An award winning photo taken in 1993 during the famine in Sudan An award winning photo taken in 1993 during the famine in Sudan. The picture depicts a famine-stricken child crawling towards a United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away. The vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat it. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer, Kevin Carter, who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken. Three months after winning the Pulitzer Prize for this picture in 1994, he committed suicide.

In March 1993 Carter made a trip to Sudan In March 1993 Carter made a trip to Sudan. The sound of soft, high-pitched whimpering near the village of Ayod attracted Carter to an emaciated Sudanese toddler. The girl had stopped to rest while struggling to a feeding center, whereupon a vulture had landed nearby. He said that he waited about 20 minutes, hoping that the vulture would spread its wings. It didn't. Carter snapped the haunting photograph and chased the vulture away. However, he came under criticism for just photographing — and not helping — the little girl: The St. Petersburg Times in Florida said this of Carter: "The man adjusting his lens to take just the right frame of her suffering, might just as well be a predator, another vulture on the scene.” The photograph was sold to The New York Times where it appeared for the first time on March 26, 1993. Practically overnight thousands of people contacted the newspaper to ask whether the child had survived, leading the newspaper to run a special editor's note saying that the girl’s ultimate fate was unknown. In 1994 Carter was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Photography.

Key Concepts – Definitions? Free Will: Original Sin:

Key Questions Who or what does the story blame for suffering and death? Many Christians see this story as ‘symbolic’, what do you think this means? Why is the story known as‘The Fall’? What questions can arise for Christians from the story of‘The Fall’?

The problem of Evil and Suffering Aim: To know the difference between moral and natural evil and to explain how the existence of evil and suffering in the world may lead people to reject a belief in God.

It’s not fair! Think of some examples of things you think are unfair in the world. Then, in pairs, divide your answers into things that are the fault of human beings (moral evil) and those that appear to be caused by something out of human control (natural evil).

The following makes people question the existence of God The random distribution of suffering The degree to which people suffer Suffering of the innocent

Moral and Natural Evil In your own words, write down a definition for moral evil and natural evil. Using Watton’s Religion and life – 4th edition

You Decide…. Decide whether the following pictures are examples of moral or natural evil.

Mass Murder

Natural Evil Moral Evil Twin towers has you tube imbed to play. Click on picture. December 26, 2004 Tsunami September 11, 2001 Twin Towers Natural Evil Moral Evil

Give three examples of a moral evil. Three examples of moral evil are………

Give three examples of a natural evil. Three examples of natural evil are……. Tsunami has you tube imbed – click picture December 26, 2004 Tsunami

A few more questions… What is an agnostic? What is an atheist? How might the existence of evil and suffering lead people to reject a belief in God? Give three examples.

Omniscient Omnipotent Immanent omniBENEVOLENT ? Why is there still evil?

Christianity The Problem of Evil: A God who is omnibenevolent will have a motive to get rid of evil. A God who is omnipotent will have the ability to get rid of evil. Evil exists in the world. Therefore, either God does not exist or he is not omnipotent and omnibenevolent.

Reflection Some people find it difficult to think that a ‘good’ God could let ‘bad’ things happen. What do you think and why?

Consider some reasons why you think that God might allow evil and suffering.

There were…people who called themselves Satanists who made Crowley squirm. It wasn’t just the things they did, it was the way they blamed it on Hell. They’d come up with some stomach-churning idea that no demon could have thought of in a thousand years, some dark and mindless unpleasantness that only a fully-functioning human brain could conceive, then shout ‘The Devil Made Me Do It!’ and get the sympathy of the court when the whole point was that the Devil hardly made anyone do anything. He didn’t have to. That was what some humans found hard to understand. Hell wasn’t a major reservoir of evil…the real heart-stopping evil, was right inside the human mind. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, 1990

Possible answers Key word Theodicy – an attempt to resolve the problem of evil. Key figures: St. Augustine and St. Irenaeus

Augustine Who was he again? Recap his main teachings.

Augustine’s response to the problem of evil Evil is not an entity in itself, but an absence of good. Therefore it is not something created by God. Good lacks where humans have done wrong. The first sin was committed by Adam, in whom we were all seminally present. We all suffer the burden of this sin.

Irenaeus Humans were created in the image of God. They grow towards the likeness of God. In order to grow towards this likeness they must have free will. God must be at an epistemic distance (distance of knowledge) from humans. Therefore evil must exist for humans to develop as moral agents.

Task Summarise the two theodicies in your own words. Do you think either of these theodicies are convincing? Give reasons for your answer.

The root of evil and suffering Buddhism The root of evil and suffering

The four noble truths The truth of suffering (Dukkha) The truth of the origin of suffering (Samudāya) The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha) The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga)

The meaning of life Is the problem of evil in Buddhism the same as the problem of evil in Christianity? Explain. So what is the meaning and purpose of life in relation to the four noble truths? What therefore is the answer to the problem of evil?

Hinduism Evil is a result of KARMA, not Brahman. Bad Karma is accumulated as a result of avidya

The problem of evil What is the problem? How does your religion respond? Relate specifically to natural and moral evil. Are there any issues/unanswered questions with these responses?

Define the following terms Natural evil Moral evil Theodicy Epistemic distance Original sin

Task Create a learning aide for your classmates. It can be Q+A, a game, a video, a PowerPoint or Prezi, a factsheet or anything you can think of. It must include tasks as they will be completed for prep. They must be completed by the end of the lesson.

questions… What is an agnostic? What is an atheist? How might the existence of evil and suffering lead people to reject a belief in God? Give three examples.

Atheism and the problem of evil

The psychopath If science can prove psychopaths are born and not made, is the problem of evil solved or exacerbated?

Darwinism, evil and suffering The natural world is red in tooth and claw This was made personal by the death of Anne, his 10 year old daughter. Darwin was unable to reconcile God with the existence of necessary evil and suffering in the world. He found the explanation in Genesis unsatisfactory, thus rejecting Christianity.

Dawkins and improbability The problem of evil does not pose a serious threat to religion. One could simple believe in a God that is not omniscient and omnibenevolent. What is more compelling an argument is that from improbability. It is more unlikely than likely that God exists. Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection gives a more probable explanation for the complexity of the world than religion, which conjures the world into existence.