil could be prevented by him with no risk. Atheists and anti-theodicist see a problem with the idea that God could prevent evil. They believe that because God is so powerful and perfect, that he would not allow such immoral actions to be done.

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All creatures in this world have an ability to do whatever it is willing to do. As an illustration, a mother uses drugs, yells at her son every day, forces him to do what he does not want to, and also violently abuses him. One day, that boy kills his mother. That is murder, and that is evil. God might see that, but he let it happen due to two possibilities.

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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.

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