Preview

Gutiérrez's Ideas On Suffering

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1236 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Gutiérrez's Ideas On Suffering
A tremendous divide exists between the daily struggles many of us share and the systemic suffering of oppression. The way in which humanity experiences suffering impacts one’s ideas about God, and one’s ideas about God impact how one views suffering. Gustavo Gutiérrez and James H. Evans, Jr. both take on the challenge of examining how to describe and discuss God in a world where many innocent suffer unjustly. While the two theologians align closely in many respects, one particular idea offers substantive disagreement. In On Job, Gutiérrez asserts that in order to provide complete freedom to humanity, God must limit Godself, whereas Evans in We Have Been Believers holds fast that God is not limited in any way. Amid myriad agreements, this discrepancy …show more content…
In a discussion about suffering and evil, especially among those who are not Christians, it is likely that this issue will arise. Often it is professed that one simply cannot believe in a God that allows the suffering of innocent people. On this problem, Evans and Gutiérrez emphatically agree that God is not the source of such suffering. Even within the cause of this suffering, the two theologians find common ground. Both deny that suffering is meted out by a vengeful God, one who prioritizes the doctrine of temporal retribution. Sin is the root cause of this suffering, Evans argues, but not the sin of the individual experiencing suffering, Instead, the sins of humanity causes the institutionalized racist structures of society that then impose that suffering. Likewise, Gutiérrez sees the suffering Job lives within as not the punishment for personal sins, but rather caused by the wicked as they exploit the poor, causing more …show more content…
Evans shines a bright light onto the experience in American culture of so many people I hold dear, giving name and additional worth to their lives in a world of oppression and suffering. Gutiérrez throws back the veil on how God’s plan cannot include the suffering of others as a goal, even if sin collectively fuels its reality. Driven by the continuing waves of information about God’s people—those who are oppressed, and those of us implicit in that oppression—begins to take shape in a new theological reflection and exploration within me, of the relationship between the gratuitous love God shares with us, the justice of God that only starts to take shape with a better understanding of that love, and the freedom God gives humanity to
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Summary Of Evil And Omnipotence By J. L. Mackie
    • 172 Words
    • 1 Page

    Summary Of Evil And Omnipotence By J. L. Mackie

    J.L. Mackie’s, “Evil and Omnipotence,” criticizes the debate for the existence of God by arguing that the fundamentals of what a “perfect God” is are inconsistent with one another. The main theological doctrines of what a “perfect God” entails are as followed: God is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient. J.L. Mackie rejects this by stating God cannot be omnipotent and omnibenevolent if evil exists. He asserts that the problem of evil proves that either no god exists. Mackie soon reaches the debate question of, “Can a perfect God exist when suffering exists?”…

    • 172 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Patching Out Virtue Analysis
    • 80 Words
    • 1 Page

    Patching Out Virtue Analysis

    In regards to “suffering” an article in the Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, “suggests that society is not operating at its best level” (Collins, Garlington and Cooney 96).…

    • 80 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    protocol paper 1
    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages

    protocol paper 1

    Recall: In "The problem of evil," James Rachels and Stuart Rachels provider some important point: 1) Pain is not body’s warning system needed, because newborn babies did not deserve inexorable pain; 2) Even If we need evil to appreciate the good, but it is does not explain why there is such an extraordinary amount of evil in this world; 3) The doctrine of original sin was absurd. According to authors, it would be come to a conclusion that a newborn baby did deserve terrible disease. 4) The idea that Free Will Defense is in apparent contradiction to the natural evil in the world. 5) Based on the idea that a world without suffering would be void of the virtues necessary for good moral development. It does not explain the reason that God allowed the Holocaust or isolated cases of extreme cruelty to happen. 6) The theory of moral development does not explain the reason why animals suffering.…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Enrique's Journey To Poverty
    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Enrique's Journey To Poverty

    Poverty can be a burden; but, factors that contribute to poverty originates from other social problems. For instance, our society operates under self sufficient system; people depend on each other for daily human activities, and they assist each other to thrive as a society. Employment is a form of such activity, where people lean on each other for survival; employment aides release from poverty.However, recently, work has become scarce that it strengthens the chains of poverty upon people. Enrique’s Journey to the U.S costs money and he had work at several places on the way to earn enough to continue the journey. As he had no control over the life events that caused obstacles in his life, work became alienation for him.In an age of technology, machinery and gadgets replace human labour, and Enrique had no control over any work he pursued on his journey. Enrique became the source of cheap labor and many employers took advantage of his social circumstances.Even after arriving in the U.S, Enrique's work as a painter barely promoted contentment; he worked for hours each day and still…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    William Rowe Good Vs Evil Summary
    • 1596 Words
    • 7 Pages

    William Rowe Good Vs Evil Summary

    If God proves non-existence, we should rightly have a high epistemic standard. Finally, one could object that this criticism applies generally to arguments about evil and our limited human knowledge, rather than bearing specifically on Rowe's particular formulation. However, by constructing his case as a deductive argument that depends on a strong claim about the lack of justifying goods for specific instances of suffering, Rowe's argument takes on a higher burden of proof than more generalized arguments from evil that make weaker claims. Its validity hinges on establishing the truth of that weighty first premise to a very high degree of confidence. The limited human viewpoint seems insufficient to meet this burden.…

    • 1596 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Problem of Evil- Notes
    • 1650 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Problem of Evil- Notes

