Christianity

The Megaphone Response to the Logical Problem of Evil

by Leave a Comment

Assume for the sake of argument that God allows evil for our own good: what if we don't want that? The Megaphone Response holds that the only thing that is truly desirable for us requires us to experience evil, so it's not the case that we don't want God to allow it.

NOTES

Megaphone Response

  1. The things of this world can at best provide temporary, limited happiness
  2. We most deeply desire inexhaustible happiness
  3. So, the things of this world cannot provide what we most deeply desire
  4. Only an eternal, infinitely good, immortal-making being could provide inexhaustible happiness
  5. Only God is an eternal, infinitely good, immortal-making being
  6. So, only God can provide what we most deeply desire
  7. We are easily deceived into futilely pursuing happiness through the things of this world
  8. Evil shocks into disillusionment with the good things in this world and forces us to pursue something different
  9. So, possibly one reason God allows evil is that we need it to refocus on what will truly satisfy our desire for happiness
  • O1: I don't want this disillusionment
    • R1: it's important enough to give anyway

Further Reading

C. S. Lewis "The Problem of Pain"