Therapeutic Theodicy? Suffering, Struggle, and the Shift from the God’s-Eye View
Journal Title: Religions - Year 2018, Vol 9, Issue 4
Abstract
From a theoretical standpoint, the problem of human suffering can be understood as one formulation of the classical problem of evil, which calls into question the compatibility of the existence of a perfect God with the extent to which human beings suffer. Philosophical responses to this problem have traditionally been posed in the form of theodicies, or justifications of the divine. In this article, I argue that the theodical approach in analytic philosophy of religion exhibits both morally and epistemically harmful tendencies and that philosophers would do better to shift their perspective from the hypothetical “God’s-eye view” to the standpoint of those who actually suffer. By focusing less on defending the epistemic rationality of religious belief and more on the therapeutic effectiveness of particular imaginings of God with respect to suffering, we can recover, (re)construct, and/or (re)appropriate more virtuous approaches to the individual and collective struggle with the life of faith in the face of suffering.
Authors and Affiliations
Amber L. Griffioen
Keywords
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- EP ID EP25966
- DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9040099
- Views 336
- Downloads 21
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Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Religions in 2016
The editors of Religions would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2016. We greatly appreciate the contribution of expert reviewers, which is crucial to the j...