Problem of Evil: OCR Religious Studies

[@m8walsh]

I love all these overview videos!! This one was especially good considering my school taught us the original Iranaen theodicy and barely any of Hick’s!

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

So pleased I can help :) hope your revision is going really well!

[@melc8039]

youre literally an icon, thank you so much

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

You are very kind :)

[@taliascott9243]

Thank you so much for your videos, I watched them last night before my exam as I was very stressed and they helped me answer everything in detail and evaluating well! :)✨️

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

That's fantastic Talia, I am pleased I could help and well done today! 😀

[@elliewalker1293]

heya, thank you for these videos. i was just wondering if we get a question on the logical problem of evil, do we bring the theodicies into it? or if we got a question on evidential do we bring them into it? thanks :)

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Hi Ellie, I recommend of you get a question on either area to still discuss the theodocies as they are explaining why moral/natural evil exist (evidential) and why God can remain all powerful/loving (logical) :)

[@ameliawang1039]

Is it possible if you could do a specific video on how to evaluate properly in an essay? Your videos are very helpful, thank you

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Hi Amelia, I have a huge backlog of videos currently for this year's exam but I will add it to the list. Have you checked out the blog I Think Therefore I Teach as there is a lot on there to help with evaluation and being critical in an essay :)

[@alexisbuchner4509]

Honestly so helpful!! Thank you!!

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Really pleased my videos helped Alexis ☺️

[@magicalsunshine1420]

Perfect! Got my mock next week so should help.

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

So pleased I could help. Good luck in your mock! :)

[@bagdaunal4622]

Thank you so much for your video but please can you explain the freewill debate as I'm finding that difficult to grasp thank you

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Hi, the freewill debate is an immense topic (probably one of the most debated areas) so all you need to know for problem of evil, is that humans have freewill (as made imego dei) but with the freewill can choose bad/ evil. The relevant debate here is why God gave us freewill. So for John Hick it is a test to help us move from image to likeness. For Augustine freewill was necessary but this results in evil. Hope this helps :)

[@steam_jane5580]

Thanks you was very useful. We have an essay on this topic soon, so I sent it to my class group chat to watch

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Really pleased I can help :)

[@victoriabaker2662]

hii thanks so much for all your videos they are helping so much, im just a bit confused because the quote from genesis says 'let us make man in our image, in our likeness', but isn't Hick's theodicy saying that we weren't made in his likeness? and that is something we need to grow and develop into, i just don't know whether i should use that quote when talking about Hick's theodicy because i feel like it contradicts it?

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Hi Victoria, I am really pleased my videos are helping. Great question. We are made in the image (imago de i) and have the potential for likeness that God has given but we need to earn it because we are spiritually immature we are complete likeness of God, fully good and therefore need evil to help us progress. Hope that makes sense 🙂 Good luck with your revision.

[@zakkux8867]

Hi I was just wondering about what I should do. During mocks I achieved A's and high B's but coming closer to my final exams which are next week I'm starting to feel like my knowledge is slowly slipping. I feel as if the content (AO1) is secure for me but I struggle with AO2 a bit. Is there any advice you can give me to recall some knowledge or ways to keep consistent with my evaluations?

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Hi Zakku, it sounds like exam nerves are setting in. I am sure you will do fantastic in your exams. My advice is read your past answers that you did well on to remind yourself you can do it, also read any other sample answers for ideas. Go through the past question tables I did and decide what you line of argument would be for each that way you will establish your evaluation early on. Lastly just remember to justify and explore all evaluative points as to why they are good or bad. I am sure you will do great!! :)

[@coragane5127]

Hi Aimee, do you think you could add in 'orthopraxy' and 'orthodoxy' when speaking about Hick's theodicy? For humans to be 'tested' on the purposes of Natural Evil, they need to be carrying out actions to raise their 'spiritual immaturity', thus, acting on 'orthopraxy'. Could link in the ideas of Bonhoeffer and Moral action, and also potentially Liberation Theology here with this idea of evil in the world being a test, and ultimately a 'vale of soul making', in which action and striving for moral goodness is the ultimate form of being 'good' so that in the afterlife, a person has fulfilled their potential to be in heaven ('eternal bliss') with God again. Just a thought- the ideas of orthopraxy and orthodoxy might not link in just helping with my synoptic link thinking. Thank you, Cora :)

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

They are really good links :) Orthopraxy works in many different essays

[@magicalsunshine1420]

I do Buddhism for my religion, do you know where I could get help with this? I’m struggling to find resources.

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

I totally understand. I know there is limited resources for other religions and as I don't teach the Buddhism elements I don't know what resources are available. I'm sorry I can't be of any help with this :)

[@Lucy-mt2bl]

Thank you so much for your amazing videos! Just a quick question about the Dostoevsky part-Wikipedia (perhaps not the most reliable source I know) seems to say that Dostoevsky was profoundly religious, so did he love God and just disagree with the concept of humans having free will, or have I misunderstood?

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

So pleased my videos are helping Lucy! Great question and brilliant that you are doing wider research! Yes he was devoutly Christian so I would say you could interpret his meaning as freewill should not be given by God, he would rather God not have created us in this way as the way that humans misuse it comes at too high a price. Hope this makes sense :)

[@Lucy-mt2bl]

@@IThinkThereforeITeach Yes that makes sense thank you so much for the clarification! :)

[@alexfacchino3030]

if the question is specifically on hick, should the logical prob of evil be included in an essay?? Thank you

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Hi Alex, I think by the time you have discussed Hick and mentioned how he links to Irenaeus with full evaluation, I don't think it would be necessary unless an easy link in with your line of argument can be made :)

[@Rua1557]

So does Hick argue the same as Iranaeus in that we’re already born in the image of God and born spiritually immature but that through our experience of evil we develop into the likeness of God? And as part of Hick’s universal salvation idea, would the individual continue to suffer from evil in purgatory until they’ve become into God’s image?

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Hi Ru, Hick is inspired by Irenaeus. So agrees with image to likeness, spiritually immature and NE as a test. Where they differ is the afterlife. So Hick believes in universal salvation and purgatory, Irenaeus believed in hell :)

[@opalmoon2262]

hiya i’m having problems finding counter replies to develop my essay. would you be able state some counter replies to support views against the acceptable of evil

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Hi, I'm not fully following what you are after. If you want to defend God in the face of evil then freewill defense arguments are your best. If you are wanting to critise God with evil either evidential or logical works well. You can then use these arguments against each other. Hope this helps a little :)

[@keke835]

What about the evidential PoE?

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Hi Keke, evidential refers to the evidence of evil in the world as some argue that there is too much for the Christian God to exist with his holy attributes :)

[@waffleboi9334]

Thank you

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

You are welcome :)

[@alexfacchino3030]

Thank you!!

[@jordand2213]

40:49 Be careful with misrepresentation here. God did not give Job virgins he doubled all he had and blessed him with a family as said in Job 42 10:17

[@IThinkThereforeITeach]

Thank you for the clarification :)