Written Assignment Unit 3 PDF

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Written Assignment for unit 3 readings under Introduction to Philosophy...

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Written Assignment Unit 3 PHIL 1402: Introduction to Philosophy University of the People : AY 2022/T1 Introduction

Atheists have expressed doubts about the existence and characteristics of God as a result of the presence of evil and suffering in our society today. If God were that powerful, he would have done something about the world's wickedness and suffering. If he really was morally perfect, he would want to do something about it, but our world is full of evil and suffering. Many people nowadays wonder, especially when bad things happen to good people. Why would God allow suffering? Why is there hatred and injustice in the world if God is all-powerful, loving, wise, and just? This article will provide a solution to the issue, "How can a purely benevolent God allow evil to happen to decent people?" In the context of the subject, Evil and Suffering.

Earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters kill hundreds of people. Millions of people are starving in Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Yemen, and Haiti, among other places. Diseases are widespread in today's society, and many lives have been lost as a result. COVID 19 recently killed millions of people worldwide in less than two years. These occurrences beg the question, "How could a purely benevolent God allow evil to happen to good people?" Pastors, priests, and frequently tell us that it is God's intention for us to suffer and that the majority of these things have long been predetermined for us. Some people believe that God's ways are inscrutable and that he causes

people to die so that they might be with him in heaven (Beebe, n.d.). As a result, the book of Habakkuk in the Bible informs us that God's prophet Habakkuk questioned God about why he made him a witness to wickedness. Why do you force me to witness wrongdoing, he asked? Why do you put up with oppression? Why are there devastation and violence in front of me? And why is there so much fighting and conflict? ("Why Does God Allow Suffering? — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY", 2014) ,

In the realm of theodicy, St. Augustine of Hippo argued that God is perfectly good, and evil is a result of man’s original sin (Cross, n.d.). This is true because God created the first man, Adam, and Eve, as perfect beings. They were living in a paradise called the Garden of Eden, and they had everything they needed. They were never troubled until the rebellion against God. This means that he wanted them to be happy, healthy, and dwell forever on earth. God told them to be fruitful and become many, to fill the earth and subdue it. When they sinned, they lost the perfection God bestowed upon them.

Why does God allow suffering?

Alvin Plantinga asserted that God is an omnipotent being with no logical limits to his power. He further postulates that God has a morally good reason for allowing evil to dwell on this earth. However, the Bible also details events or reasons why there is so much evil and suffering in the world. At the Garden of Eden where man inherited corruption, Satan questioned God’s rulership. He accused God of being a bad ruler and so kept good things from his servants. As a result, God gave us the opportunity to choose between him and Satan. Under God’s rulership, evil and bad things were not happening in the world. Who is then responsible for the evil things we see today? The Bible book (New world Translation Bible,1 John 5:19) tells us that the whole world is lying

in the power of the wicked one (Satan). Satan is characterized as a person who is cruel, deceptive and hateful and he’s misleading the entire inhabited earth? Other Bible accounts also confirms Satan as the ruler of the world. (At Luke 4:6, Satan told Jesus the affairs of the world has been handed over to him, John 12:1 says the ruler of the world would be cast out, Chapter 14: 30, Jesus said the ruler of the world is Satan and he has no hold of him, chapter 16:11 also says the ruler of the world has been judged- New world Translation Bible).

These Bible accounts prove that God is not the one controlling the happenings of the world but Satan. Since Satan questioned God’s rulership, he gave us the free will to make our own choices. To choose between the time he was ruling the world and Satan’s. Since the rebellion, God has allowed Satan to show how he would rule over humans and so we humans govern ourselves under the influence of Satan. Therefore, evil happens to good people."God does not rule the world now and hence cannot be blamed for the evil and suffering that occurs. In fact, the Bible tells us that God is love and hates wickedness. According to the Bible (New world translation Bible, Job 34:10) reads, "it is unthinkable for the Almighty God to act wickedly, for the Almighty to do wrong." Many people have blamed God for the wrongs in the world, partly because they thought he was the ruler of the world. Another reason is that humans have been sinful since the ramification of Adam and Eve, and the struggle for dominance has resulted in wars, oppression, and suffering. "— ("Why Does God Allow Suffering? — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY", 2014) . Again, the Bible account in (New World Translation Bible Ecclesiastes 9:11) says that time and unexpected events can overtake us all. Evil and suffering thus occur because we do not have a protective ruler like God and individuals may suffer simply for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Reference Cross, H. Holy Cross - Why do bad things happen to good people? Holy Cross Episcopal Church. Retrieved 21 September 2021, from https://www.hcew.org/archived-articles/why-dobad-things-happen-to-good-people/.

Why Does God Allow Suffering? — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY. Wol.jw.org. (2014). Retrieved 21 September 2021, from https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102005141.

Beebe, J. Logical Problem of Evil | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Iep.utm.edu. Retrieved 21 September 2021, from https://iep.utm.edu/evillog/.

John 5:19,12:1, 14:30, 16:11,; Luke 4:6 Ecclesiastes 9:11, Job 34:10 ,Habakkuk 1:3 Bible — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY. Wol.jw.org. (2013). Retrieved 21 September 2021, from https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/binav/r1/lp-e/nwt.

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