Evaluate this claim (15)
Process Theodicy was developed by David Griffin from 20th century Process
theology. Process theodicy is a theory that suggest God is not omnipotent. The
main basis behind the theory is that God did not create the universe ex nihilo,
but rather he crafted it out of pre-existing matter and that is why there are flaws.
This meant that God himself is part of the universe and is bound by natural laws,
therefore meaning he could not be omnipotent as he is not in full control.
Process theodicy believes Gods role in creation was to start of the evolutionary
process that led to the development of humans.
Process theodicy aims to solve the problem of evil by God’s lack of
omnipotence, as this would remove one part of Epircurus’ inconsistent triad. This
is because if God did not create the universe, then he therefore did not create
evil meaning that he is not responsible for the evil in the world.God not being
omnipotent means he has no control over evil, meaning God also suffers too and
this encourages people as they know God understand what they are going
through, meaning that evil will continue as God has no control. Process theodicy
suggests that the universe is better than no universe at all and that ultimately
the good in the universe outweighs the bad, therefore by having God also suffer
it may encourage others to join God in attempting to prevent evil.
However, Process Theodicy does not solve the problem of evil, as it does not
reflect on why God would have chosen to take the risk of starting the
evolutionary process. God not being omnipotent would have the knowledge that
he would not be able to control the process and its repercussions, meaning that
God should be held responsible for the occurrence of evil. God could have been
responsible and stopped suffering and evil by not starting of the evolutionary
process, which he has no control over. This does not solve the problem of evil, as
it only suggests God allowed to kickstart the problem of evil and let suffering
happen.
In addition to this, God not being omnipotent allows for people to be
discouraged. Although it is nice to perceive God as a sufferer to, it does not