4. The theodicy problem: The problem of evil

Source 1

The theodicy problem

A very early form of criticism based on morality is seen in “the problem of evil”, also called the theodicé problem. This argument was formulated already in Greek antiquity and it affects all theistic systems that assume the existence of a supreme, omnipotent, omniscient and all-good God. For how consistent is this claim, considering the obvious fact that there is a lot of suffering in the world? Why is there disease, war, and natural disasters, if it could have been prevented by divine intervention? Over time, many attempts have been made to explain the existence of evil, without giving in upon the aforementioned concept of God.

The text is a rewrite of an English draft version of an introduction to Horisont - a textbook for the Danish upper-secondary school RE, edited by Associate Professors Annika Hvithamar and Tim Jensen, and Upper-Secondary School teachers Allan Ahle and Lene Niebuhr, published by Gyldendal, Copenhagen 2013. The original introduction was written by Annika Hvithamar and Tim Jensen based on the contribution of C. Shaffalitzky de Muckadell.

Source 2

Brueghel's painting The Triumph of Death (1560)

Brueghel “the Elder”, Pieter - The Triumph of Death
Ca. 1562, Oil on Panel, 117 cm x 162 cm
Museo Nacional del Prado
Photo reproduction of Public Domain
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Bruegel_d._%C3%84._069.jpg