Theodicy

The problem of evil is perceived to be portrayed by the following propositions: 1, God is omnipotent; 2, God is wholly benevolent; 3, evil consequences that result from the actions and events befall mankind; 4, the omnipotent being of 1 and 2 eliminates all the evil that he can; 5, there are no nonlogical limits to what an omnipotent being can do; 6, so God will therefore eliminate every evil that is logically possible for him to remove (Elwell, pg. 413). The prepositions 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 would mean that 3 is negated making the six points self-contradictory.

In the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, we find two types of evil; the bad (or moral evil) and the harmful (natural evil). These two evils are distinct from eachother but, you cannot seperate them. Natural evil is the consequence of moral evil. Moral evil is when man breaks God's law and natural evil is a result of mankind's sinful nature. Adam brought on God's curse on mankind and the world when he willfuly disobeyed God. With this disobedience, man invited sin and corruption into God's perfect creation.

A theodicy is a defensive position on the goodness and omnipotence of God in view of the existence of evil. Many such theodicies exist with scientists, philosophers, and theist. One theodicy, from Gottfried Leibniz, is based on metaphysics. He says that if God is indeed good than He would have to put man in the best conditions and the best environment for man to thrive. He also states that God will always operate on a basis of sufficient reason. In other words, if man can best thrive in a world that has moral good and moral evil, God would have to provide the environment for Himself to be just and good. Leibniz doesn't contradict himself but many may not agree with him.

There are other theodicies that rest on a modified rationalistic theology with four basic points. The first is that God is without obligation to create any world because His existence alone is the supreme good. Second, the creation...