The Fundamental Characteristics Of A Theodicy, A Rational...

Just as western religions accept that G-d exists, we know that evil and suffering exists. Western religions know G-d as omnipotent, omniscient, and morally good. With these three fundamental characteristics in mind, G-d would have the power to destroy evil, the knowledge to know what evil is, and the will and desire to destroy it. Thus, the western conception of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good G-d gives rise to a new Problem of G-d. To answer this problem, many scholars have searched for a theodicy, a rational explanation for evil in the world. When analyzing Judaism, the necessity for theodicy is most prevalent, and possibly most difficult, when trying to come to terms with the Holocaust. Using Elie Wiesel as my starting point, I will address the three conclusions scholars have reached: theodicy is possible, there is a human inability to construct a convincing theodicy, and a completely rejection of any possibility for theodicy. After presenting these options, I will offe r criticisms as well as explain my own rationale for supporting Wiesel’s claim that G-d deserves to be questioned because He bears responsibility for evil in the world. Elie Wiesel’s theodicy is one of protest. People who share this view stay fully faithful to G-d while questioning him as to why he allows such atrocities, such as the Holocaust, to occur. Wiesel recognizes that G-d bears responsibility for evil in the world and therefore does not believe in a faultless being. Wiesel is very openShow MoreRelated Kant and Moral Values Essay4760 Words   |  20 PagesKant says that moral values are ‘good without qualification.’ This assertion and similar remarks of Plato can be understood in terms of a return to moral data themselves in the following ways: 1. Moral values are objectively good and not relative to our judgments; 2. Moral goodness is intrinsic goodness grounded in the nature of acts and independent of our subjective satisfaction; 3. Moral goodne ss expresses in an essentially new and higher sense of the idea of value as such; 4. Moral Goodness cannot