Theme 2 C : Religious responses to the problem of evil (ii)

Irenaeus theodicy maintains that evil and suffering in the world are created by God for

a legit reason

Irenaeus sees the purpose of the world as a place for ?

making souls

Irenaeus said that We did not fall from perfection but were created imperfect with the potential for ?

perfection

According to Irenaeus Genuine human perfection is developed through ?

free choice.

According to Irenaeus we are placed on Earth, where we ?

suffer and struggle.

According to Irenaeus , Suffering allows us to develop into perfection, as who intends ?

God

Who developed Irenaeus' theodicy ?

John Hick

According to John Hick This world is a vale of soul-making because suffering helps build us to become more like ?

God

What did Hick call his theodicy ?

a soul-making theodicy.

Irenaeus took his inspiration from an interpretation of ... ?

scripture

Genesis 1:26 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.'
Irenaeus understood this to mean that when God created humans, ....

He made us in His image, so with some capacity like Him; this would include morality

However, Irenaeus says we are not yet like Him and we must grow into the what of God ?

likeness

If God was evident to us, then we would be forced into believing in Him and

doing His will.

Hick makes the comparison of having the chief of police in your car as you drive along the road. While you would theoretically be free to drive over the speed limit, you would ?

not do so because you would be constrained by that person's presence

God stays at an epistemic distance so that we can freely choose to develop into

His likeness.

God allows natural evil in the world because it provides the opportunity for ?

spiritual growth:

If resources were plentiful and if disasters didn't happen, there would be no opportunity for ... ?

Growth

he world must contain the full range of possible evil to ensure the full range of possible what ?

good

In a perfect world, we would have ?

no reason to try.

Irenaeus and Hick argue that our salvation lies in our choices on

Earth

Why are We are not eternally damned even if we do not achieve moral perfection in this lifetime ?

we continue to develop in purgatory

Strengths of Irenaean theodicies;
Fill Da blanks .

consistent with the [A] principle of a simple world developing [B] .

A=
B=

A= scientific
B= complexity

Strengths of Irenaean theodicies;
Fill Da blanks .

God is responsible but [A] in creating and allowing evil because of the [B]-term goal.

A=
B=

A= justified
B= long

Strengths of Irenaean theodicies;
Fill Da blanks .

It gives meaning to [A] struggles without dismissing the [B] of people's experience.

A=
B=

A= human
B= reality

Strengths of Irenaean theodicies;
Fill Da blanks .

The responsibility for our [A] life is in our own [B] .

A=
B=

A= eternal
B= hands

Why do some feel that universal salvation is not consistent with God's just nature ?

e.g. Hitler and Stalin were responsible for killing millions of people, yet they will eventually reside in heaven with the very people they tortured.

Weakness of Irenaean theodicies;

there is no incentive to try to choose the good in this life as all will be ... ?

rewarded in the end.

Weakness of Irenaean theodicies;

Dostoyevsky claims A truly good parent or teacher would never deliberately cause what to teach a lesson ?

suffering

Weakness of Irenaean theodicies;

If we are all created in the image but not yet the likeness of God, we surely all need to go through a similar refining process.

However:
Some people live in excessive [A] .
Others [B] in extreme suffering.
An [C] doer can be rewarded with power and wealth.
[D] people suffer.

A=
B=
C=
D=

A= luxury
B= live
C= evil
D= Innocent

In defence of Irenaeus;

Richard Swinburne argues that the extremes of suffering are necessary for our what ?

will to be free

Richard Swinburne also says that .;We must be capable of a full range of evil so that our behaviour has what ?

meaning