1 ANIMALS AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL IN RECENT THEODICIES

The problem of evil is unanswered and puzzling to the majority of philosophers and Christian theists who address theodicy, and in the way it is articulated, the question cannot be truly resolved. The answers conceive God according to Biblical traditions, as if we can comprehend the full meanings of total omnipotence, all loving and all knowing. If God exists and these three attributes are aspects of his being or essence, then why is there moral and nonmoral evil in the world? Why does he not prevent it? Firstly, this paper shall question and discuss only a few of John Hick’s flaws in his theodicy because the late Roland Puccetti has attacked many of his problems and fallacies in his well argued paper “The Loving God—Some Observations on John Hick’s Evil and God of Love.”1 More importantly, we shall explore why a loving powerful God permits suffering, pain, and early deaths to millions of animals for seemingly no reason. Richard Swinburne’s response and the answers of process theodicy are also critically addressed. This paper argues that if God exists, his love for humanity does not entail loving each and every human, just as our love for some animal species does not necessitate loving every single animal. Considered this way, God’s love 1 Puccetti, R. (April, 1967). The loving God – some observations on John Hick’s Evil and the God of love. Religiou