The problem of evil and suffering for belief in a loving and righteous God, and the divergent biblical, theoretical and practical solutions offered.

What this dot point is asking

Edexcel wants you to explain why evil and suffering create a problem for belief in a loving and righteous God, the difference between moral and natural suffering, and the divergent biblical, theoretical and practical solutions Christians offer, along with how successful those solutions are. This is one of the most important Evaluate topics in the Christianity beliefs section.

Why suffering is a problem

Christians believe God is omnipotent, benevolent (all loving) and righteous (perfectly good and just). Evil and suffering seem to challenge these beliefs.

Christians distinguish two kinds of suffering. Moral suffering (or moral evil) is caused by the free choices of human beings, such as murder, theft, cruelty and war. Natural suffering (or natural evil) is caused by the way the world is, such as earthquakes, floods, famine and disease, with no human choice behind it. Natural suffering is the harder case, because the free will of humans cannot explain it. Edexcel expects you to state the problem fairly before answering it, because a strong evaluation depends on setting out the objection clearly.

Biblical and theoretical solutions

Christians offer divergent solutions, which the specification groups as biblical, theoretical and practical. A good answer gives more than one.

The Bible itself wrestles with suffering. The Book of Job tells of a good man who suffers terribly yet keeps his faith, and in the end trusts God without receiving a full explanation, teaching believers to trust God in suffering. Psalm 119 expresses trust in God's law and goodness even in distress. Saint Paul writes that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3 to 4), supporting the soul-making idea. Crucially, Christians point to the cross: in Jesus, God does not stand apart from suffering but enters it and suffers himself, which shows a loving God who shares human pain rather than ignoring it. Some also appeal to mystery, trusting that an all-knowing God has reasons beyond human understanding and that good can come from evil.

Practical solutions and how successful they are

Beyond theory, Christians respond to suffering in practical ways. They turn to prayer, asking for strength, comfort and healing, and trusting God in hard times. They give to charity and work to relieve suffering, following Jesus' command to love one's neighbour and the example of the Good Samaritan. Belief in the afterlife and judgement also brings hope that wrongs will finally be put right and that suffering is not the final word.

For the exam, you must also weigh how successful these solutions are. The free will defence answers moral suffering well, but critics say it does not explain natural suffering, since earthquakes involve no free choice. Soul-making explains how suffering can build character, but critics ask why some suffering seems pointless or destroys rather than builds people. The cross shows God shares in suffering, which comforts believers, but does not by itself remove the problem. So a strong Evaluate answer presents the solutions, tests them against natural suffering in particular, and reaches a justified conclusion about whether suffering is a genuine challenge that Christians can answer or a decisive disproof of God. Most Christians treat it as a serious challenge they can meet, not a proof that God does not exist.