Philosophy: Human or Moral Evil - Essay Example

A person or human is defined by the author as a creation of God that possesses moral freedom with the capacity to make decisions at will, which can either be good or evil. This distinct character is what makes a person what he or she is (p. 107-108).Free will is the human being’s freedom to make decisions in their own ‘volition’ and to take responsibility or accept the consequences that can occur through the interplay of different factors such as morality. Hick equated freewill with personal or moral freedom (p. 107).2.

In the creation of man by God, the main aim is to have moral freedom which is defined by the process of making a decision or choice on the basis of his own will. For that matter, if a man is exposed to the natural evil that is present in his environment, he acts on his moral freedom. Man is different from God, thus, mistakes and evil acts can occur as a manifestation of being human. For that matter, the actions and behavior of man is not a ground to question the omniscience of God (p. 107).3.

Hick’s assumptionsNatural evil Evil is necessary because without it goodness has no worth (p.104-105). Evil is natural since the only perfect being is God and every entity can be influence by the presence of pain, suffering, or degradation (p.106). Human or moral evil Human or moral evil is a distinct characteristic of people since they are finite beings. If they only do the right things then they are ‘self-contradictory’ because they cannot randomly choose the right or the good decision in every step of the way (p.107).Soul building Soul building is the chance for self-improvement through facing and resolving the pain and suffering in the human’s daily existence (p.

104-105, 109).Person or human Humans are children of God that are unique in the possession of human freedom or free will. Human freedom is where the origin of evil can be found (p. 108).Free will Free will defines and separates man from other creatures of both higher and lower order (p.105)4. Hick would express his view that natural evil is present as good is but it depends on the choice of the human to choose evil over goodness. For that matter, it cannot be stated that human evil comprises the evil present in the world since there are pain and suffering that cannot be related to man.

In addition, decisions made by men still have an equal chance of being good. It cannot be limited to evil decisions alone.5. Personally, it is my belief that Hick made a good case for the compatibility of natural evil and God’s existence. This is due to the fact that although God created man, moral freedom made man independent in making his own decision. For that matter, God is in control of everything in existence except the decisions that man can make. Thus, the natural evil which can be considered necessary in the existence and recognition of good can affect and influence man’s free will.