Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God

by Adams, Marilyn McCord

• ISBN13: 9780801486869
• ISBN10: 0801486866
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-10-01
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr

Summary

When confronted by horrendous evil, even the most pious believer may question not only life's worth but also God's power and goodness. A distinguished philosopher and a practicing minister, Marilyn McCord Adams has written a highly original work on a fundamental dilemma of Christian thought-how to reconcile faith in God with the evils that afflict human beings. Adams argues that much of the discussion in analytic philosophy of religion over the last forty years has offered too narrow an understanding of the problem. The ground rules accepted for the discussion have usually led philosophers to avert their gaze from the worst-horrendous-evils and their devastating impact on human lives. They have agreed to debate the issue on the basis of religion-neutral values, and have focused on morals, an approach that-Adams claims-is inadequate for formulating and solving the problem of horrendous evils. She emphasizes instead the fruitfulness of other evaluative categories such as purity and defilement, honor and shame, and aesthetics. If redirected, philosophical reflection on evil can, Adams's book demonstrates, provide a valuable approach not only to theories of God and evil but also to pastoral care.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	i
Introduction	1	(4)
Part One Deconstructing a Problem	5	(52)
Problems of Evil	7	(10)
Global Goodness and Its Limitations	17	(15)
The Dignity of Human Nature?	32	(25)
Part Two Conceptual Enrichments	57	(96)
Introduction to Part Two	59	(3)
Divine Agency, Remodeled	62	(24)
Purity and Defilement	86	(20)
Symbolic Value: Honor and Shame	106	(23)
Taste and See...	129	(24)
Part Three Resolution and Relevance	153	(50)
Resources to the Rescue	155	(26)
The Praxis of Evil	181	(22)
Conclusion: Horrors, Disruptive and Disrupting	203	(6)
Works Cited	209	(6)
Index	215