Why You Experience Evil

This book explores the problem of evil. How does one define "evil?" How does evil arise? How might one find a sense of meaning and hope in the face of evil? How can one reconcile an experience of evil with one’s understanding of the cosmos and the sacred? Eight possible responses are examined. Each solution depends upon the priority that one assigns to various possible authorities and one''s speculative worldview. Three of the eight solutions offer arguments for rejecting the problem of evil on epistemological grounds. Five of the solutions are more straightforward in discussing omnipotence, goodness, and the ultimate reality of evil. Jansen also provides his own speculations and shows how his solution offers the most hope and meaning to those who have been the victims of horrendous evil. This book is unique in that a common language is used to parse the various authors’ terminology so that the pros and cons of each approach are readily apparent. This should be of interest to any professional theologian, but also to anyone who has ever wondered why we have experienced evil.