Hinduism;• Suffering is a result of

sinful actions• Karma is the law of

cause & effect• Good actions will

reduce suffering in the future

Keywords; Suffering, responsibility, natural suffering, man-made suffering, free will, just, unjust, evil, personal being (nature of evil), Key religious beliefs; Christian; ‘know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.’ Deuteronomy 8: 5

Psychological phenomenon, im

personal force (nature of evil), benevolent, omniscient, om

nipotent‘F

orgi

ve u

s ou

r si

ns, f

or w

e al

so fo

rgiv

e th

ose

who

sin

s ag

ains

t us

, and

lead

us

not i

nto

tem

ptat

ion.

’ Lu

ke 1

1: 4

Evil and Suffering

What is suffering & is it just?;Suffering creates problems for theists (a person who believes in God). They believe that God is benevolent, omniscient and omnipotent.

Religious responses to suffering;

Christians, Muslims and Jews all believe that God gave us free will, suffering is a result of this.

Christianity;• Humans

choose actions that cause suffering.

• The consequences are shown by Adam and Eve in Genesis 3.

• Punishment for sin, which allows spiritual growth

• The devil is responsible

• The death of innocent Jesus on the cross broke the power of evil

• Show compassion for those suffering & help them

• Follow example set by Jesus

Types of suffering;Suffering can be split into 2 types;

Is it just?;• If something is

just we say they deserved it

• If suffering is seen to be cruelty then it is considered unjust

Does suffering have a purpose?;• Needed to keep us alive & well• Make us appreciate the things we take for

granted• Make us a better or stronger person if we

show courage and determination• Achieve a goal• Test of faith• Punishment for sin and it can teach us a

lesson• Part of Gods mysterious plan

Natural suffering;Happens as a result of nature eg, floods, drought, earthquakes, volcanoes

Free will;The ability to chose your own

actions.

Problems for theists;• Why does God allow

suffering that is not good

• If God cares for us why is there suffering – if it is allowed it is cruel

• How can God not take responsibility and allow us to suffer

• God has the power to do anything so why allow suffering?

• Why create a world with so much suffering?

• Why does God allow innocent people, such as children to suffer?

Man-made suffering;

People acting in a way to hurt themselves or others either by accident or on purpose eg a car accident or murder

For & against;• If God created the

earth why are there natural disasters?

• Not to blame for the forces on earth, we should be able to develop ways of dealing with them

For & against;• Why did God give

humans free will? – Why are we not perfect?

• Human freedom is part of our nature, we are not programmed liked robots, so make mistakes

Islam;• Qur’an states

that Allah gave Adam the world and free will.

• Shaytan (source of evil) tests peoples faith & character through suffering, but not more than they can bear

• Zakat – 1 of 5 pillars & name of Allah

Key religious beliefs; Christian; ‘But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him

, and by his wounds w

e are healed.’ Isaiah 53:3, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Matthew

22:39

Nature of evil;There are 3 main explanations for the nature of evil, which also ask us to look at who is to blame.

Religious explanations for evil & responses;Christians and Muslims believe that we were given free will, so evil is our fault not God’s. Guidance is also set down by the religion to try to prevent evil.

Christianity;Evil came into the world through Adam & Eve’s disobedience, this is original sin. Jesus restored the relationship with God.Jesus taught us to love God & our enemies. When evil is done not to look for revenge and the Lord’s prayer guides us to forgive others so God can forgive us.

Islam;Muslims don’t believe in original sin, on the day of Judgement Allah will be merciful and compassionate to those who repent. Everyone starts life with a clean slate and they must submit to the will of Allah, he allows free will, but knows their choices. Muslims live their lives by the 5 pillars, the Qur’an teaches them to stand up for justice & what is right.

Blame;Who is at fault,

God or humans?

Questions;• If God is all good why is evil

present & does God want us to be evil?

• If God is all powerful why cant the evil act be prevented?

• If God is all knowing then God must know that evil will be chosen, why is there free choice?

• Does God want evil to happen?

Impersonal;An outside force is responsible for us doing wrong, such as an addiction . This often seen when there is no sense to the suffering that humans can’t stop.

God;God created people and gave them free

will, so it allows them to choose to do bad

things

What is evil?;It is often used to describe an event or crime that has caused great harm, or even a person such as Hitler or Pol Pot.Even Hitler & Pol Pot believed that the mass murder of people served the interests of their country. If a baby is born innocent how does it become evil? Is there an outside force such as the devil or something in a persons mind that causes them to harm or destroy other lives?

Personal;Something that causes people to sin, like the devil – the opposite of God. They maybe ‘tricked’ in to it.

Psychological;A person maybe influenced by society or their upbringing, they may have a damaged mind. Family life, peer pressure, society and the media may all play a part

Humans;It is our fault. We are selfish,

greedy, have a lack of respect, which are the opposite to

selflessness, generosity and respect. They are our ‘dark side’. God does not force us, we choose.

Problem of evil;Causes suffering. Evil means that God can’t be all the things theists believe (over the page for reminder).

Answers;• God shows goodness & love by

allowing freedom, we need to learn through mistakes

• God could defeat evil, but choses to force us to use freedom wisely

• If God stepped in it would remove free will & be controlling

• Everything that happens is Gods will, God doesn’t want evil, but we go against his will

Martin Luther King Jnr, who was a Christian who fought for the rights of black people in the USA

Muhammad Ali is a Muslim who was stripped of his boxing title & faced jail for his belief that the Vietnam was evil