Publisher's Synopsis
Man has struggled for thousands of years to understand the presence of evil in the world, especially in light of the belief most of humanity has of God. From the earliest of times when life was difficult and often full of suffering, the question about safety and protection of the gods for pagans and Jehovah for the Jews has been to understand why divine intervention seems to be missing for many people. Even Christians in the early church struggled with this issue. From a moral and spiritual perspective, even deeper questions have been asked such as why would a good God allow evil to triumph? If there is a God, why doesn't He intervene and not allow the death of innocent lives? How can a loving creator allow evil to take place for so long?
The doctrine of theodicy, or the philosophy of how to explain why evil exists in a world created by a good and all-powerful God, has been debated for almost two millennia, beginning with theologians in early church during the first few centuries after Jesus lived on earth. The term is derived from two Greek words - theos, meaning "god" and dike, meaning "justice." It is the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil. Theodicy attempts to reconcile God's goodness and power with the existence of evil, and it suggests reasons why God who is a loving and powerful deity might allow harm, suffering and loss, showing how those divine attributes can be upheld despite evil being present.
