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Book of Ecclesiastes 3
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Theodicy is the problem of evil in a world ruled by a sovereign and good God. That is, if an omnipotent God can prevent evil… why does He choose not to prevent evil. Especially since God hates and disapproves sin and corruption. For example, David writes in Psalm 5:4, “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.” However, many theologians believe that sin and punishment are willed and determined by God. Our text helped explain a few of these theories, and specifically how Job solves the issue of theodicy (Estes p. 26-27).
First, the book of Job dismisses the idea of karma. That is, that there is a cause-and effect-law which means that obedience to God provides blessings to that person, while sin or
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However, as described in Job, on occasion unacceptable actions happen to virtuous, or even Christian, people. This can be cause for despair within the congregation of a church. However, even the cynical author of Ecclesiastes explains that the future is bright for those who believe. God’s love and righteousness will win through obedience and believe in the Lord.
Personally, the book of Ecclesiastes resonated with me and was a turning point in my life. It introduced the idea to me that since the beginning of man nothing has changed. Our problems and struggles were the same that Abraham or Moses faced. These simple, yet profound, words of the book spoke directly to my ego and confirmed that my struggles in life were not unique. Ecclesiastes was the book that started my journey with Jesus. Similarly, the testimony of the sufferers that these two books provide is one that has a great impact on the modern day
As ancient Rome began to fall, Christianity began rising. Around 2,000 years ago, Jesus of Nazareth was born, later to be known as the Messiah or Son of God. When people of the Roman era began to hear of such a powerful being, they began to convert to Christianity. Why did Christianity take hold on the ancient world; Christianity took hold on the ancient world because it offered immortality, equality, and it was spread like wildfire.
Chastisement or punishment can be performed in various forms that can produce in a variety of consequences. In J.B., the sudden punishment of God on J.B has caused a commotion in his family physically and mentally. Nevertheless, J.B’s faith does not die and he also continues to fulfill his responsibility as a “puppet” in a play created by God. After the death of his five children, J.B is placid and not abhorring God for his punishment. “God will not punish without cause, God is just.”, said J.B (109). J.B knows that there must be a reason for God to punish him, because God always acts impartially. Ev...
Some talked of God, of his mysterious ways, ...and of their future deliverance. But I had ceased to pray. How I sympathized with Job! I did not deny God’s existence, but I doubted His absolute justice. (42)
He wants to find a way to justify God’s actions, but he cannot understand why there are evil people who “harm the childless woman, / and do no good to the widow,” only to be rewarded with long, successful lives (Job 24:21). Job’s friends, say that God distributes outcomes to each person as his or her actions deserve. As a result of this belief, they insist that Job has committed some wrongdoing to merit his punishment. God himself declines to present a rational explanation for the unfair distribution of blessings and curses. He still suggests that people should not discuss divine justice since God’s power is so great that humans cannot possibly justify his
A foundational belief in Christianity is the idea that God is perfectly good. God is unable to do anything evil and all his actions are motives are completely pure. This principle, however, leads to many questions concerning the apparent suffering and wrong-doing that is prevalent in the world that this perfect being created. Where did evil come from? Also, how can evil exist when the only eternal entity is the perfect, sinless, ultimately good God? This question with the principle of God's sovereignty leads to even more difficult problems, including human responsibility and free will. These problems are not limited to our setting, as church fathers and Christian philosophers are the ones who proposed some of the solutions people believe today. As Christianity begins to spread and establish itself across Europe in the centuries after Jesus' resurrection, Augustine and Boethius provide answers, although wordy and complex, to this problem of evil and exactly how humans are responsible in the midst of God's sovereignty and Providence.
Throughout the world, most people believe in some type of god or gods, and the majority of them understand God as all-good, all-knowing (omniscient), and all-powerful (omnipotent). However, there is a major objection to the latter belief: the “problem of evil” (P.O.E.) argument. According to this theory, God’s existence is unlikely, if not illogical, because a good, omniscient, and omnipotent being would not allow unnecessary suffering, of which there are enormous amounts.
The problem of reconciling an omnipotent, perfectly just, perfectly benevolent god with a world full of evil and suffering has plagued believers since the beginning of religious thought. Atheists often site this paradox in order to demonstrate that such a god cannot exist and, therefore, that theism is an invalid position. Theodicy is a branch of philosophy that seeks to defend religion by reconciling the supposed existence of an omnipotent, perfectly just God with the presence of evil and suffering in the world. In fact, the word “theodicy” consists of the Greek words “theos,” or God, and “dike,” or justice (Knox 1981, 1). Thus, theodicy seeks to find a sense of divine justice in a world filled with suffering.
