Suffering and Evil in Religion
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All human beings encounter pain and suffering in life. This can present some difficult questions to organized religions.
On some level, all religions answer fundamental questions of human existence, including, "why are we here?" Pain and suffering complicate these basic questions of human existence, whether the religion is monotheistic, polytheistic, or atheistic.
Some people endure much more pain and suffering than others. Why is this so? What is the origin of suffering? Is evil external or internal? Does it have any meaning? How should we respond to it?
Even more difficult is the problem of moral evil: some people deliberately cause other people to suffer. Why? If there is meaning in the universe, and especially if the universe is ruled by a beneficent deity, how can this be?
Examines the basic positions of each of the five religious traditions considering these human questions. Address the following questions:
• How does each religion (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) respond to the problems of evil and suffering?
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Solution Summary
Discusses how suffering and evil are reconciled with the notion of an omnipotent and benevolent deity in major world religions.
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Judaism
Suffering is a key element of Jewish history, identity, and religion. Much of the history of the Jews is one of exile, discrimination, and even genocide. Given such a history, many of the sacred texts of the Old Testament focus on explaining suffering. Many of the Psalms, for example, speak about a narrator's (or entire race's) experience of suffering, ask what the reasons are for suffering, and pray for an end to suffering while simultaneously asserting a faith in a benevolent God.
The first explanation offered in the Bible is that humans brought suffering upon themselves by their own sinfulness. We can see examples of this in the stories of Original Sin, the Tower of Babel, Noah and the Flood, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Many of the prophets also condemn people for their wickedness and emphasize that suffering will ensue. Another explanation is offered in Job, that the reason why suffering is necessary is beyond human comprehension. When Job is puzzled by what he sees as his undeserved suffering, his is reprimanded as ignorant and ...
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