The Problem of Evil

Traditionally in western philosophy of religion, the problem of evil is the problem of reconciling the existence of evil (or suffering) in the world with the existence of an omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful) and omnibenevolent (all-good) God. Proponents of the problem assert: if God exists and has all these attributes, then there would be no evil; yet evil (i.e., tremendous suffering) clearly exists. In this course, we will examine various versions of this problem as well as various traditional and contemporary responses to it. Moreover, since the problem of reconciling evil/suffering with a conception of "the Sacred" extends beyond monotheism, we will also examine approaches to this general and deep problem from other major world religions.