For what reasons may suffering cause philosophical problems for religious believers? There are several reasons why the existence of suffering may cause philosophical problems for religious

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For what reasons may suffering cause philosophical problems for religious believers?

There are several reasons why the existence of suffering may cause philosophical problems for religious believers. These stem from the theological beliefs of the believers. Most religious people believe in a God who is omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent, that is all-powerful, all-knowing, and loving. If this description of God is accepted, then a difficulty arises in relation to the pain and suffering in the world.

Suffering occurs as a result of two categories of evil, natural evil and moral evil. The first is caused by environment disasters or hazards like earthquakes or volcanoes etc. The second is caused by humanity and results from greed, search for power etc. Events such as ethnic cleansing, murder or bombings would be examples of this.

The religious believer may find it hard to argue the case for the existence of a good and powerful God in the light of the sometimes-overwhelming scale and depth of suffering apparent in the world. The philosophical argument runs as follows:

* If God is omnipotent then he can prevent suffering.

* If God is benevolent he will not want