,
,
, The problem of evil and suffering cannot be successfully overcome (33)
The problem of evil and suffering have always been prevalent in the world and leads many to
question the existence of God. Evil is often split up into two types: moral evil (evil that is a result of
human free choices) and natural evil (evil that comes from nature, for example floods). Evil and
suffering presents believers in the 'God of Classical Theism' with a logical problem, the 'Inconsistent
Triad'. Augustine and Irenaeus both try and defend the existence of God by claiming that God had a
reason for the existence of evil and suffering, or that evil is just an absence of good, however, this
does not explain why an omnipotent God does not create humans without the capability to be evil.
Therefore, the problem of evil and suffering cannot be successfully overcome since the existence of
an omnibenevolent God does not explain why there is suffering.
The Augustinian theodicy states that everything was created perfectly by God. However, suffering is
the result of human free will and disobedience. Augustine claims that suffering arises when humans
and angels misuse their freewill and disobey God, leading to both moral and natural evil. The Fall of
Adam and Eve om Genesis 3 is central to this theodicy since Adam and Eve disobeyed God's
command by giving in to temptation, breaking humans' relationship with God. All evil and suffering
stems from these acts of disobedience, for example, the pain caused in childbirth. Therefore, all
humans inherit original sin as we are 'seminally present in the loins of Adam'. This suggests that one
should not question God's existence or benevolence due to suffering as humans can only blame
themselves for misusing their free will. As a result of The Fall, we must all share the guilt and face
punishment. Since God is fair and just , he cannot stop evil and suffering because he cannot interfere
with free actions. If God interfered, He would be taking away our free will. Since the Augustinian
theodicy is a soul-deciding theodicy (A theodicy that emphasises that evil requires a decision from
humans about whether they will follow God or give in to evil), God cannot force people to follow
Him and be moral and since Adam and Eve broke away from God, all humans have to face the
consequences of their actions. Augustine's approach to free will does seem to go with our
experience of the world since free will does seem to cause the most suffering, including that caused
by natural evil, and therefore, it does seem reasonable to put the emphasis on human actions,
instead of questioning God. If we did not have free will, then our lives would be very different, and
therefore, perhaps God's decision to give us free will and make our own choices was the most loving
thing to do, and hence the God of classical theism could still exist.
However, the suffering of infants does not link to an omnibenevolent God. Due to the original sin
that everyone inherits, babies can greatly suffer. It could be argued that the original sin we inherit is
unjust since we are all punished as a result of Adam and Eve. Many would argue that it would be
unfair to punish children for something their parents do, and similarly, it would be unjust to punish
babies for something that was done in the past that they had no control over. Therefore, if one
themselves does not use their free will for evil, it does not make sense why God would permit
suffering of the innocent. Some would highlight that it is essential for humans to be born with the
knowledge of evil and suffering, since otherwise there would be no distinction between good and
evil. However, if the world was created perfectly by God and there was no knowledge of good and
evil, how could Adam and Eve have the freedom to disobey God? If Adam and Eve were unaware of
evil, due to the absence of it at the beginning of the universe, there should be no way for them to
disobey God. The disobedience of Adam and Eve therefore implies that they already had knowledge
of good and evil, and therefore highlights a flaw in the Augustinian theodicy; the world could not
have been created perfect if Adam and Eve had the knowledge to use their free will and disobey
God. In addition, if God foreknew the Fall and also designed a consequence of suffering, this
continues to challenge both the benevolence and omniscience of God. An all knowing God would
have known all future actions of Adam and Eve, and therefore would have predicted their downfalls.
Moreover, by creating suffering and hell, God had foreseen the need for punishment. This highlights
that humans were not made perfect by God. This was known to God and He knew humans would
disobey Him, due to His omniscience, yet he still chose to create humans in this way and ensure the
