Starter quiz
- When describing God, the word "______" means that God treats all people fairly.
- 'just' ✓
- The Christian belief about God's ______ is shown in the story where Moses parts the Red Sea.
- 'omnipotence' ✓
- The Christian belief about God's ______ explains why God sacrificed his only son for humanity.
- 'omnibenevolence' ✓
- The Christian parable about how God separates people is called the Parable of ...
- the Sheep and the Goats ✓
- the Good Samaritan
- the Workers in the Vineyard
- the Weeds
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- Christians use the __________ to understand God’s qualities and nature.
- Parables
- Gospels
- Bible ✓
- Qur'an
- Torah
-
- __________ describes God as 'all-powerful'.
- omnipotent ✓
- omnibenevolent
- omnipresent
- omniscient
- just
-
Exit quiz
- What is the problem of evil and suffering in Christianity?
- a question about why humans are evil
- a question about why God allows evil and suffering to exist ✓
- a problem of free will and creation
- a question about the fairness of humans
-
- What is moral evil?
- evil caused by the natural world
- evil caused by God to test humans
- evil caused by human actions ✓
- evil caused by natural disasters
-
- Which story in the Bible is often used by Christians to explain suffering as a test from God?
- the creation story in Genesis
- the story of Job ✓
- the Parable of the Good Samaritan
- the Ten Commandments in Exodus
-
- Christians believe that suffering caused by disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes is called ______ evil.
- 'natural' ✓
- The philosophical problem of evil is often illustrated with the inconsistent ...
- 'triad' ✓
- Christians argue that evil exists because God gave humans the gift of free ...
- 'will' ✓
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- There are two types of evil and suffering in the world; moral and natural.
- The problem of evil and suffering refers to the questions about God’s nature that the existence of evil raises.
- The inconsistent triad represents evil as inconsistent with God as omnipotent and (omni)benevolent.
- Many Christians believe that God is still omnipotent and (omni)benevolent even though evil exists.
- Many Christians view suffering as either a test, the result of free will or an opportunity to become a better person.
Common misconception
Christians ignore the problem of evil and suffering.
Many Christians recognise the problem of evil and suffering in the world, and in their own lives, and respond to the problem by referring to teachings from the Bible.
Keywords
Evil - the opposite of good; a cause of suffering and against the will of God
(omni)benevolent - the belief that God is “all good” or “all loving”
Omnipotent - the belief that God is "all powerful"
Suffering - an effect of evil; undergoing pain and hardship
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