There are many positions that you can take on the issue of Gods existence. God could be generally understood to be an all-knowing, all-powerful, and perhaps all-good being that created all things. We are not talking about any particular religious conception of a God, but a general, mono-theistic one.
Theists believe that God exists. To be a theist, you do not need to be part of any specific (organized) religion. So, you can reject Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam, for instance, and yet still be a theist.
Atheists believe that God does not exist. So, on the issue of whether or not God exists, they are like the theists in having a position on the issue. However, unlike the theists, the atheist position is the opposite of the theists position. The atheist position is that God does not exist.
Agnostics do not have a belief either way. They are unsettled on the issue. The do not have the belief that God exists, and they also do not have the belief that God does not exist. They dont have a belief either way, and so they do not have a position on the issue of whether or not God exists. The typical reason that some people are agnostics is that they believe that they do not have enough evidence or reasons for believing that there is a God or that there is no God.
1. What is your own position on the issue of whether or not God exists? Explain in a paragraph or two what your view is on the issue, and explain the reasons supporting your view.
2. AFTER you have written out your view, carefully read the following short essay <God and Evil>.
3. Explain the argument in the short essay.
4. Critically assess the argument: is it any good? Are there problems? Where is there a problem? Which premise is problematic? Note that even if you agree with the conclusion, you can still criticize the argument – you can point out weak premises, where objections can be raised, what parts can be improved, etc.
