New
New
Year 10
The problem of evil and suffering
I can explain the problem of evil and how Christians might respond to and be influenced by evil and suffering.
New
New
Year 10
The problem of evil and suffering
I can explain the problem of evil and how Christians might respond to and be influenced by evil and suffering.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- There are two types of evil and suffering in the world; moral and natural.
- The problem of evil and suffering refers to the questions about God’s nature that the existence of evil raises.
- The inconsistent triad represents evil as inconsistent with God as omnipotent and (omni)benevolent.
- Many Christians believe that God is still omnipotent and (omni)benevolent even though evil exists.
- Many Christians view suffering as either a test, the result of free will or an opportunity to become a better person.
Keywords
Evil - the opposite of good; a cause of suffering and against the will of God
(omni)benevolent - the belief that God is “all good” or “all loving”
Omnipotent - the belief that God is "all powerful"
Suffering - an effect of evil; undergoing pain and hardship
Common misconception
Christians ignore the problem of evil and suffering.
Many Christians recognise the problem of evil and suffering in the world, and in their own lives, and respond to the problem by referring to teachings from the Bible.
You may wish to remind students of Christian beliefs about the nature of God and the sources of authority that support these beliefs.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
When describing God, the word " " means that God treats all people fairly.
Q2.
The Christian belief about God's is shown in the story where Moses parts the Red Sea.
Q3.
The Christian belief about God's explains why God sacrificed his only son for humanity.
Q4.
The Christian parable about how God separates people is called the Parable of ...
the Good Samaritan
the Workers in the Vineyard
the Weeds
Q5.
Christians use the __________ to understand God’s qualities and nature.
Parables
Gospels
Qur'an
Torah
Q6.
__________ describes God as 'all-powerful'.
omnibenevolent
omnipresent
omniscient
just
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What is the problem of evil and suffering in Christianity?
a question about why humans are evil
a problem of free will and creation
a question about the fairness of humans
Q2.
What is moral evil?
evil caused by the natural world
evil caused by God to test humans
evil caused by natural disasters
Q3.
Which story in the Bible is often used by Christians to explain suffering as a test from God?
the creation story in Genesis
the Parable of the Good Samaritan
the Ten Commandments in Exodus
Q4.
Christians believe that suffering caused by disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes is called evil.
Q5.
The philosophical problem of evil is often illustrated with the inconsistent ...
Q6.
Christians argue that evil exists because God gave humans the gift of free ...
Additional material
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