What ‘good’ could come from

this type of ‘evil’?

Bottom: Haiti – January 2010

Top: Charity workers helping
the needy afterwards
12/8/21

How can Christians explain evil?

Aims:
 Unique to number 1

Shared by 1 and 2 Shared by 1 and 3

1. A hangover

Shared by all

2. Being hit by a car driven

3. Being killed by a tsunami
by a drunk

Unique to number 2 Unique to number 3

Shared by 2 and 3
 The ‘problem of evil’ recap
God is thought to be omni-benevolent, omnipotent and omniscient

If God is omni- If God is omniscient If God is omnipotent

benevolent he would he would know how he would be able to
want to remove evil to remove evil and remove evil and
and suffering suffering suffering

Therefore, both God

and evil cannot exist

Evil and suffering

do exist

Therefore, God
cannot exist
• Can you give an example of someone who you think is
a shining example of how to cope with difficult times?
What did/do they do?
• Can you think of anyone who has been broken by
suffering, who has gone through so much they have
become bitter? Describe their experiences.
• A four-year-old can create quite a scene from a cut
knee, maybe because they know nothing worse (yet!)
What if the world was less intense, and all our pains
were less severe? Would that satisfy everyone? In
other words, is suffering relative?
• ‘All that is best, most valued, and longest lasting is born
out of pain and suffering.’ Would you agree? Can you
give examples?
• Not many people take their own lives, but a few do.
What are we to make of this? Can we conclude that, for
most people, life can’t be that bad after all? Or could it
be the evolutionary struggle for survival has given us a
tough approach: we seek survival come what may?
• How is a persons religious beliefs reinforced or
undermined by suffering?
 Looking at your three accounts, discuss
and answer these questions
1. Which of these accounts is most powerful from your point of
view? Why?
2. Which one do you dislike, or discount, the most?
3. Suffering sometimes leads people to faith in God, sometimes
in the other direction, What reasons can you give to explain
this?
4. Have you had an experience of your own in which your
beliefs, (atheistic or in God) were challenged or changed? Was
it similar to any of the accounts here?
5. Suffering is part of all life. It can make us think and feel more
deeply. Would a perfect world have no suffering in it at all?
6. What can be learned from these experiences?
Most sense

Least sense
 What do you think?
• You have been given 3 pieces of card.
• Answer three of the questions, with a
different response on each card.
• Post your answer in the relevant envelope
1. One example of suffering 1. When I think about cancer, I
which I find hard is… wonder…
2. A question I would like to 2. When I think about the
ask God about suffering is… crucifixion, I wonder…
3. When I think about starving 3. One thing I do to reduce the
people, I wonder… suffering in the world is…
 Fizzy drinks analogy
• http://www.archive.org/details/fizzy_drinks
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPg3kjKB
Rc
Story of Job