1. An all-powerful God exists2. An all-loving God exists3. Evil exists

Versions of the Problem of Evil

Intellectual Version

Emotional Version

Logical Probabilistic

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?

Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

-Epicurus

Four Unsatisfactory Solutions

1. Deny that God exists2. Deny that an all-powerful God exists

3. Deny that an all-loving God exists 4. Deny that evil exists

1. All Ukrainians are good looking2. All good looking people are proud3. Therefore, all Ukrainians are proud people

The Basics of Logical Syllogisms

1. All humans have a soul2. Bob is a human3. Therefore, Bob has a soul

1. All dogs go to heaven2. Rover is a dog3. Therefore, Rover will go to heaven

1.God created all things2.Evil is a thing3.Therefore, God created evil

Evil is the absence/ privation/ loss of good. It is a hole in

goodness.

Defining “Evil”

 A. God did not create evil

B. God allowed evil to actualize“A world containing creatures who are

significantly free (and free to perform more good than evil actions) is more valuable, all else

being equal, than a world containing no free creatures at all”

1.God created all good things

2.Evil is not good3.Therefore, God did not

create evil

The Origin of Evil

C. God has a purpose for evil1. An all-loving God has a purpose for everything2. There is some evil for which we see no good purpose3. Therefore, there is a good purpose for all evil, even if

we don’t see it

1. God is all-good and desires to defeat evil

2. God is all-powerful and is able to defeat evil

3. Evil is not yet defeated4. Therefore, evil will one day be

defeated

Some possible purposes:a. God’s attributes and human virtues can be exemplified

b. For achieving a greater good

d. God uses evil for judgment on mankindc. For preventing a greater evil

1. An all-powerful, all-loving God exists2. Evil exists

The Logical Problem of Evil

3. If God is all-powerful, he can create any world he wants4. If God is all-loving, he prefers a world without evil5. God could not have created another world with as much good as, but not less suffering than, this world, and God has good reasons

for permitting the suffering that exists

The Probabilistic Problem of Evil

1. Relative to the full range of God’s perfect attributes and human limitation, we are not in a position to judge2. Relative to the full scope of evidence, God’s existence is probable3. Relative to the full Christian doctrine, suffering makes sense

1. If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist2. Objective moral values do exist3. Therefore, God exists

Existence of Evil as Evidence for God’s

Existence

1. Every law has a law giver2. There is a Moral Law3. Therefore, there is a Moral Law

Giver