Week 9

Chapter 7 - What About Suffering?

Class Date: October 15, 2025

Introduction

In the previous chapters, we looked at evidences for God. Think about what you have learned in the chapters listed below and try to come up with some basic concepts you can remember to solidify your understanding of the chapters.

Starting with Chapter 8, we begin looking at evidence for the specific claims of Christianity. But before we do that, we're going to examine in Chapter 7 the question of "What About Suffering?"

There's No Evidence that God Exists!

In this section, Dr. Craig reminds us that if an atheist says there's no evidence that God exists, you can use one or more of the arguments mentioned above. He reminds us that it's a good idea to memorize the arguments we have learned so far.

I think another interesting point made in this section is the statement that "even if there were no evidence for God's existence, that that's no proof that God does not exist." You may have heard the phrase: "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."

Atheism Redefined as Absence of Belief

Before discussing the problem of suffering, Dr. Craig deals with the concept of atheism and the fact that many atheists prefer to use a different definition for atheism than what many associate with the term.

Many atheists are no longer stating that atheism is a belief that there is no God. Rather, they'll assert that atheism is a lack of belief in God. Or to state it another way, they'll say that atheism is not believing there is a God (or gods).

As you can see, there is a difference between saying, "I believe there is no God" and "I don't believe there is a God." In casual conversation, people may use these statements interchangeably, but in philosophical debate or precise argumentation, the difference is important: Not believing a claim is not logically equivalent to believing the opposite of that claim. For example, not being convinced that a jar of coins has an even number of coins does not mean believing it has an odd number.

The proposition that atheism is the belief that there is no God is known as positive or strong atheism. On the other hand, the form of atheism that says atheism is not believing there is a God is known as negative or weak atheism.

Whereas strong or positive atheism is an active belief that there is no God, negative or weak atheism is a stance of withholding judgment; it involves not making a judgment one way or another about whether God exists. Technically, an atheist who is a weak atheist is suspending belief until more evidence comes in.

Strong vs Weak Atheism, and the Nontheist

  • The use of the terms strong/positive atheism and weak/negative atheism is described in this article - Atheism and Agnosticism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
  • Also, this article provides a good argument as why the term “atheism” should refer to the traditional sense of the term, that is, that it means a belief that there is no God, and that a person who does not have a belief that there is a God (or gods) should be called a nontheist.

Why Some Atheists Have Redefined Atheism
By redefining atheism, atheists are attempting to shift the burden of proof over to the theist. They are saying that there may or may not be a good reason to believe that God exists, and they aren't going to commit one way or the other.

They argue that if the theist wants the atheist to believe there is a God, it's the theist's responsibility to convince them. In other words, it's not the atheist's responsibility to argue that God doesn't exist; rather, it is the responsibility of the theist to convince the atheist that God does exist.

The Argument from Suffering

Let me say from the outset that in the limited amount of time and space that we have, it's impossible to cover this topic thoroughly. Entire books and courses have been developed on this topic. (For those who want to delve into this topic more thoroughly, see the section, Digging Deeper at the end of this webpage.)

Versions of the Problem of Suffering.

In this section, Dr. Craig points out that we must make a distinction between the intellectual problem and the emotional problem posed by suffering. As he states, "the intellectual problem concerns whether it's plausible to think that God and suffering can coexist. The emotional problem concerns people's dislike of a God who would permit suffering" (p.195, Kindle).

Dr. Craig believes that for most people, the problem of suffering is an emotional, not an intellectual, problem. He goes to say, “Their unbelief is born, not out of refutation, but out of rejection” (p.195, Kindle).

- Gen Z, Atheism, and the Problem of Evil

According to this article, Gen Z, Atheism, and The Problem of Evil – Is Christianity True?, Generation Z, those people born between 1999 and 2015, are twice as likely to be an atheist as the general population.

Barna asked Gen Z young adults why they were more likely to be atheistic. Barna states, "Teens, along with young adults, are more likely than older Americans to say the problem of evil and suffering is a deal breaker for them. It appears that today’s youth, like so many throughout history, struggle to find a compelling argument for the existence of both evil and a good and loving God."

Intellectual Problem of Suffering

Dr. Craig explains in this section that is the atheist's responsibility to shoulder the burden of proof when discussing the problem of suffering. It's the atheist who is claiming that suffering and God cannot coexist.

Two versions of the Intellectual Problem of Suffering

Logical Version: "It's Logically Impossible for God and Suffering to Coexist"

Suffering and Evil: The Logical Problem - YouTube

With this version of the argument, the atheist is claiming that it’s not possible for these two statements both be true:

  1. An all-loving, all-powerful God exists.
  2. Suffering exists.

But Dr. Craig states, “There’s no explicit contradiction between them.” He goes on to say that since these two statements do not logically contradict each other, there must be some hidden assumptions that would make them contradictory.

Dr. Craig states that there seems to be two hidden assumptions:
3. If God is all-powerful, He can create any world that He wants.
4. If God is all-loving, He prefers a world without suffering.

It is pointed out that from these two statements, one could argue that God can and wants to create a world without suffering. So, it follows that world would not have suffering. But since suffering does occur, it follows that God does not exist.

