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Why does God allow evil?

Why does God allow evil?. Can we claim God exists and there is evil? A THEODICY attempts to explain why God permits evil Must explain both natural and moral evil. Augustine’s Theodicy. God created the world, and it was perfect This included the gift of free will

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Why does God allow evil?

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  1. Why does God allow evil? Can we claim God exists and there is evil? A THEODICY attempts to explain why God permits evil Must explain both natural and moral evil

  2. Augustine’s Theodicy • God created the world, and it was perfect • This included the gift of free will • Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and ate from the tree of the knowledge • When they disobeyed, this caused the Fall • This introduced evil into humanity, and caused an imbalance in nature – humanity and nature are now hostile to one another • So both natural and moral evil are a result of an immoral act

  3. The Free Will Defence • A key part of Augustine’s theodicy, and at the heart of most others • It is better to have a world with freedom rather than a world which is fully determined • There must be freedom for there to be moral goodness • So God had to give us freedom in order to allow us the possibility to be good • God cannot make us act as morally – morality requires freedom • It is better we are free and make mistakes, rather than having a world of ‘moral robots’ (Plantinga) • So moral evil is a necessary price for freedom

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