    Antony Flew wrote that the biggest challenge to the believer is accepting that the existence of evil and suffering is a major problem that demands an adequate response. The problem faced by monotheists demands a solution, not of qualification; in which the nature of God is arbitrarily changed to suit different circumstances – this concept of God ‘dies the death of a thousand qualifications,’ but by the rational justification of God’s right to allow evil and suffering to…

    • 1650 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    James Cone
    • 1148 Words
    • 5 Pages

    James Cone

    with the oppressed to the point that their experience becomes God's experience, or God is a God…

    • 1148 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Suffering In C. S. Lewis 'The Problem Of Pain'
    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Suffering In C. S. Lewis 'The Problem Of Pain'

    The topic of suffering probably is the hardest for me to bear as a Christian, because it is the result of evil in the world, and since God’s allowance of evil is hard to explain, it is an atheist’ best argument against Christian faith. My views on why God allows suffering are based on C.S. Lewis’ book “The Problem of Pain”. Lewis’ thoughts basically show that there is sufficient evidence that God is real and that pain exists because the all-powerful God created creatures that aren’t happy. Since the fall of man, we are never content with what we have and are always in on the pursuit of happiness that even our forefathers recognized. This explains evil in the world; that we feel like we deserve more than we have been given, so we fight for and take what we can get, often wickedly. Our general discontent leads to evil, which leads to…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Jfk Speech vs. Mlk Speech
    • 1352 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Jfk Speech vs. Mlk Speech

    The world is very different now, for man holds in his mortal hand the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God. We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution.…

    • 1352 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    A comparison of Augustinian Theodicy and Irenaean Theodicy
    • 1488 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A comparison of Augustinian Theodicy and Irenaean Theodicy

    The problem of evil is a significant and enduring philosophical and theological debate. A question is often raised and discussed: if God is both all-loving and all-powerful, then how can evils-including natural evil and moral evil---exist in our world? In response to the charge that the evils of the world are incompatible with God's omnipotence and perfect goodness, the word"theodicy" is coined to deal with the problem of evil. Usually it is an attempt to show that it is possible to affirm the omnipotence of God, the love of God, and the reality of evil without contradiction. Two of the most well-known and most frequently discussed theodicies are the Augustinian theodicy and the Irenaean theodicy.…

    • 1488 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Collins And Rowe's Argument For The Existence Of God
    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Collins And Rowe's Argument For The Existence Of God

    The question of whether there is a God has been debated by many philosophers, religious experts, and even your average citizens. Many of those people have attempted to argue why God is or is not real. This paper is going to present two different arguments by the philosophers: Robin Collins and William Rowe. The first argument by Collins is an argument for the existence of God, who designed our incredibly complex universe. The explanation of Collin’s argument will be followed by Rowe’s argument against the existence of God, which is in relation to intense suffering that exists in this world. With those two arguments at hand, the question is, are the conclusions compatible?…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Influence Of Paley's View On The Existence Of God
    • 2348 Words
    • 10 Pages

    The Influence Of Paley's View On The Existence Of God

    That raised deep questions about the compatibility of the existence of a benevolent, all-powerful deity with the reality of evil and suffering in the world. Many philosophers and theologians contend with the problem by examining various forms of evil, including moral evil (such as human actions) and natural evil (such as disease and natural disasters), and exploring possible responses, such as theodicies and defenses. The problem of evil continues to be intensely argued in the philosophical inquiry and debate, offering insights into the nature of divinity, human existence, and moral responsibility. And these will be the five personalities that will be the content of this discussion based on their own understanding of the problem of evil and suffering: David Hume, Gottfried Liebniz, Fyodor Dostoevsky, John Hick, and Alvin Plantiga. First, let me discuss David Hume.…

    • 2348 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    For What Reason Is the Problem of Evil a Problem for Religious Believers?
    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages

    For What Reason Is the Problem of Evil a Problem for Religious Believers?

    Probably the most powerful reason against the existence of The Classical God of Theism (hereafter referred to as God) is evil and suffering in the world. The problem of evil is an ‘a posterori’ argument, established from experience based on empirical senses. It is also synthetic as evil and suffering can be seen around us daily. There are a number of possible reasons for the problem of evil and why it causes a problem for religious believers, making it an inductive argument also. In his book Philosophy of Religion John Hick defined evil and suffering as “physical pain, mental suffering and moral wickedness”…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Supporting Arguments Of Theodicy
    • 1534 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Supporting Arguments Of Theodicy

    A rational belief in God, who is an omniscient, omnipotent and omnibenevolent, is not sustainable due to the evil which exists within the world. This central claim is supported by William Rowe’s evidential argument from evil and the factual premise, which explores instances of intense suffering which could have been prevented with the loss of good or by allowing further gracious evil that of moral and natural kind to occur. Theodicy objects the central claim and supporting argument by offering reasonings as to why God would allow instances of evil to occur and this notion is support by three primary supporting arguments of Theodicy. The first covers the concept of soul-making, the second is that of the free will of humans and the last is the…

    • 1534 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Jürgen Moltmann's Views On Suffering
    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Jürgen Moltmann's Views On Suffering

    Responding to the problems of suffering in the world and the atheist “protest against a detached, indifferent, and invulnerable God” (McGrath, 2017a, p. 185), German theologian Jürgen Moltmann developed a theology of suffering based on the suffering of the Father and the Son in the crucifixion of Christ. Far from being detached from the real world, as the atheists suggested, God is intimately involved in the lives of His children as reflected in His own suffering. “If God were really incapable of suffering,” Moltmann postulates, “he would also be as incapable of loving” (as cited in McGrath, 2017b, p. 192). God is not invulnerable and indifferent to human suffering; rather, He understands and empathizes with suffering because He Himself…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics