The Problem of Evil in Christian Theology; Reviewing and discussion

Jassim Hassan Hashem Al-Mousawi

Abstract

The problem of evil in Christian theology has occupied a large area in discussions as an issue related to the Almighty God. It has a close relation with the existence of God and his attributes of knowledge, all-capability and wisdom. Moreover, it has caused one of the suspicions to the religious system in general, and on Christian theology in particular. Therefore, many attempts were made in Christian theology to deal with this problem and show that it is inconsistent with the belief that there is a god who is All-Knowing, Wise, Just, Merciful. However, there are different theories trying to solve this problem in Christian theology and other monotheistic religions. Perhaps the most prominent theories in this concern are the Doctrine of Sin, the theory of Divine Providence, and Theodism, in addition to other theories, such as the theory of Open Faith and the theory of Human Free Will. In this study, we have followed the inductive-analytical approach in reviewing the theories and trying seriously to analyze them, in order to get to the theory that could be the closest to theological conception for solving the problem. Maybe the best theory offered as a solution to this problem is the theory of nonexistence of evil, which is accepted by both the philosophers and theologians. It also adopted by Islamic philosophy and some Islamic theologians, besides the theory of Divine Providence.

Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)