THE PROBLEM OF EVIL + SUFFERING - A* - A-Level Religious Studies - WJEC/EDQUAS

A full set of revision notes (3 pages in total) covering the problem of evil and suffering, in the WJEC/EDQUAS Religious Studies specification under Theme 2 (a-c). Notes were created with both A02 and A01 elements in mind and helped me consistently reach A*, A and B+ grades.

CONTAINS NOTES ON
The types of evil: moral (caused by free will agents) and natural (caused by nature).
The logical problem of evil: classical (Epicurus) - the problem of suffering.
J. L. Mackie’s modern development - the nature of the problem of evil (inconsistent triad).
William Rowe (intense human and animal suffering) and Gregory S. Paul (premature deaths).
Religious responses to the problem of evil (i):
Augustinian type theodicy:
Evil as a consequence of sin: evil as a privation; the fall of human beings and creation; the Cross
overcomes evil, soul-deciding; challenges to Augustinian type theodicies: validity of accounts in
Genesis, Chapters 2 and 3; scientific error - biological impossibility of human descent from a
single pair (therefore invalidating the ‘inheritance of Adam’s sin); moral contradictions of
omnibenevolent God and existence of Hell; contradiction of perfect order becoming chaotic -
geological and biological evidence suggests the contrary.
Religious responses to the problem of evil:
Irenaean type theodicy:
Vale of soul-making: human beings created imperfect; epistemic distance; second-order goods;
eschatological justification; challenges to Irenaean type theodicies: concept of universal salvation
unjust; evil and suffering should not be used as a tool by an omnibenevolent God; immensity of
suffering and unequal distribution of evil and suffering.