To think about theism and theodicy is the equivalent of pondering God and the problem of evil. Theism is typically synonymous with belief in one God, as in monotheism. (The three major monotheistic religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.) More specifically, theism refers to belief in a personal-creator God who is both active in the world (unlike deism) and distinct from the world (unlike pantheism). Theodicy attempts to justify belief in God given the fact of evil. More specifically, if God is all-good and all-powerful, then how can evil exist? The classic form of this argument looks something like the following:
- If God is all-good, then God would defeat evil.
- If God is all-power, then God could defeat evil.
- But evil is not defeated.
- Therefore, no such God exists.
But what if evil in general, and moral evil in particular, might be better explained by the free-will theodicy? What if the responsibility for evil is not a God lacking in either benevolence (all-good) or omnipotence (all-power) but the free creatures who abuse their freedom? What if you and I are free to choose good or evil – life or death – light or darkness? What if God would rather create us with free will than reign supreme over humans with no capacity for choosing good or evil for themselves?
When pondering God and the problem of evil, we must also ponder the cross. For it is upon the cross that Jesus gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father (Galatians 1:4). And it is upon the cross that ultimately all evil will be defeated.
~ Boethius ~
Where was God? This question is often asked when confronting the problem of evil. Where was humanity? This additional question is also asked in the animated video “Faith After the Holocaust” from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.