How do Christians respond to the problem of evil? R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 1

Transcription

1 How do Christians respond to the problem of evil? R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 1

2 Omnipotent all powerful Omniscient all knowing Benevolent all good/ kind Christians believe God is: If God is all of these things Why does he let us suffer? R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 2

3 In this lesson you are going to learn: What is theodicy? What are some forms of theodicy? Theodicy the way in which Christians explain why there is evil in a world created by an all good God R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 3

4 Remember these Keywords? Moral Evil evils done by humans that cause suffering e.g. murder Natural Evil evils that aren t anyone's fault, down to nature eg earthquakes R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 4

5 The problem outlined: If God is omniscient, he must know that we suffer. If God is omnipotent, he must be able to stop our suffering easily. If God is benevolent, he must not want us to suffer as he loves us... In conclusion God cannot exist as well as evil R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 5

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7 You can t have good without bad: If only good things existed, we would not appreciate that good and wouldn t know what bad actually was If bad didn t exist, we wouldn t be given the chance to soul make and experience suffering as a test You need a balance of good and bad R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 7

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9 Suffering is preparation for Heaven: What s the point in Heaven if Earth is perfect? We have to suffer to be worthy of Heaven why does someone deserve such paradise if they ve not suffered? Things in this world can t be perfect due to the sin of humanity R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 9

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11 Prayer and Service If no evil existed would people still pray? Suffering reminds us that we re not omniscient, and we still need (And rely on) God We need to pray to God to help those who suffer You could sit at home, watching day time TV or you could be out helping those who suffer suffering gives us a good chance to exercise our freewill in a loving way R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 11

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13 Suffering is a mystery: Suffering like many things is something that humans cannot comprehend the meaning and purpose of We just need to accept that it s part of Gods plan and put our trust in God Despite not understanding its worth we need to help those who suffer as best as we can R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 13

14 The Jewish people did not believe that Jesus Christ was the. They had him killed by the. Jesus was crucified on Friday. On Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead, this is known as the. Christians believe that when he came back to life, it showed that he evil. Christians believe that was the second who restored people s broken relationships with God. This is known as or saving from sin. Romans Jesus Easter Resurrection Adam Good Defeated Son of God Salvation. R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 14

15 Plenary: If God created a perfect world, then why do natural disasters happen? WHAT QUESTIONS WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK GOD? R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 15

16 Check your understanding! A) What is theodicy? (1 mark) B) Do you think God allows us to suffer? Give two reasons for your point of view (2 marks) C) Explain how Christians respond to the problem of evil and suffering. (4 marks) D) Evil and suffering in the world prove that God does not exist ( 4 marks) Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion Give reasons why some people may disagree with you. R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 16

17 How do Christians respond to the problem of evil? Christians respond to the problem of evil through theodicy: You can t have good without bad Suffering is preparation for Heaven Prayer and Service Suffering is a mystery R Calvert, Colton Hills Community School 17