There is so much evil in the world such as: murder, child mortality, torture, rape, assault and more. So how can there be an all loving God if these things are constantly happening? In this paper, I will be arguing that there is in fact no such thing as an all loving and all powerful God due to Evil. When I think of an all-loving God, I think of God as someone who would never allow a child to be kidnapped, raped, tortured and killed. I think of God as someone who would not allow anything bad or evil to happen in this world.
After centuries of oral storytelling, thirty percent of the world’s population now adopts a benevolent god that blesses those who follow him. In these followers’ eyes, this god of Christianity, YHWH, has shown himself graceful and powerful through His miraculous works throughout the Bible and everyday life. While these traits are prominent, parts of the Old Testament shine a negative light on YHWH that may depict him as a temperamental creator that continually seeks justice at any cost, including the destruction of His own creations. The Old Testament develops a character of YHWH that is sometimes parallel but other times contradictory to the “real God” of the Christian belief.
The divine command theory is an ethical theory relating to God and how his commandments should guide the morality of humankind. Objections to this theory include objections to the nature or existence of God or to the nature of his character or commands. For the purposes of this paper, I will present the divine command theory, introduce a serious objection evident in Genesis 22, propose and explain an alternative to the divine command theory that is the divine will theory, explain why this theory avoids the objection, and critique and respond from the perspective of a divine will theorist.
The question of evil is a common topic among non-believers. Evil has existed since the beginning of time. In today’s society people have become so desensitized to evil, the true origins become hard to understand. God gave us each the free will and ability to choose right from wrong, although many of God’s creation continue to choose sin. The Holy Bible explains to us the nature and root of sin. This explanation helps us understand why bad things happen and how it might affect our relationships with the Most High.
My personal approach to counseling comes from several different theoretical frameworks. Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) has the most influence in what I would consider my personal approach. I truly believe that the way an individual feels about themselves will impact them more than anything else. When an individual feels that they are not good enough then they will continue to struggle in all aspects of their life. Thoughts affect our feelings and our behaviors; therefore, if you are able to change an individual’s negative thinking then you are able to change their feelings and behaviors. Therapists must be able to challenge an individual’s irrational beliefs about themselves and work to change these to more rational thinking. Studies have shown that individuals who are trying to lose weight will have more success if they just believe that they are capable of losing the weight. Just their positive thinking can enhance their personal diet and exercise. REBT will have the greatest impact when working with clients in my personal theory but I will also take many aspects from other theories as well.
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” (Lewis, 1994, p. 91). Throughout history man has had to struggle with the problem of evil. It is one of the greatest problems of the world. Unquestionably, there is no greater challenge to man’s faith then the existence of evil and a suffering world. The problem can be stated simply: If God is an all-knowing and all-loving God, how can He allow evil? If God is so good, how can He allow such bad things to happen?Why does He allow bad things to happen to good people? These are fundamental questions that many Christians and non-Christians set out to answer.
The relationship between religion and morality is one which has been, and continues to be, exhaustively discussed and debated by philosophers. One argument which seeks to provide a solution to this matter of contention is the Divine Command Theory. In this paper, I will argue that the reasoning provided by the Divine Command Theory is an inadequate defence of the dependence of morality on religion and religious deities because it fails to provide logical justification for God's moral dictates. First, I will begin by providing a closer examination of the Divine Command Theory and its implications, and offer explanation for its widespread appeal. Next, I will introduce Plato's The Euthyphro, which critiques the Divine Command Theory's definition of morality, and its famous dilemma, which poses two possible explanations for the correlation between God's command and morality. Subsequently, I will explore Rachels' argument in Elements of Moral Philosophy, which posits that neither alternatives proposed by the Euthyphro dilemma are acceptable because the first fails to provide reason for God's moral judgments, implying that they are arbitrary, while the second is inconsistent with religous ideology. Next, I will examine and refute a counterargument made by many atheists... Finally, I will conclude that due to the failure of the Divine Command Theory to prove the dependence of morality upon God's will, independent moral standards do in fact exist.
as God's sovereignty in election and salvation, the origin of evil and its impact upon humanity,