1. How can a God of Love allow Suffering?
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2. Just Looking

3. God allow people to suffer?
How can an omniscient (all-knowing), omni-benevolent (all-loving), omni-present (everywhere)
God allow people to suffer?
Either he can’t help or he won’t help!
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4. The “Inconsistent Triad”
Does the
presence of any
two makes the
third impossible?
Omnipotent God
Evil
Benevolent God
The “Inconsistent Triad”
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5. Pain: a useful warning sign
Suffering – an overview
Pain: a useful warning sign
 Preventing damage or injury
 inflicting pain (on others or one self)
 “Acts of God”
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6. Different sorts of suffering
“Moral evil” – caused by people
“Natural evil” – the way the world is
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7. Some suffering is self-inflicted
Self-inflicted suffering
Some suffering is self-inflicted
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8. Self-inflicted suffering
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9. Self-inflicted suffering
Lorna Spinks
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10. Suffering caused by others
Lorna Spinks
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11. Suffering caused by others
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12. Suffering caused by others
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13. Suffering caused by others
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14. Suffering caused by others
Morgan Musson
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15. Suffering which is just part of our world
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16. Suffering which is just part of our world
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17. Suffering which is just part of our world
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18. Just Looking Endurance … strength … understanding … empathy … ideal
Suffering which has positive value
Endurance … strength … understanding … empathy … ideal
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19. Just Looking

20. Just Looking

21. The importance of free will
The possibility of choosing to love demands free will
C. S. Lewis
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22. The importance of free will
The possibility of choosing to love demands free will
… and free will demands the possibility of doing harm
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23. The choice to love … and the possibility of suffering?
The importance of free will
The choice to love … and the possibility of suffering?
Perfect clones … and no suffering?
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24. A perfect world – corrupted?
Human choices to do wrong appear to have affected the whole created order
Existentialism points to a perceived gap between what people know they are and what they feel deep within that they should be
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25. Has God distanced Himself from this human predicament?
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26. God participates in the human predicament
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27. God participates in the human predicament
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28. God participates in the human predicament
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29. God participates in the human predicament
Gethsemane
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30. God participates in the human predicament
The steps up to Caiaphas’ house
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31. God participates in the human predicament
A cell beneath Caiaphas’ house
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32. Games marked out by Romans soldiers at the barracks courtyard
God participates in the human predicament
Games marked out by Romans soldiers at the barracks courtyard
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33. God participates in the human predicament
The Garden Tomb
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34. God participates in the human predicament
Inside the tomb
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35. A world where evil rules? A world where only good can happen?
What is the best possible world?
A world where evil rules?
A world where only good can happen?
A world where good triumphs?
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36. The world – a “vale of soul making”
What is the best possible world?
The world – a “vale of soul making”
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37. The possibility of choosing to love demands free will …
Conclusion:
The possibility of choosing to love demands free will …
… and free will demands the possibility of doing harm
Human choices to do wrong affect the whole created order
God participates in His suffering world and the experience of hurting people …
… and breaks through in power to touch hurting lives
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38. A difficult question: Why should a God of love let those He loves suffer?
A more difficult question: why do so many who have suffered greatly believe in a God of love?
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