Theodicy

1
Theodicy

• Jay M. Uomoto, Ph.D.
• Seattle Pacific University

2
Suffering

• Media vita in morte sumus querm quaerimus
  adiutorem, nisi te domine?
• Lament of human suffering and a call for Divine
  intervention
• The poor in spirit is more content and joyful
  when in want, for he has made nothingness his
  all, and found in it fullness and freedom of
  heart in everythingLive in faith and hope even
  though you are in darkness, for in this darkness
  God enfolds the soul. Case your cares upon God,
  for you are his, and he will never forget you.
  St. John of the Cross

3
Suffering

• Joy in suffering Kierkegaard
• Thy silence Kierkegaard
• Davidic Psalter dealt with themes of death,
  suffering, laments, praise and triumph through
  faith and intervention of God
• Psalm 13
• The Psalms of Solomon (Jewish Pseudepigrapha)

4
Suffering

• St. John of the Cross
• This is the first and principal benefit caused by
  this arid and dark night of contemplation the
  knowledge of oneself and of ones
  misery.Vexation makes us to understand how the
  soul that is empty and disencumbered, as is
  necessary for His Divine influence, is
  disencumbered, and is necessary for His Divine
  influence, is instructed supernaturally by God in
  His Divine wisdom, through this dark and arid
  night of contemplation

5
Suffering

• The Gospel of Suffering Kierkegaard
• Eric Cassel The Nature of Suffering and the
  Goals of Medicine
• Suffering occurs when an impending destruction
  of the person is perceived it continues until
  the threat of disintegration has passed or until
  the integrity of the person can be restored in
  some other mannersuffering can be defined as the
  state of severe distress associated with events
  that treaten the intactness of the person (.33)
• All the aspects of personhoodare susceptible to
  damage and loss (p.43).

6
Suffering

• Hippocratic Oath
• I will use my power to help the sick to the best
  of my ability and judgment I will abstain from
  harming or wronging any man by it.
• Beneficence
• Non-maleficence

7
Suffering

• Compassion
• Latin pati and cum
• to suffer with
• Francis W. Peabody The Care of the Patient.
  JAMA 1927 88 877-882
• The key to caring for patientsis caring for
  patients.