Analysis of The Philosophical Problem of Evil Free Essay Example, 2000 words

Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, holds that free will lies in the fact that God has created man as a free human being having his own soul to obey the command of God, according to his own free wish and will. The goodness that comes to man is through faithfulness and obedience to God. This theory becomes valid when one considers the fact that wise men always show the exercise of their free will and intelligence in their actions whereas the evil men don t ever apply the philosophy of their knowledge in their actions. God made the man a free (agent) from the beginning, possessing his own soul to obey the behests of God voluntarily and not by compulsions of God. (http: //www. jarom. net/irenaeus. php). Thus it becomes apparent that God has intended man to be a free being without being bound down by God s decisions. God indeed wants human to have the power of choice in doing things. According to theologian John Hick, God has given us considerable spiritual freedom and we can choose our own ways to be religious and to do good to ourselves and to others. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of The Philosophical Problem of Evil or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page In the scientific sphere, it implies that the actions of the body, as well as the brain and mind, are not decided by the relationship between cause and effect. Free will thus become a most valuable possession for the humans because it gives them the power to exercise freedom and therefore it seems to be the best answer to evil. People value free will because they want to decide their own way. When humans are endowed with free will, there is a possibility for evil.