The Problem of Evil

Religious Studies: KS3, topic 2.6.8

The Problem of Evil is an argument that tries to disprove the existence of God.

Many philosophers over the ages have put forward the argument of The Problem of Evil.
The first philosopher was Epicurus, a Greek philosopher who lived over 2000 years ago!
Religious believers say that God is a supremely perfect being - without any weaknesses or flaws! He is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-knowing.
But, The Problem of Evil highlights evil and suffering in the world.
The question is: how is this suffering possible when the world was created and cared for by a perfect God?

In The Problem of Evil, Philosophers often distinguish between two forms of evil:
The first is moral evil.
Moral evil is the evil that human beings inflict on each other and on other living things.
An example would be the Holocaust: the torture and murder of six million Jews during the Second World War.
The second is natural evil.
This is the evil that can be found in nature.
For example, diseases that cause pain and bring about early death, or floods and tsunamis.

The Problem of Evil says if there was a God then he would intervene to end suffering. This is because God is all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful.
So, the existence of suffering proves that God does not exist.
We could say that there is a God but one that is not all-powerful, or not all-loving. But, this solution means that some would say this couldn't be God, because God must be supremely perfect!
So, the Problem of Evil says that God does not exist at all.

Test yourself on The Problem of Evil