PHIL 361: Historical and Contemporary or Behavioral and Social Perspective

The Problem of Evil

This class aimed to analyze the problem of evil that is addressed throughout our world today. The major question we attempted to analyze throughout this class is as follows: “If God is all powerful, all knowing, and supremely good, then why is there so much evil in the world?” I suspected this class would be difficult at the beginning because I was raised in a Christian household and am currently a Christian. I feel like many individuals may blame God for the evils that occur in our lives which was evidenced in several of the works of literature we studied. However, we also studied writers who believed that evil is a result of our sin which I personally am more willing to accept. Overall this class really helped me to understand why others believe what they do and helped me to begin to accept that their may be several answers to the question stated above even if it may not be what I personally believe to be true.

Below I have attached a link to a paper I wrote during this class that addressed belief in God and the Evidential Problem of Evil. The problem of evil is used to determine whether evil constitutes evidence against the existence of God. Prior to this class I was unsure on how to answer this dilemma in a way that is not demeaning to other religions. However, after researching and writing this paper I was able to draw conclusions and further my knowledge on this topic. In the future, I may further my education so when individuals question the existence of God and evil and I am able to provide answers that align with my faith.

Artifact: Belief in God and the Evidential Problem of Evil by Madison Pribble in Fall 202o.

Belief in God and the Evidential Problem of Evil (Fall 2020)

I have also connected a final reflection paper of the class as a whole. I really enjoyed this class and it helped to expand my ability to reason with others and understand individuals of other beliefs. I hope to use the material I learned throughout this class to reason with others about my belief in God and how that might coincide with the existence of evil. This paper allowed me to reflect on what I learned and what I need to continue to learn to be a leader in my faith when difficult questions arise.

Artifact: The Problem of Evil Personal Reflection by Madison Pribble in Fall 2020.

The Problem of Evil Personal Reflection (Fall 2020)