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Listen to the Song Listen to the song. Use the song to help you re-cap the unit so far: • What is evil and suffering? Then think about… • How can evil and suffering be a problem to Christians? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc Oracy focus RE Skills focus Peer teaching Evaluation How do Christians respond to the PoE? EVALUATE the Augustinian and Irenaean responses to evil and suffering. EXPLAIN Christian responses to the problem of evil and suffering. Show UNDERSTANDING of how evil and suffering can be a problem to Christians. Title: How do Christians explain evil and suffering? The Problem of Evil: A God who is benevolent will have a motive to get rid of evil. A God who is omnipotent will have the ability to get rid of evil. Evil exists in the world. Therefore, either God does not exist or he is not omnipotent and omnibenevolent. The The Augustinian Irenaean Theodicy Theodicy What does the word ‘theodicy’ mean? A theodicy is an attempt to answer how a good, all- loving God allows evil and suffering in the world. Similarities Differences Use the information on the next few slides to answer the questions on the work sheet on the next slide. Make a Be careful spider how you diagram on spell these your words! theory Augustine information: The Augustinian Theodicy • Many people believe that evil and suffering in the world is proof that God does not exist. If God exists, and was all powerful (omnipotent), all loving (benevolent) and all knowing (omniscient), surely he wouldn’t let evil and suffering take place? • In response to this problem of evil, Saint Augustine of Hippo (a 4th century Christian) used the first story in the Bible, the story of Genesis, to explain that it is not God’s fault there is evil in the world. • He explains that when God first created the world it was all good. We know this because it says so in the Bible – ‘God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good’ (Genesis 1:3). • God created humans to have free will to make their own choices. Therefore if people make bad choices that is not God’s fault. • The story tells us that Adam and Eve, the first people God created, were put into the Garden of Eden and were told by God they could eat anything except the fruit hanging from tree of knowledge. • Instead of listening to God, Adam and Eve ate the fruit. • Augustine argued that this was what caused evil and suffering in the world. • Adam and Eve turned away from God and allowed evil and suffering to seep into the perfect world God had created. • Evil doesn’t come from God, it comes from Humans. The Irenaean Theodicy • Many people believe that evil and suffering in the world is proof that God does not exist. If God exists, and was all powerful (omnipotent), all loving (benevolent) and all knowing (omniscient), surely he wouldn’t let evil and suffering take place? • Irenaeus, a 2nd century Christian, developed a response to the problem of evil to prove God’s existence. • He argued that the world is the best possible world because it allows humans to develop. • Irenaeus argued that God had to create humans with free will (the ability to make their own choices) and the ability to develop. • He also argued that evil was necessary for this development to take place. Therefore he argued that God cannot be blamed for allowing evil to exist. • He used this quote from the Bible to defend his position: • God said ‘Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness’ (Genesis 1: 26). • He used this quote to explain that God made mankind to be in the image of God, but during their time on Earth they would grow and develop so after this they would be like God. • Therefore evil isn’t a problem, it was designed by God for our benefit. Revision: Irenaeus & Augustine The Problem of Evil: • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qilO5AJjkvw The Augustinian Theodicy: • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1ysPBjXXk4 The Irenaean Theodicy: • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWcgHmXV0 9g Answer one of the following questions: 1. Describe the Augustinian and Irenaean responses to evil and suffering. 2. Explain the similarities and differences between the Augustinian and Irenaean responses. 3. Analyse the arguments for and against the Augustinian and Irenaean responses, and evaluate your own opinion regarding the two. Something to think about… What might God say about evil and suffering in the world? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KnGNOiFll4&feature=kp Plenary Key Words & Definitions Moral Evil Augustine Omnipotent Theodicy Tzedek Atheist Extension: Jehovah’s Witnesses • Read the information on your sheet • Cut out the different responses from Jehovah’s Witnesses • Rank the arguments on your triangle – how convincing are they? Further Extension Task: Taking into account all of the arguments we have looked at today, is evil and suffering really a big threat to belief in God?.
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