Gottfried Leibniz's Theodicy

In 1710 German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz coined the phrase theodicy in his work titled Theodicy: Essays on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil. The meaning of theodicy in its most common form, attempts to answer the question why a good God permits the manifestation of evil. Based on the issues that we face today in the world, it is fair to say that Gottfried Leibniz was far ahead of his time in his philosophy. More than I have ever experienced in my lifetime people are questioning the existence of God. Many atrocities and foul deeds occur in the world that we previously would not have been so easily exposed to. Through technological advances in communication, we are able to view the news and information from
The experience of being able to look into the madness of the world unfiltered causes many people to believe that we are in the last days and times. I do not believe that this is true. The evils of this world have always been there, we just have easier access to them. I believe that this is an age of enlightenment that will eventually bring people closer to God. William Lane Craig is a Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University. According to an article that he authored on his website (Craig, n.d.), the problem of evil is certainly the greatest obstacle to belief in the existence of God. The problem of evil is the basis of the concept of theodicy. Mr. Craig does an excellent job of illustrating the general frustrations of the people of the world today in regards to the existence of God. With the extent and depth of suffering in the world, whether due to man’s inhumanity to man or to natural disasters, how can a person continue to believe in the existence of God? The article is written by someone that truly believes in the existence of God. What I really respect about the article is that Mr. Craig has no problem examining the problem of evil from both
According Vexen, the Christian Bible denies free will and any element of choice in what good works we do. God has picked who will do what good deeds, and God also punishes and rewards people on account of what God has chosen, in accordance with God's plan and purpose. Although I do not fully agree with this ideology I can understand the logic used to make someone come to this conclusion. The truth is that no person will ever be able to fully comprehend the will of God, and many have views that dramatically conflict with each