Questions tagged [theodicy]
For questions about how one resolves the idea of a good God with the problem of evil
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How to answer "Why do evil and suffering exist?" [closed]
I believe that evil exists because God gave us free will. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Because of this The Fall of man happened and drew us away from God. Suffering exists not only because God can ...
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How can a Wholly Good God Deliberately Create Evil?
I think it's pretty universally accepted that God is wholly good. Indeed, many sources, including lots of answers on this website, are based on the belief that God is the perfect standard of goodness....
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How do proponents of the “free-will defense” against the problem of evil explain that God can be free and immune to moral evil at the same time?
The free-will defense is an argument commonly attributed to Alvin Plantinga, who developed it as a response to the logical problem of evil. However, in developing this argument Plantinga unwittingly ...
user61679
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Are Christians supposed to suffer? [closed]
Consider the following scriptures:
James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let ...
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How do Christians justify lack of God's intervention during events where neonates get killed?
I simply can't reason about it.
When let's say 1 month old child gets killed and dies in horrible pain, there was nothing for him to learn from this "lesson". He also had no possibility to ...
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According to believers in the inexorable damnation of the unreached, how is God not unfair for letting someone be born in unreachable conditions?
It is a fact of history that many unfortunate people have been born in conditions where it has been pretty much impossible for them to even dream of having a chance to hear the message of salvation -- ...
user50422
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What are Christian responses to the Logical Problem of Evil?
The following is a more succinct presentation of the Logical Problem of Evil based on the original presentation found in the introduction of the article Logical Problem of Evil | Internet Encyclopedia ...
user61679
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What are Christian responses to William Rowe's formulation of the Evidential Problem of Evil?
Previously, I inquired on What are Christian responses to the Logical Problem of Evil?. Now, I would like to shift the focus to Christian responses to the Evidential Problem of Evil. For an in-depth ...
user61679
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What are typical Christian responses to The Grand Inquisitor?
Upon reading this chapter in the Brothers Karamazov I find myself confused as to why The Grand Inquisitor is considered to be such a powerful argument for atheism and against theodicy. What are ...
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According to Christian evolutionists, how can the suffering of evolution be reconciled with a loving God?
A renowned Christian who believes in evolution is Francis Collins:
Collins also has written books on science, medicine, and religion, including the New York Times bestseller, The Language of God: A ...
user61679
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Why has God punished every human for one person's sin? [closed]
God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden because Eve ate the fruit that God told her not to. And this let evil into the world. If God loves everyone, so much so that he let his son die for us,...
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Is theodicy considered an open problem or a solved one, according to catholicism?
Do catholics consider the problem of theodicy (Why God allows evil on this world) an open question, or is it "solved", seeing that so many people have tried to answer it. If it is not solved, what is ...
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How does Mormonism (the LDS Church) answer "the problem of evil"?
My question this evening is:
How does Mormonism (the LDS Church) answer "the problem of evil": if God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and completely good and benevolent, why does evil exist in the ...
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How does God tolerating evil not make Him evil?
To clarify, I'm not asking why God allows evil. I believe there are sufficient arguments for that. What I would like to know is: how can a righteous God tolerate evil without it affecting His nature ...
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Why did God create people who would reject him? [closed]
God created people with free will, and some of these people will freely choose salvation, while some others will freely choose to reject salvation.
God could have chosen to create only the subset of ...
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According to believers in the inexorable damnation of the unreached, why should they be punished in Hell and not be given more merciful alternatives?
Inspired by a thought-provoking comment section discussion about an answer to my previous question According to believers in the inexorable damnation of the unreached, how is God not unfair for ...
user50422
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How can the Christian faith be reconciled with the Epicurean problem of evil?
I understand that a form of this question would have been previously asked, however I think I have a slight difference with regard to a solution to this problem, with regard to God.
The problem of ...
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What is the consensus within Christianity regarding the application of infinite punishment in response to finite sin?
My understanding is that the concept of Hell can have multiple interpretations. Some see it as a temporary purgatorial state or as a state of separation from god. My question focuses on Christian ...
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Why did God allow for the original Biblical manuscripts to be lost to history? And how to reconcile that with Matthew 24:35
It's accepted by most Christians nowadays that only the original documents are inerrant, therefore the modern Bibles are bound to have contradictions because of copyist errors and translation errors. ...
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If God is all-knowing, and is all powerful, what are some theories as to why He didn't send Jesus on Day One? [closed]
If he was all knowing, then he could have sent Jesus on Day 1, right? Let him live among the sinners and set things up for him to die and such without having sinned and boom, save everyone like he ...
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