atheism/evil

religious nones

• People who self-describe in various ways: 

  • Atheist 

  • Agnostic 

    • Someone who is undecided about whether or not God exists 

  • People who are nothing in particular 

  • Not concerned with religion 

• Largest cohort is in between the ages of 18 and 30 

kinds of evil

moral evil and natural evil

moral evil

happens when people make decisions inflict harms on others  

• Requires the use of free will 

natural evil

• any kind of natural disaster or illness 

  • Free will is not involved  

types of moral evil

Moral evil of Commission 

Moral evil of Omission 

moral evil of comission

1. When you make the decision use free will to inflict harm against others 

2. Could be people, animals, or environment 

3. Committing a moral evil 

moral evil of omission

1. Use free will to decide not to intervene when someone else is inflicting harm on others 

2. Being able to intervene and choosing not to  

   1. Bystanders  

3. Could be people, animals, or environment 

theodicy

any argument that seeks to absolve God from any responsibility for the existence of evil 

• Should not ascribe moral evil to anyone but humans 

free will defense

only humans possess free will, so only humans can inflict moral evil 

• Assumes other species do not have free will 

  • Instinct is not free will – believes animals act solely on instinct 

free will defense shortcoming

has nothing to say about natural evil 

• Natural evil has nothing to do with free will 

john hick

British philosopher of religion 

• Came up with a theodicy that he believed touched on natural and moral evil 

soul making theodicy

John Hick's theodicy 

• Based on the book of Genesis (chapter 1, verse 26) 

  • "Let us create humans in our image, after our likeness" 

  • Claims humans are created in the image of God 

• Separates image from likeness 

• Basis: we are created in God's image with the potential to be like God 

  • Humans are not yet like God 

existential task of life

• Make your own soul become like God 

• To be human is to be created with a soul 

immanuel kant

using people for our own ends instead of treating others as an end in themselves 

• Height of selfishness 

  • Basis of moral evil 

• Categorical imperative 

the saint

someone who has relinquished their self-centeredness in order to be like God 

• According to Hick 

MLK and Gandhi

2 saints, according to hick

purgatory

After physical death, there is another intermediate form of life where people can continue to make their soles like God 

epistemic distance

environment in which God's existence is not apparent 

• Important in relation to moral evil 

  • Preserves free will 

• Important relation to natural evil 

  • Ensures humans are the ones that have to respond 

pointless evil

no good can be derived from these types of evil 

• pure loss from which no one benefits