PHIL 201
ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS
In this module/week, we have been discussing arguments for the existence of God, as well as the
chief argument against God – the “problem of evil.” (It is assumed you have read ch. 13 in Dew
& Gould before beginning this assignment.) In this essay, you will consider three additional
articles related to the problem of evil in theism:
“The Absurdity of Life without God,” by Craig
“Suffering: Richard Dawkins Contra Jesus,” by Thomas
“The Plight of the New Atheism: A Critique” (only pages 822–823), by Habermas
Your assignment is to read these three items and then write an essay of at least 600 words (in
current MLA, APA, or Turabian format). While you are free to quote from sources, and you
must cite at minimum the 3 above readings, quotations will not count towards the minimum
word count. Your essay must address each of the questions below:
1. Compare and contrast the three readings: what are some philosophical similarities and
differences?
2. Can life have objective meaning without God? Defend your answer making reference
(pro or con) to the reading(s).
3. Could life be “good” without objective meaning? Defend your answer making reference
(pro or con) to the reading(s).
4. What effect do your conclusions regarding the problem of evil have, in your view, on the
philosophical case for God’s existence? Explain how and why.
Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 7.
Your assignment will be checked for originality via the SafeAssign plagiarism tool. Plagiarism
of any kind will result in a 0 for the assignment and may result in being dropped from the course.
Running head: GOD AND ATHEISM 1
The concept of God and atheism
Name
Institutional affiliation
GOD AND ATHEISM 2
The concept of God and atheism
Compare and contrast the three readings: what are some philosophical similarities and
differences?
For the longest time, the world has been in a debate on the number of answers as per the
understanding of the origin of not only people but also everything present on the planet. It then
brings in the perspective of God and atheism where God is a supreme being that is the author of
everything, and atheists are those who oppose that there is a supreme being. Habermas (2008)
focuses on the analysis of the work of Harris and the perception that he had on the existence of
God or a supreme being. To some extent, Harris even goes ahead to add that although there is a
possibility if there being a supreme being that is an author, there is no proof. Thomas (2018)
adds that the approach used for Jesus is to explain the notion of suffering which is seen all
through his life, and his explanation of a happy ending suits the need of everyone. Craig (n.d)
brings an opposing opinion and outlines that having a life without believing in God is pointless,
purposeless and has no value. There are, therefore, different opinions where only one and
particularly that of Craig argues that indeed there is a God.
Can life have objective meaning without God? Defend your answer making reference (pro or
con) to the reading(s)
There is a possibility that there would be objective in life without the belief in God, but
only if one does not ask themselves many questions about the origin of everything or even when
they give themselves an explanation and force it on their belief system. Habermas (2008) adds
that there a suggestion by Harris that indicates that the universe may have originated from an
alien supercomputer. It is among the explanations that a person can give themselves without any
GOD AND ATHEISM 3
form of historical writing or evidence that explains their theory, and with the explanation
answering all the questions that they have in regards to the origin of the universe, then it gets
them not to believe in God. They are then capable of having a life with an objective even without
the belief of having a God. Habermas (2008) also answers the question of morality and details
that
“We have already seen that both Hitchens and Harris insist that atheists can be just as moral
as Christians. Harris takes it a step further: he insists more than once that atheists can also
embrace "objective morality" and hold that some moral principles are simply grounded
objectively; therefore, rape, murder, and slavery are absolutely wrong (pp. 19, 23-25).”
It then gives the understanding that it is not necessary for someone to believe in God for
them to have a life that has an objective. The atheists have morals that are not bound by any
religion and still live their lives with objectives.
Could life be “good” without objective meaning? Defend your answer making reference (pro or
con) to the reading(s)
For one to fully live, they need to have an objective as it would be a life without any
value or meaning. Craig (n.d.) continues to add that a life without meaning is meant for only
death and that such a person has no value even to themselves leave alone doing the right thing
and having a purpose. It then becomes hard to live a life without objective meaning. From the
results, it is therefore clear that life would not be ‘good’ without objective meaning.
What effect do your conclusions regarding the problem of evil have, in your view, on the
philosophical case for God’s existence? Explain how and why.
GOD AND ATHEISM 4
God’s existence focuses on an explanation that would not only help in the understanding
of why there needs to be morals bit also why there is evil in the world. Through understanding
God, it brings the explanation of why there are bad events that take place in the world and that
there are also other moments when God makes things better. It is then an explanation of the issue
of evil that exists in the world. My explanation is that the world needs to have an explanation
that suits everything and every situation to give people hope and have them living a life with an
objective which is why I believe that there is a God which then answers the question of the
presence of evil and our existence on the planet.
GOD AND ATHEISM 5
References
Craig, W. The Absurdity of Life without God, 1-14. Retrieved from
https://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil3600/Craig.pdf
Habermas, G. (2008). The Plight of the New Atheism: A Critique. Journal Of The Evangelical
Theological Society, 51(4), 813-827. Retrieved from
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/58820834.pdf
Thomas, T. (2018). Suffering: Richard Dawkins Contra Jesus — Moral Apologetics. Retrieved 9
December 2019, from
https://www.moralapologetics.com/wordpress/2018/9/19/suffering-richard-dawkins-
contra-jesus
Running head: GOD AND ATHEISM 1
The concept of God and atheism
Name
Institutional affiliation
GOD AND ATHEISM 2
The concept of God and atheism
Compare and contrast the three readings: what are some philosophical similarities and
differences?
Can life have objective meaning without God? Defend your answer making reference (pro or
con) to the reading(s)
Could life be “good” without objective meaning? Defend your answer making reference (pro or
con) to the reading(s)
What effect do your conclusions regarding the problem of evil have, in your view, on the
philosophical case for God’s existence? Explain how and why.
GOD AND ATHEISM 3
References
Craig, W. The Absurdity of Life without God, 1-14. Retrieved from
https://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil3600/Craig.pdf
Habermas, G. (2008). The Plight of the New Atheism: A Critique. Journal Of The Evangelical
Theological Society, 51(4), 813-827. Retrieved from
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/58820834.pdf
Thomas, T. (2018). Suffering: Richard Dawkins Contra Jesus — Moral Apologetics. Retrieved 9
December 2019, from
https://www.moralapologetics.com/wordpress/2018/9/19/suffering-richard-dawkins-
contra-jesus
