 This module covers 5 main areas:
• God and the Devil
• The Fall
• The Problem of Evil
• Jesus and Suffering
For each topic you
will need to know a
range of Christian
views as well as
your own
viewpoint
• Behaviour
Fist we need to know what Christian denominations we are
discussing
Christian do NOT all believe the same thing and are divided into
different groups depending on faith and establishment
The Roman Catholic Church Protestant Churches
 This denomination is a
 These are the Christian
traditional group of
groups that developed
Christians who believe in
after Martin Luther’s
Natural Law: doing what
debate in 1517.
God intended in a natural  These are modern
way. Up until the C16th
Christians who have reCatholics were the
interpreted the Bible and
dominant group of
have a different view to
Christians in Europe.
the Roman Catholics.
Catholics are controlled
 These Christians are NOT
by the Pope in Rome
controlled by the Pope.
What is God Like?
 Many people have wondered what God might be like. Christians
believe that he has certain attributes that define him.
Omnipotent
Judge
Omniscient
Creator
Omnipresent
Immanent
Omnibenevolent
Transcendent
Eternal
Merciful
Forgiving
Perfect
What is the Devil Like?
 A lot of people believe that there is a being in existence that
lives to cause pain and suffering: this is the Devil.
Malicious
Red
Deceiving
Horns
Vengeful
Tail
Torture
Hell
Suffering
Fire
Destruction
Conniving
What is Evil?
 People use the term ‘evil’ all the time, sometimes without
thinking about its meaning. The term ‘evil’ can mean many
things:
• Natural Evil
• Evil caused by nature such as tornadoes, earthquakes and volcanoes
• Moral Evil
• Evil caused by humans such as rape, murder, paedophilia
• Physical Evil
• Evil in a physical context e.g. Hitting, punching, kicking etc
• Metaphysical Evil
• Psychological evil such as bullying, mental abuse etc
The Fall of Adam and Eve
 Where did Evil come from? Some people think that it is the fault
of Adam and Eve.
 Adam and Eve were created by God and
placed in the garden of Eden. They had
everything they wanted. But one day a
serpent appeared and asked Eve to get
him some fruit. He asked for fruit from
the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
This was the one tree whose fruit they
couldn’t eat. Eve took the fruit and ate
some herself. Seeing that nothing bad
had happened she took the fruit to
Adam to eat and he did. God knew of
their disobedience and punished them
for their actions. It is due to them that
nature is out of balance with humanity
and evil exists in the world. Had Adam
and Eve obeyed God, evil would not exist
This is called
Original Sin
Lucifer in the Fall
 Lucifer is another name for the devil, one that he had when he
was an angel.
The Story of Lucifer
Lucifer was an angel in Heaven
with God and all the other angels.
However, he was not happy with
his situation; he was jealous of
God’s power. Lucifer challenged
God, but God is omnipotent and
easily defeated Lucifer, casting him
out of Heaven into Hell below.
Since then, Lucifer, or Satan, has
worked to get revenge on God. He
does this through causing pain and
suffering to what God loves best:
humans
Lucifer is
the
serpent in
the story
of the Fall
The Problem of Evil
 Although millions of people believe in God there are still plenty
of people who argue that God cannot exist if evil does: they are
a contradiction
The Problem of Evil and Suffering
If God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent then how can evil
exist?
If God is loving he would want to stop evil
If God was powerful he would be able to stop evil
So why doesn’t he?!
 There are a number of responses to this question, some
religious and some not
Process Theodicy
This means that God is not
omnipotent (all-powerful)
and therefore cannot stop
the evil things that happen in
the world
Monism
This theodicy denies the
existence of evil. Evil is simply
an illusion, it is simply a
question of perception
Free Will
This is the idea that God
gave humans the ability to
make their own decisions,
whether they are right or
wrong
Manichaeism
This is the idea that in order for
us to appreciate what is good in
the world we must have
something to compare it to;
evil. It is about balance
Protest Theodicy
This means that God is not
omni-benevolent (all-loving).
He does not care about evil
existing the world and is not
going to stop it for us
The Problem of Evil
There are two very famous responses to the problem of evil: one
says evil is humanity’s fault, the other says evil has a purpose in
our lives
Augustine of Hippo
Ireneaus of Lyon
Augustine believed that evil
Ireneaus believed that evil was
and suffering was the fault of a necessary part of life.
humans – it was created by
Humans are made in the image
Adam and Eve when they
of God – this is spiritual not
disobeyed God in Eden.
physical. Evil is character
They brought about Original
building and helps to become
Sin, that humans today are still more like God in terms of our
trying to stop. We all need to understanding and patience. It
behave well to end evil in the makes us better people in the
world
end.
Jesus and Suffering
 When people suffer they often look to find comfort somewhere;
one of the ways that people find comfort is to look at what
happened to Jesus in his life and how he dealt with it
Jesus and Suffering
Jesus was God incarnate: this literally means God made flesh. He
lived for 33 years before being crucified by the Romans.
Jesus does not lash out at anyone but remains peaceful and
forgiving throughout his ordeal.
Atonement
It is due to Jesus’ death that Christians believe
that we can be saved from our sins and are able
to reconcile with God and become ‘at one’ with
him if we genuinely repent and ask forgiveness
How Should We Behave?
 Christians are all aiming to get into heaven when they die to be
with God, but in order to do this they must behave
appropriately and earn their entrance to heaven.
So, how do Christians know the right way to behave?
They have four pieces of evidence that tell them what to do
The 10 Commandments
These are guidelines given by God to
Moses / Chosen people telling them
how to worship God and how to treat
each other
The Golden Rule
Jesus taught the Golden Rule to his
followers in a number of ways:
Treat others as you want to be
treated
The Example of Jesus
This fits into two areas:
What he did and what he said: this
can all be found in the New
Testament
The Conscience
Christians believe that the conscience
is the God communicating with
humans letting them know when
they have done wrong
Jonny Kennedy
 Jonny Kennedy is a very good example of someone who has
dealt with suffering in a positive and inspirational way
Who is Jonny Kennedy?
He is the subject of a documentary called ‘The Boy whose Skin Fell
Off’. He has a rare genetic skin condition that causes him extreme
pain everyday of his life and yet he carries on with a positive
attitude raising money and awareness for the condition’s charity,
DEBRA
He died in 2003 aged 36
Practice Exam Question
Good and Evil: this exam question is worth 24 marks
a)
b)
c)
d)
What does moral evil mean? (1)
Give two examples of suffering (2)
What do Christians believe about the devil? (3)
Explain how some Christians might respond to suffering in the
world (6)
e) “There is too much evil in the world for God to exist” Discuss
this statement. Give different, supported viewpoints including
a personal viewpoint. You must refer to Christianity (12)
Remember: Part E is an ESSAY question and must be written in an
essay style with PEE paragraphs in order to attain all 12 marks