So Swinburne must mean that God is a person like ourselves , except for being infinite in power, knowledge, extension in time, and except also for being perfectly free and omnipresent and good.
Why does God allow evil Swinburne?
Swinburne thus believes, God allows evil to give humans a greater meaning to free will and the world . ... According to Swinburne, good God, though having the power to benefit or to harm us, would provide significant freedom and responsibility to his creation, rather than expel evil (Swinburne 262).
Does Swinburne believe in God?
Over the last 50 years Swinburne has been an influential proponent of philosophical arguments for the existence of God . His philosophical contributions are primarily in the philosophy of religion and philosophy of science.
What does Swinburne believe evil is?
Swinburne’s strategy is to consider (what he calls) “moral evil” and “natural evil” separately. He argues that “moral evil” is the result of human being having a free will . Moral evil is the result of our “misusing” our free will (i.e., is the result of human “sin.”)
What does Swinburne say about religious experiences?
According to Swinburne, religious experience is defined ‘ as an experience that seems (epistemically) to the subject to be an experience of God’ (p. 295).
What is an example of moral evil?
Moral evil is, simply, immorality, something that is morally wrong. This ‘something’ is and must be a free human action, since without such an action there can be no question of morality at all. Examples of moral evils (or immoral actions) are murder, a lie, theft, an act of injustice, dishonesty, etc .
What is the free will defense Swinburne?
In order for my free will to be meaningful, it must be possible for me to choose to hurt people as well as to help them . So, misusing our free will brings evil into the world. So this kind of “evil” is a necessary part of the greater good of creating a world in which human beings have a free will.
What is the evidential problem of evil?
The evidential problem of evil is the problem of determining whether and, if so, to what extent the existence of evil (or certain instances, kinds, quantities, or distributions of evil) constitutes evidence against the existence of God, that is to say, a being perfect in power, knowledge and goodness.
Who came up with the free will Defence?
Alvin Plantinga’s free-will defense is a logical argument developed by the American analytic philosopher Alvin Plantinga and published in its final version in his 1977 book God, Freedom, and Evil.
What is the meaning of theodicy?
Theodicy, (from Greek theos, “god”; dikē, “justice”), explanation of why a perfectly good, almighty, and all-knowing God permits evil . ... Theodicies and defenses are two forms of response to what is known in theology and philosophy as the problem of evil.
Can religious experience be verified?
In conclusion: religious experience are valuable and can be verified using several methods such as Swinburne’s Principles of Testimony and Credulity. ... Therefore, religious experience can be verified.
How do religious experiences prove the existence of God?
A religious experience is when someone feels they have had a direct or personal experience of God . It is argued that if someone feels they have experienced God, this will be the most convincing proof of God’s existence because they have personally experienced or felt God for themselves.
What is the ontological argument for God?
As an “a priori” argument, the Ontological Argument tries to “prove” the existence of God by establishing the necessity of God’s existence through an explanation of the concept of existence or necessary being . Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury first set forth the Ontological Argument in the eleventh century.
What is morally wrong?
Morally wrong acts are activities such as murder, theft, rape, lying, and breaking promises . Other descriptions would be that they are morally prohibited, morally impermissible, acts one ought not to do, and acts one has a duty to refrain from doing. Morally right acts are activities that are allowed.
What is true evil?
To be truly evil, someone must have sought to do harm by planning to commit some morally wrong action with no prompting from others (whether this person successfully executes his or her plan is beside the point).
What are the two types of evil?
- Moral evil – This covers the willful acts of human beings (such as murder, rape, etc.)
- Natural evil – This refers to natural disasters (such as famines, floods, etc.)
