The Problem of Evil and Theodicy

This book focuses on the age old problem of evil and suffering and responses to it within the context of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic thoughts. The principal aim here is to compare and contrast the major defenses of the belief in the existence of God against the atheistic argument from evil in the scriptures, in the main theological and philosophical works of the Abrahamic religions. The author starts with a brief introduction to the problem of evil in the Western philosophy of religion. Having introduced the basic formulations of the issue, the theistic concept of God, evil, suffering and theodicy, the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic responses are explored from their own literature. In the final chapter a comparative analysis of the scriptural, theological and philosophical theodicies of each religion takes place respectively. Consequently, the author argues that the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic theodicies explored have some common characteristics as well as distinctive ones. Although the atheist seems not to be content with these responses, the faithful finds them comforting, meaningful and reasonable in the face of evil and suffering.