RELI 1000 Lecture 13 Theodicy Encountering Evil o Theodicy Justifying the ways of God in the face of chaos evil and suffering in the world Theodicy Theos God dike Justice Types of Theodicy Mystical participation Theodicy o Suffering is a corporate experience a necessary part of life It is a step to survival in other members of society siblings immortality It is the opposite of death the continuing life prosperity of the clan tribe o E g Indigenous religions 2 A Future this Worldly Theodicy o Better things are on the way o Compensation for present suffering is in the near future a bright future o Justice will come in a future life o E g Christianity Marxism Hinduism Confucianism Stoicism 3 Other Worldly Theodicy o Compensation for evil injustice and suffering in the life after death Good actions heaven Paradise a peaceful place Evil action hell continuous suffering Examples Western religions Mahayana Buddhism Shi i Islam God gave Hussein the keys to paradise All who die defending him will go straight to paradise just as he went 4 Dualist Theodicy Gnostics o Because God and Satan exist evil and good exist o God is the origin of good things God of light and truth did not create this material world He is not responsible for earthily suffering o Satan is the origin of suffering and evil Satan created the world therefore he is responsible for evil and suffering o E g Christian Gnostics Victory over evil will take place in a distant cosmic with a victory of God of Light over Satan s power of Darkness o Also Zoroastrianism Beginning of Christianity Islam The Karma Samsara Theodicy These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute o o o o Classical Indian theodicy Hinduism Buddhism Jainism Suffering is caused by our past actions Every individual thought and action have effects Samsara the wheel of rebirth reincarnation enables the soul pass through a sequence of bodies o Progress between stages of rebirth depends on one s responsibility dharma o Goal of life Moksha Union of atman with Brahman Monotheistic Theodicy o This is a problematic theodicy because of God s attributes o God s attributes If God is good loving omnipotent and omniscient Why can t he prevent suffering o Is he God willing to prevent evil but not able Then he is impotent Is he able but not willing Then he is malevolent Is he both able and willing Why is there evil David Hume o It is based on the narrative of Job in Judaism Christianity and Islam 1 Suffering is punishment for sin 2 Suffering is a test and a necessary condition of Soul making 3 Suffering is a mystery of God s sovereignty A Theodicy of Submission A Theodicy of Protest o It protests any attempt to justify the ways of God o It is associated with Elie Wiesela Jewish writer a Holocaust survivor Author of The Trial of God o God should be put on trial for crimes against humanity Elie Wiesel o Although evil results from human freedom God is also responsible for allowing too much suffering o Portrays God as limited therefore not omnipotent Process Theodicy o Nothing not even God can determine the being of others o Evil exists due to decisions that are not God s o God cannot eliminate evil he can only minimize it but he always maximizes good o God s will and purpose can be frustrated or defeated by earthily power of evil o This theory is attractive to theists Conclusion o Theodicy is an attempt to explain the existence of evil suffering death and social injustices especially in the presence of God o Different theodicies are convincing to those who believe in particular faiths o Are these attempts logical