1. The Problem of Evil & Suffering
Focus of the lesson…
Why do evil & suffering cause problems for religious believers?
To Begin…
Note down different examples of evil.
From your examples highlight moral evils in one colour and natural evils in another colour.
Which of these two types of evil do you think it would be harder for religious believers to accept? Give reasons for your answer.

2. The Problem of Evil & Suffering
Objectives…
To know the requirements of this part of the course.
To understand the two main, different types of evil and suffering.
To begin to evaluate the problem evil poses for the existence of God.

3. The Problem of Evil & Suffering
Problem of evil and suffering – what you need to know…
The nature of the problem across a range of religious traditions,
Types of evil and suffering, moral and non-moral.
The challenge to religious belief posed by the inconsistency of the nature of God and the evident existence of evil and suffering challenging belief in the existence of God.
With reference to the ideas of D Hume and J Mackie.

4. The Problem of Evil & Suffering
Theodicies and solutions to the problem of suffering…
Belief that creation was good; evil and suffering is a privation of good due to the fall of the angels and man because of the misuse of free will, soul-deciding, significance of reconciliation.
Belief that creation is a mix of good and evil linked to the vale of soul making theodicy, including free will defence, best of all possible worlds, epistemic distance, eschatological justification.
Process theodicy: God is not responsible for evil and suffering, but he is co-sufferer and cannot coerce the free will of human agents.
Strengths and weaknesses of theodicies and solutions: compatibility or otherwise with modern views about origins of life, nature of God, innocent suffering, hypothesis of life after death. With reference to the ideas of Augustine and Irenaeus.

5. The Problem of Evil & Suffering
Epicurus…
Explain what Epicurus says about the existence of the God of classical theism.
Mackie…
Use a quotation to explain what Mackie says about the existence of the God of classical theism.
Hume…
Explain what Hume says about the nature and existence of the God of classical theism.

6. The Problem of Evil & Suffering
Use evidence…
Explain the philosopher’s views about the nature of God using examples of evil and/or suffering.
Refer to both natural and moral evil.
Evaluate…
Do evil and suffering disprove God’s existence? Explain two reasons why it does and two reasons why it doesn’t.