The Problem of Evil and Suffering (1RA0)
If God is all-loving and all-powerful, why is there suffering? Explore the problem of evil and the ways Christians respond to it.
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Why is there suffering?
If God is all-loving and all-powerful, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? This is called the problem of evil, and it is one of the hardest challenges to faith. Christians have thoughtful responses, and this module explores them.
Key terms
Learn these before you weigh the problem:
Problem of evil terms
- Omnipotent
- Omnibenevolent
- Moral evil
- Natural evil
- All-powerful
- All-loving
- Suffering caused by human actions
- Suffering caused by nature
Moral or natural?
Which of these is an example of moral evil?
- A war started by people
- An earthquake
- A flood
- A disease outbreak
The heart of the problem
The problem runs like this: a God who is omnibenevolent would want to end suffering, and a God who is omnipotent could do it. Yet suffering continues. This seems to challenge belief in a God who is both all-loving and all-powerful.
How Christians respond
Christians answer in several ways. The free-will argument: God gave humans genuine freedom, and moral evil is the price of that freedom. The soul-making idea: suffering can help people grow and develop compassion. Many also point to Jesus, who suffered on the cross, showing that God shares in human suffering.
Christian responses
Select the TWO Christian responses to the problem of evil.
- Free will means evil is the price of genuine freedom
- Suffering can help people grow, an idea called soul-making
- Evil proves that God does not exist
- Evil shows that God is weak and uncaring
Match each response to its idea
- The free-will argument
- Soul-making
- The example of Jesus
- The Book of Job
- God allows freedom, which can be misused
- Suffering helps people develop virtues
- God shares in suffering on the cross
- Keeping faith even without full understanding
The problem of evil frame
The problem of evil asks why suffering exists if God is _____, all-powerful, and _____, all-loving. Suffering caused by people is _____ evil, while suffering caused by nature is _____ evil.
The free-will response
The free-will argument says that evil exists because...
- God gave humans genuine freedom to choose
- God is not really powerful
- God does not really love people
- There is no God at all
Apply the ideas
Sort the suffering and the responses using what you have learned.
- A person is badly hurt by a drunk driver. This suffering is...
- A town is destroyed by an earthquake. This suffering is...
- A Christian using the free-will argument would say evil exists because...
The responses frame
Christians respond to evil with the _____-will argument, the idea of _____-making through suffering, and the example of _____, who suffered on the cross. The Book of _____ shows keeping faith without full understanding.
Explain a response
Explain ONE Christian response to the problem of evil and suffering, and say how it might help a believer.
- Name a response (free will, soul-making or the example of Jesus)
- Explain what the response says
- Say how it could help a believer keep their faith