The Problem of Evil: Religion's Greatest Challenge

Name: The Problem of Evil: Religion's Greatest Challenge
Rating: 4.2 (13 reviews)

How could a good God allow human suffering?

Created byMichael Gold

Last updated 8/2022

English

What you'll learn

Students will explore the problem of evil, and why it is a challenge to the classical theistic religions of the West. We will explore various solutions, particularly those offered by Judaism.

Course content

4 sections • 9 lectures • 1h 44m total length

Religion, Philosophy, Science - Introducing Me14:45
This is an introductory lecture introducing me and some of my ideas. They come from my new webpage A Rabbi Encounters the Universe arabbiencounterstheuniverse.com.
Introduction9:38
Why does evil create a problem for the theistic religions of the West such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? And why is it less a problem for the non-theistic of the East such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism? Finally, what does the term theodicy mean?

Jewish Theodicies14:47
We will begin with the Biblical book of Job and how it struggles with God's justice in the face of evil. We will then turn to Rabbinic literature and the story of the rabbi who became a heretic Elisha ben Abuyah. Finally, we will look at how various thinkers attempted to understand God in the face of the Holocaust.
Theodicies in the West12:47
We will look at the idea of fate which was a fundamental Greek idea. Christianity developed two alternative views of theodicy based on the writings of Augustine and Irenaeus. We will also explore an Islamic approach to theodicy from the Muslim theologian Nursi. Finally, we will delve into Western philosophy by exploring Leibniz's belief that we live in "the best of all possible worlds."

Perhaps God is Not Omnipotent9:22
Perhaps God is not all powerful. We will begin with Harold Kushner's classical book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Then we will explore the Jewish idea of hester panim (God hiding God's face), often called the eclipse of God. This will lead to a study of Lurianic Kabbalah, and the idea of tzimtzum or God's self-contraction.
Perhaps God is Not Beneficent9:39
The prophet 2nd Isaiah taught that God created both good and evil. Perhaps this is a reaction to the ancient idea that there are two different creative forces at work in the universe, a good force and an evil force. We will look at Gnosticism, Zoroastrianism, and Manichaeism, before turning to the Western idea of Satan.
Human Evil12:28
We will explore why humans are often the source of evil. It is based on the ancient Jewish idea that humans have two inclination, one evil and one good.
Natural Evil8:54
Natural evil such as hurricanes and cancer cells are the greatest challenge to traditional theism. Perhaps they can be explained by seeing a universe that grows organically, and which is constantly in process. Perhaps even God is in process.

Requirements

There are no prerequisites.

Description

The problem of evil is a fundamental question in the theistic religions of the West. Justifying God in the face of evil is known as theodicy. We will study the problem of evil in the eyes of Western theistic religions, particularly Judaism. If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good, how could God allow a world filled with suffering. We will seek answers both in Jewish tradition and more generally, in Western tradition. After looking a the book of Job, we will explore rabbinic approaches to the problem of evil. This discussion will question each of these fundamental assumptions of the theistic religions. Perhaps God is not all-powerful, as suggested by Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Perhaps God is not all good, an idea already suggested in the Bible by the prophet Isaiah. He writes that God created good and evil. Or perhaps we need to look more carefully at the issue of evil itself. There is human evil, a result of human free will. And there is natural evil, the result of a world in process, not fully created. After exploring these theological issues, we will turn to more practical questions. How can we as human beings deal with the evil in our lives?

Who this course is for:

The course will have a particular appeal to Jewish students, but will have insights for anyone interested in religion or philosophy.

The Problem of Evil: Religion's Greatest Challenge

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction2 lectures • 24min

Theodicies2 lectures • 28min

Modifying Theism4 lectures • 40min

Conclusion1 lecture • 12min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: