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| "If there was a God, there would never be so much suffering"; The Islamic Response | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 4 2012, 10:01 PM (261 Views) | |
| Compatriot | May 4 2012, 10:01 PM Post #1 |
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Today let us discuss "The Problem of Evil". Before we discuss the main premises of the argument I want to highlight that this argument is probabilistic. What this means is that "The Problem of Evil" is an argument that weighs up all the evil and gratuitous suffering in the world and concludes that since there is a lot of evil and unnecessary suffering, it is highly unlikely that a good all-Powerful God exists. The philosophical irony of this argument is that if the one who advocates this contention does so based upon the unlikelihood of a good all-Powerful God existing - due to the amount of evil and unnecessary suffering in the world - then they should except the existence of a cosmic designer! This is due to the fact that the design argument is based on the same reasoning: probability [see "Additional Notes" at end of this post]. The problem of evil presents its premises as follows: 1. A good God that is omnipotent exist 2. Evil exists 3. Therefore a good God that is omnipotent doesn’t exist H. J. McCloskey in his article ‘God and Evil’ summarises the problem well, “Evil is a problem for the theist in that a contradiction is involved in the fact of evil, on the one hand, and the belief in the omnipotence and perfection of God on the other.”[3] The first point that needs to be made is that statements (1) and (2) are not logically inconsistent as there is no apparent contradiction. For the atheist to jump to the conclusion that a good all-Powerful God doesn’t exist is an unwarranted, unless he has assumed, in some hidden premises. These hidden premises seem to be the following: 4. If God is all-Powerful, then he can create any world he wants 5. If God is good, then he should prefer a world without evil Statement (4) suggests that since God can create and do anything, then he can create free human beings who always decide to do the right thing and do not fall into evil or suffering. Statement (5) suggests that God is so good that if he could create a world without evil and suffering he would. Otherwise he would himself be evil to prefer that humans experience evil and suffering. However, these hidden premises make some brave assumptions; firstly it assumes God is just good and all-Powerful. Secondly it assumes that God doesn’t have any reasons to permit evil and suffering in the world. In response to the first assumption, Islamic theology does not maintain that God is just good and all-Powerful. Muslims believe that part of God’s names and attributes include ‘the Just’, ‘the Severe in Punishment’, ‘the Wise’, ‘the Loving' and ‘the Compassionate’, amongst many others. So statements (1, 4 and 5) are inaccurate as the Muslim does not reduce God to parts, rather God is seen as one and unique in context of all his names and attributes. So if God was just good and all-Powerful, then there may be problem in reconciling suffering and evil in the world. However if you include attributes such as ‘the Wise’, these problems would not exist. Because perceived evil and suffering in the world can be due to, God’s wisdom, as there may be divine wisdom in permitting evil and suffering. Even if we can’t evaluate what the wisdom is, it doesn’t mean it is not there. To argue such a thing would be a logical fallacy, known as the argument from ignorance. The story of Khidr which can be found in the 18th chapter of Qur’an from verses 65 to 82 is an eloquent account of how God’s wisdom, whether understood or not, has positive results and benefits for humanity. In addition to this the Muslim can argue that the problem of evil is logically posterior to the existence of God. You need to establish that God exists first before attempting to reconcile who God is with our perception of reality, in this case, evil and suffering. A sufficient response to the second assumption would be to provide a strong argument that God has reasons to permit suffering and evil in the world. The intellectual richness of Islamic Theology provides us with many reasons, some of which include: 1. The primary purpose of the human being is not happiness rather it is to know and worship God (which provides true inner happiness and contentment). This fulfilment of the divine purpose will result in everlasting bliss and happiness. So if this is our primary purpose other aspects of human experience our secondary. The Qur’an, the book of the Muslims states: “I did not create either jinn or man except to worship Me.” [5] 2. God also created us for a test, and part of this test is to be tested with suffering and evil. The Qur’an mentions “The One Who created death and life, so that He may put you to test, to find out which of you is best in deeds: He is the all-Almighty, the all-Forgiving” [6] 3. Having hardship and suffering enables us to realise and know God’s attributes such as ‘the Victorious’ and ‘the Healer’. For example without the pain and suffering of illness we would not appreciate the attribute of God being ‘the Healer’. Knowing God is a greater good, and worth the experience of suffering or pain as it will mean the fulfilment of our primary purpose. 4. Suffering allows 2nd order good. 1st order good is physical pleasure and happiness and 1st order evil is physical pain and sadness. 2nd order goodness is elevated goodness such as courage and can only happen if a 1st order evil, such as cowardice, exists. [7] 5. People can also suffer from past, present or future sins. God has knowledge of everything which is not contingent on time. Please refer to the story of Khidr in the Qur’an where it mentions Khidr’s reply to Prophet Moses “All this was done as a mercy from your Lord. What I did was not done by my own will. That is the interpretation of those actions which you could not bear to watch with patience.”[8] 6. God has given us free will, and free will includes choosing evil acts. [9] In absence of free will morality or even doing good would not make any sense. Imagine someone putting a gun to your head and tells you to give charity. Would your charity have any true value or meaning? Islamic theology however provides the conceptual ‘tools’ necessary for the Muslim to overcome this problem to. Islamic theology is derived from two main sources, the Qur’an and the hadith literature. The Qur’an is a divine book that Muslims believes to be the word of God, and the hadith are divinely inspired statements attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The following verses from the Qur’an and sayings from hadith provide all the necessary comfort for the Muslim. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affair is good and this is not for no one except the believer. If something of good/happiness befalls him he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him he is patient and that is good for him.” [10] “Anyone who dies of the plague is a martyr. Anyone who dies of a stomach illness is a martyr. Anyone who drowns is a martyr.” [11] “There are seven classes of martyrs except the one who is killed while fighting in the cause of God: one who dies in plague is a martyr; one who dies due to drowning is a martyr; one who is killed of Zat al-Janb disease (a disease that attacks ribs and causes inner ulcerations) is a martyr; one who dies of diseases of stomach is a martyr; one who is killed by fire is a martyr; one who is crushed under a wall is a martyr; and a woman who dies while delivery (or pregnancy) is a martyr.” [12] “No calamity befalls a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick he receives from a thorn.” [13] The Qur’an says, “Do you think that you will enter paradise without any trials while you have known the examples of those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with suffering and adversity and were so violently shaken up that even the Prophet and the believers with him cried out: ‘When will God’s help come?’ Be aware, God’s help is close.” [14] “Surely with every difficulty there is relief. Surely with every difficulty there is relief.” [15] “Let there rise from among you a band of people who should invite to righteousness, enjoin good and forbid evil: such are the one, who shall be successful.” [16] Since the Muslim is intellectually convinced that these statements are from God, then it follows they are truth claims that not only comfort the Muslim, but fills his heart with tranquillity. I am sure there are many other great arguments so please discuss and share them with me. References [1] Avin Plantinga. God, Freedom and Evil. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1977, p 7. [2] David Hume. Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, part 10. [3] “God and Evil” Philosophical Quarterly, X (1960), p 97. [4] J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. IVP Academic, p 538. [5] Qur’an 51:56-57 [6] Qur’an 67: 2 [7] Although this is contended by some philosophers such as John Mackie, philosopher Avin Plantinga provides an interesting response in his book God, Freedom and Evil. [8] Qur’an 18:82 [9] This requires an in-depth discussion which will be discussed in another article [10] Saheeh Muslim [11] Ibid. [12] Narrated Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah [13] Saheeh Bukhari [14] Qur’an 2:214 [15] Qur’an 94:5-6 [16] Qur’an 3:104 Additional Notes The existence of a universe that permits human life is due to conditions and constants that must have been fined-tuned to a degree that is beyond comprehension. In light of this, there are only three possible explanations for this fine tuning: physical necessity, chance or design. The first option is irrational. There is just no reason why these constants and quantities should have the values that they do. As P. C. W. Davies explains: “Even if the laws of physics were unique, it doesn’t follow that the physical universe itself is unique…the laws of physics must be augmented by cosmic initial conditions…there is nothing in present ideas about ‘laws of initial conditions’ remotely to suggest that their consistency with the laws of physics would imply uniqueness. Far from it…it seems, then, that the physical universe does not have to be the way it is: it could have been otherwise.” Additionally if anyone was to take the view that the fine-tuning of the universe to permit human life is due to physical necessity, it would imply that it would be impossible to have a universe not fit for life! However physicists maintain that the universe in which we live didn’t have to be the way that it is, and there could have been many other universes that did not permit human life. Concerning chance, some people who do not understand the impossibility of the universe coming into being by chance exclaim, “It could have happened by chance!” However would they say chance explains how an elephant was sleeping in their garage overnight? Or how a helicopter ended up parked in their garden? Even after these responses, they still hold on to the theory that the universe can exist due to chance. In response to this I would argue that it is not just about chance but something the theorists such as William Dembski call “specified probability.” Specified probability is a probability that also conforms to an independent pattern. To illustrate this, imagine you have a monkey in a room for twenty-four hours, typing a way on your laptop. In the morning you enter the room and you see, “To be or not to be!” The monkey has miraculously written out a part of a Shakespearian play! What you may have expected is random words such as “house,” “car,” and “apple.” However, in this case not only have you seen the improbability of typing English words – but they also conform to the independent pattern of English grammar! To accept this is just the result of blind chance would be irrational and counter discourse, as anyone can claim anything from this perspective. To put this in to context, British mathematicians have calculated that if a monkey did type on a laptop at every possible moment, it would take 28 Billion years (!!!) to produce “To be or not to be”. In conclusion, accepting the chance hypothesis is tantamount to rejecting the existence of our own universe! In light of the above it is far more reasonable to maintain that supernatural design is the best explanation for the fine-tuning of the universe to permit human life. |
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9:42 AM Jul 11