A philosophical, scientific, and theological analysis of the problem of creaturely suffering: towards a new perception of God and pain

The processes of Neo-Darwinian evolution have been used to argue against the existence of the loving God portrayed in the Judeo-Christian Bible. Philosopher William Rowe presents this as the Evidential Problem of Natural Evil which claims 1) that there is unnecessary widespread suffering in nature, 2) that a benevolent and omnipotent God would not allow such suffering, and therefore 3) such a God does not exist. Paul Draper uses inference to the best explanation to conclude that the Hypothesis of Indifference (atheism) has more explanatory power regarding the character of the universe than does the Hypothesis of Theism (Judeo-Christian belief). This study understands the complex problem of creaturely suffering as deeply interdisciplinary and analyzes it accordingly. First, theological responses to human and non-human suffering are reviewed and critiqued, including Greco-Roman influenced “Fall” interpretations of Genesis 1–3 which implicitly make the scientifically untenable claim that creaturely pain and biological death on Earth originated 6,000 years ago with Adam and Eve’s sin. Second, the scientific literature is 1) consulted to evaluate the accuracy of popular and academic views of unnecessary suffering in nature which undermine Judeo-Christian claims that God is loving, and 2) used to illustrate God’s providential care through natural pain-mitigating processes. Third, Martin Buber’s “I-Thou” relational theology, the Book of Job, and the brain opioid theory of social attachment are employed to show that loving, empathetic relationships with God and others mitigate the experience of pain in both human and non-human sufferers. With research from varied academic fields, a theodicy emerges suggesting that God created the phenomenon of pain for both biological and relational purposes so that the children of God may be revealed (Rom 8:19–22)