So, in order for the atheist to show that statements 1 and 2 are logically inconsistent, he has to show that both statements 3 and 4 are necessarily true.

So, now, let’s examine statements 3 and 4 to see if they are necessarily true.

Statement 3 states, "If God is all-powerful, He can create any world that He wants." The question is, "Is that true?" It's not true if people are going to have free will (the capability of doing what they want). God can't make a world that consists of people who never do anything bad and at the same time have free will. If people have free will, then they can choose to do things that God doesn't want them to do. So assumption 3 is not necessarily true.

Statement 4 states, "If God is all-loving, He prefers a world without suffering." This isn't necessarily true, because God may have reasons for allowing suffering in the world. He may allow suffering in order to bring about a greater good.

In the article, The Problem of Evil, Greg Welty brings out some possible reasons[1] that God may allow suffering and evil:

Can God and suffering coexist? Dr. Craig states that it's possible to come up with a statement that claims suffering and God can coexist. He proposes this statement:

  1. "God could not have created another world with as much good as, but less suffering than, this world, and God has good reasons for permitting the suffering that exists" (p.157).

He goes on to say, "If statement 5 is even possibly true, it shows that it's possible that God and suffering both exist. And it surely is plausible that 5 is possibly true" (p.157).

Evidential or Probability Version: "It's Improbable That God Could Have Good Reasons for Permitting Suffering"

Suffering and Evil: The Probability Version - YouTube

With the evidential view of the problem of suffering, the atheist claims that it is improbable that God exists. More specifically, it is claimed that it is highly improbable that God could have good reasons for allowing suffering in the world. The atheist argues that the suffering we see in the world seems unnecessary and pointless.

In response to this claim, Dr. Craig offers three main points.

Human Limitations
"First, we're not in a position to say that it's improbable that God lacks good reasons for permitting the suffering in this world" (p.200, Kindle).

Remember, for the evidential view of the problem of suffering, the atheist is claiming that it is improbable that God exists in light of the fact that suffering exists in the world. So, the question that must be asked in order to evaluate this claim is whether we're "warranted in inferring that because the suffering looks unjustified it really is unjustified" (p.201, Kindle). As Dr. Craig points out, we're finite beings who are "limited in space and time, in intelligence and insight" (p.201, Kindle).

The Full Scope of the Evidence
"Second, relative to the full scope of the evidence, God's existence is probable" (p.204, Kindle).

When you take into consideration all the evidence for and against the existence of God, the question might be asked, is it more probable or less probable that God exists.

Suffering Makes More Sense under Christian Doctrine
"Third, Christianity entails doctrines that increase the probability of the coexistence of God and suffering" (p.207, Kindle).

Dr. Craig list four doctrines that increase the probability of suffering:

  1. "The chief purpose of life is not happiness, but the knowledge of God" (p.207, Kindle).
    Suffering seems to be a problem for some people because they naturally assume that if God exists, then God's purpose for human life is happiness in this life. But God's purpose for us is not happiness. Rather, the goal of the Christian life is the knowledge of God, which "in the end will bring true and everlasting human fulfillment" (p.207, Kindle).
  2. "Mankind is in a state of rebellion against God and His purpose" (p.210, Kindle).
    The fact that there are human evils is a reflection of man's depravity and alienation with God. Christians aren't surprised by the presence of moral evil in the world.
  3. "God's purpose is not restricted to this life but spills over beyond the grave into eternal life" (p.211, Kindle).
    "When God asks His children to bear horrible suffering in this life, it is only with the prospect of a heavenly joy and recompense that is beyond all comprehension." (p.211). See 2 Corinthians 6:4-5. "The longer we spend in eternity, the more the sufferings of this life will shrink by comparison toward an infinitesimal moment" (p.211, Kindle).
  4. "The knowledge of God is an incommensurable good" (p.213, Kindle).
    In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Paul compares the length of time in this life, which may involve pain and suffering, to the length of time found in eternal life with God. But in verse 18, in particular, he points out that the things that are seen are temporary, while the things that are unseen are eternal. He is exhorting us to focus on those things, like the knowledge of God, that are of eternal value.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18, CSB

“Therefore, we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, CSB)

Emotional Problem of Suffering

Let me encourage you to read this section carefully and meditate on what Dr. Craig says in the last paragraph of this section.

“Paradoxically, then, even though the problem of suffering is the greatest objection to the existence of God, at the end of the day God is the only solution to the problem of suffering. If God does not exist, then we are locked without hope in a world filled with pointless and unredeemed suffering. God is the final answer to the problem of suffering, for He redeems us from evil and takes us into the everlasting joy of an incommensurable good: fellowship with Himself” (p.220, Kindle).

If you would like to read a wonderful book, read Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller.

Walking with God through Pain and Suffering.jpg|200

For those who want to go deeper into the problem of evil, a thorough and philosophical coverage of the topic is found in Chapter 29 - “The Problem of Evil” in Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview by William Lane Craig and J.P. Moreland.

Digging Deeper

The following is a list of resources to consider and does not necessarily indicate their endorsement.

Generation Z and the Problem of Evil

Why is there Evil?

Why is there Suffering?

Dealing with Suffering

Footnotes

  1. See the section titled "Four popular theodicies have some biblical basis" in the article, The Problem of Evil ↩︎