The problem of evil
THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
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, The problem of evil
The problem of evil scholarly quotes -
Peter Kreeft - “the problem of evil is the most serious problem in the world. It is also the one
serious objection to the existence of God.”
J.L Mackie - “a wholly good being eliminates evil as far as it can”
Aquinas - “the name God means that He is infinite goodness. If, therefore, God existed there
would be no evil discoverable; but there is evil in the world. Therefore, God does not exist”
William Rowe - bases his argument on the form of evil that he describes as “intense human
and animal suffering” that “occurs on a daily basis” and “is in great plenitude in our world”
Augustine - “all evil is either a sin or a punishment”
Neiman - “for Augustine, the connection for moral and natural evil was clear, infinite
punishment for infinite guilt”
Aquinas (Summa Theologica) - “given the things which actually exist, the universe cannot be
better”
Calvin - “Adam’s choice of good and evil was free”
F.D.E Schleiermacher - argued that there is a logical contradiction in a perfectly created
universe going wrong since this would mean evil created itself out of nothing
John Hick - Augustines theodicy is “totally lacking in plausibility” as the stories it is based on
“myth rather than history”
Rigby - “Augustine’s non-tragic theodicy exonerates God by indicting humanity as a whole”
Swinburne - “we would ever learn the art of goodness in a world designed as a complete
paradise”
Swinburne - “natural evil is not to be accounted for along the same lines as moral evil”
Scott - “without suffering we could not cultivate virtue and character”
Plantinga - argues that both God and evil can exist simultaneously, “not even an omnipotent
God can create a square circle”
Hasker - “the problem of evil logically rules out ascribing perfect goodness of God”
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THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
Page 1 of 15
, The problem of evil
The problem of evil scholarly quotes -
Peter Kreeft - “the problem of evil is the most serious problem in the world. It is also the one
serious objection to the existence of God.”
J.L Mackie - “a wholly good being eliminates evil as far as it can”
Aquinas - “the name God means that He is infinite goodness. If, therefore, God existed there
would be no evil discoverable; but there is evil in the world. Therefore, God does not exist”
William Rowe - bases his argument on the form of evil that he describes as “intense human
and animal suffering” that “occurs on a daily basis” and “is in great plenitude in our world”
Augustine - “all evil is either a sin or a punishment”
Neiman - “for Augustine, the connection for moral and natural evil was clear, infinite
punishment for infinite guilt”
Aquinas (Summa Theologica) - “given the things which actually exist, the universe cannot be
better”
Calvin - “Adam’s choice of good and evil was free”
F.D.E Schleiermacher - argued that there is a logical contradiction in a perfectly created
universe going wrong since this would mean evil created itself out of nothing
John Hick - Augustines theodicy is “totally lacking in plausibility” as the stories it is based on
“myth rather than history”
Rigby - “Augustine’s non-tragic theodicy exonerates God by indicting humanity as a whole”
Swinburne - “we would ever learn the art of goodness in a world designed as a complete
paradise”
Swinburne - “natural evil is not to be accounted for along the same lines as moral evil”
Scott - “without suffering we could not cultivate virtue and character”
Plantinga - argues that both God and evil can exist simultaneously, “not even an omnipotent
God can create a square circle”
Hasker - “the problem of evil logically rules out ascribing perfect goodness of God”
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