Give a reason · 1 Peter 3:15
If God is good, why is there so much suffering?
The objection
An all-powerful God could stop suffering, and an all-good God would want to. Children get cancer and earthquakes kill thousands. Either God isn't both, or he isn't there.
What the evidence shows
- 01Most philosophers think the strict logical version fails.
It is widely agreed that Alvin Plantinga's free will defense shows God and evil are not logically contradictory. Debate now centers on whether evil makes God unlikely.
- 02The Bible voices the complaint itself.
Individual laments, prayers of complaint and pleas for help, are by far the most common type of psalm.
The Christian case
- 01God may have reasons we can't see.ArgumentWilliam Lane Craig
Craig argues that as finite people we are not in a good position to judge whether God has morally sufficient reasons for the evils that occur.
- 02God entered the suffering.ArgumentIsaiah 53; Hebrews 4:15
Christianity's answer is not a distant God but one who suffered on the cross and promises to end suffering.
What Scripture says
“How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?”Psalm 13:1 (KJV)MeaningScripture lets believers ask God, “How long?”
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”Romans 8:18 (KJV)MeaningPaul weighs present suffering against coming glory.
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”Revelation 21:4 (KJV)MeaningThe Christian hope is the end of pain itself.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1769 Authorized Version), public domain.
Where Christians differ
Christians stress different reasons: human free will, suffering as a place where character grows (John Hick's “soul-making”), or God's hidden purposes. Most combine them.
What skeptics say
William Rowe's evidential argument points to suffering that seems pointless, like a fawn dying slowly in a forest fire, as making God improbable even if possible.
Did you know?
The word “theodicy,” for defending God's goodness in the face of evil, was coined by the philosopher Leibniz, who published Théodicée in 1710.
If this question is personal right now: US: Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) · UK & Ireland: Call Samaritans free on 116 123. If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number (911 in the US, 999 in the UK).
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“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)
Sources
- The Logical Problem of Evil, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Problem of evil, Wikipedia
- Psalms, Wikipedia
- William Lane Craig, “The Problem of Evil”, Reasonable Faith
- The Problem of Evil, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Theodicy, Wikipedia