Reconciling the God of Traditional Theism with the World's Evils
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3553855 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robin Attfield (0000-0002-3387-0251, Cardiff University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 514 |
| Publication date | 2020-10-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel11100514 |
| OpenAlex | W3092591001 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 10 |
Replying to James Sterba's argument for the incompatibility of the world's evils with the existence of the God of traditional theism, I argue for their compatibility, using the proposition that God has reasons for permitting these evils. Developing this case involves appeal to an enlarged version of both the Free Will Defence and Hick's Vale of Soul-Making Defence, in the context of God's decision to generate the kind of natural regularities conducive to the evolution of a range of creatures, including free and rational ones. Sterba writes as if God would be required to authorise frequent infringements of these regularities. Sterba's arguments from ethics and from the inadequacy of post-mortem compensation are problematised. Predicates used of God must bear a sense appropriate to the level of creator, and not of a very powerful cosmic observer. The ethics that applies within creation should not be confused with the ethics of creating
Appeal · Atheism · Creatures · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Existence of God · Political science · Proposition · Soul · Theism · Law · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs · Philosophy · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices · Theology and Philosophy of Evil
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,75 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2024 (3) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |