The Big Picture

This section tackles the concepts of good and evil as viewed in different religious doctrines. It analyses the reasons behind why there is evil in the world if a benevolent God exists.
These discussions often involve the problem of evil, i.e. how just and compassionate deities can allow suffering in the world.
Different spiritual beliefs have varying interpretations of what constitutes ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Understanding these perspectives can enhance comparative religious knowledge.
Free will is a vast subject explored in this section. This concept proposes that humans have agency to make choices, causing both beneficial and harmful outcomes.
Redemption and forgiveness are key topics, focusing on the beliefs about how individuals can be forgiven for evil actions and be redeemed.
The concept of judgement is also explored here, including ideas of afterlife and divine judgement. Various beliefs exist on how this judgement takes place and its outcomes.
It’s noteworthy that different religious and non-religious beliefs have distinctive views on punishment, including retribution, deterrence, reform, and protection.
This section also addresses the subject of suffering. It looks at the origin, purpose, and end of suffering from different religious perspectives.
Utilizing examples, anecdotes and teachings from holy texts, this unit seeks to demonstrate the varying interpretations of these issues.
As one progresses through this section, it’s important to critically analyse these theological and philosophical discussions and form informed opinions.
Lastly, understanding these religious viewpoints on good, evil, suffering and judgement could help individuals in handling moral and ethical dilemmas in daily life.