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To get you thinking...

To get you thinking. Baby Peter was tortured and brutally murdered by his mother’s boyfriend. He died in 2008, aged 17 months. How would the Irenaean theodicy respond to the suffering endured by Baby P?

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To get you thinking...

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  1. To get you thinking... Baby Peter was tortured and brutally murdered by his mother’s boyfriend. He died in 2008, aged 17 months. • How would the Irenaean theodicy respond to the suffering endured by Baby P? • Baby P’s mother and stepfather failed to overcome the lure of sin and as such have not progressed towards the likeness of God • Hearing about the suffering of Baby P enables others to develop essential human characteristics such as compassion & sympathy. What problems with the Irenaean theodicy does the suffering of baby P highlight? Discuss in pairs and prepare to feedback.

  2. John Hick’s development of the Irenaean Theodicy .

  3. Hick’s development of Irenaeus • Read the extract from Hick’s ‘Philosophy of Religion’ carefully and identify the 4 key points • Obstacles do not always result in strengthening character – they can be damaging / detrimental • The process of soul making must continue on after death if it is to be successful • Heaven must be sufficiently good to justify the magnitude of evils suffered in this world & others • All human beings must achieve their potential & become “children of God” If the theodicy is to work, these 4 points are necessarily true. Why does Hick come to these conclusions? Discuss in pairs & note down your ideas to feedback.

  4. Hick’s theodicy: According to Hick, human existence is divided into 2 key phases: PHASE 1 Humans are the culmination of the evolutionary process – a creature who has evolved with the possibility of existing in a conscious relationship with God. PHASE 2 The nature of human existence as a necessary pilgrimage from moral & spiritual immaturity into the “likeness of God” via responding freely to the challenges of this world.

  5. The importance of Free Will • FW is crucial to moral development enabling humans to become “children of God” • Virtues that have been formed as a result of overcoming evils are more valuable than those programmed into us from creation • It is also necessary to enable the filial relationship that God wills his creation to enter into with him • If we had been made robots, there could be no such thing as genuine love (Free Will Defence)

  6. God at an Epistemic Distance • “In order to be a person, exercising some measure of genuine freedom, the creature must be brought into existence, not in the immediate divine presence, but at some distance from God” (J. Hick, ‘Encountering Evil’) • Humans must seek God through faith – they have no innate knowledge of God. • If God’s presence was an overwhelming reality, humans would be much more likely to do good, knowing God was watching their every move.

  7. The Natural World • If the world was a paradise, there would be no opportunity for soul-making as there would be no distinction between good & evil • Humans would therefore be unable to develop & grow to become children of God (likeness) • Counterfactual hypothesis shows that God’s purpose for humanity cannot be achieved in a world free from evil & suffering • The natural world is a world “fit for the purpose of soul-making”

  8. 1st part: Very Similar to Irenaeus • Humans are born without innate knowledge of God – they are at an epistemic distance from Him. • Evolved animals with the possibility of a freely chosen, loving relationship with God • Life is a series of obstacles via which humans can grow to become “children of God” • Evil & Suffering are part of God’s design of the universe: “good” = fit for the purpose of Soul Making

  9. Irenaeus & Hick: The Key Differences AFTERLIFE (Hick’s ideas about Afterlife are central to his theodicy – you will come back to them in more detail in the topic Body, Soul& Personal Identity) IRENAEUS taught that on death the individual is judged and sent to either Heaven, Hell or Purgatory depending on the amount of progress they have made towards the Likeness of God. For HICK, this is unsatisfactory. As illustrated by the example of Baby P, there are countless instances where people die without having made sufficient progress through no fault of their own. Indeed, according to Hick, for anyone to end up in Hell would mean the suffering they inevitably encountered in their life is unjustified. This means the Problem of Evil has not been resolved. For Hick, if the evil in the world is to be justified, all must eventually go to Heaven. This is view is called UNIVERSAL SALVATION. Upon my death, God will endlessly sustain my existence until I have become a ‘child of God’ (grown into his Likeness).

  10. The Case of Baby P • How would Hick each justify the suffering of Baby P? • How is this different from Irenaeus’ version? • Is Hick’s justification of evil any more satisfactory than Augustine / Irenaeus? (explain your view)

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