The Problem of Evil is the most significant challenge to traditional monotheism. It questions how an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good God can allow suffering and evil to exist.
A theodicy is an attempt to resolve the problem of evil:
This section explores the epistemological grounds of religious belief—how we know what we claim to know about the divine.
Philosophers debate the extent to which religious belief must be supported by evidence:
Revelation refers to knowledge of God or religious truths communicated directly by the divine.
Mysticism involves the pursuit of direct, personal, and transformative experience of ultimate reality or God.
Q: What is the difference between Moral Evil and Natural Evil?
A: Moral Evil is caused by human choice (murder, theft). Natural Evil is caused by nature (earthquakes, diseases).
Q: Can Faith be rational?
A: Philosophers like Aquinas argued that faith and reason are compatible—reason can prove God exists, but faith is needed to understand specific revelations.
Do not define Mysticism as merely "mystery." In philosophy, it is a specific type of experience that claims to give direct contact with the divine.
When discussing the Problem of Evil, always link it to the "Attributes of God" studied in Unit 2. The conflict only arises if you assume God is all-powerful and all-good.