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God and Evil 2

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The Speaking Lions   May 26th, 2023

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No statement, theological or otherwise [on the subject of God and evil] should be made, that would not be credible in the presence of the burning children." -- Irving Greenberg. When Greater Good theodicy is held accountable to this standard -- that is, when it is held accountable to serious evil, which is only to hold it accountable to its ostensible subject-matter -- it is found seriously wanting. No greater good justifies imposing serious evil on children or permitting it to be imposed. The lives of children are not for sale. The latest in our 'Thinking Out Loud' series on God and Evil.


This video summarises the main argument from chapter one of my book 'A Frightening Love: Rethinking the Problem of Evil' (Palgrave Macmillan 2012).


I give further attention to the question of post-mortem compensation for the victims of evil in these two papers:


‘On Letting Go of Theodicy: Marilyn McCord Adams on God and Evil’, Sophia 54(1), April 2015, 1-12.


‘Horrendous Evil and the Loving God: A Reply to Joshua Thurow’, Sophia 61(2), June 2022, 419-428.


Rowan Williams' discussion of aesthetic theodicy is in his paper 'Redeeming Sorrows' in D Z Phillips (ed) 'Religion and Morality' (Palgrave Macmillan 1996)