Post Holocaust Theodicy

Few arguments are more common in the debate about the existence of God than asking why an all-powerful being allows evil to exist. The most common example of evil in the world is that of the Holocaust. Many have asked why a loving, benevolent God would allow the slaughter of millions of his children. Trying to explain this is a school of thought known as post Holocaust theodicy.

The Holocaust and theodicy

It is difficult to reconcile a kindly God with the horrors of mass slaughter. One of the most powerful movements, particularly in the Jewish faith, is that as mortals, human beings do not understand the nature of evil. What might seem abominable here on Earth might not seem cruel to God's eyes. Much like a child thinks punishment is vicious, but the parent knows it is healthy, mortals might not understand that God is actually doing what is right in allowing tragedies such as the Holocaust.

Misotheism

Another popular school of thought is that of misotheism. This ideology does not doubt the existence of God. It actually translates literally to "hatred of God." Those that subscribe to misotheism have chosen to renounce God's acts, such as the Holocaust. The idea behind this philosophy is to punish God by refusing to return his love because of his betrayals. Many that subscribe to misotheism believe that if God does not understand the error of His ways, it is up to human beings to show it to him.

Whether declaring that mortals cannot understand the divine, or proclaiming their disgust with God, very few people fully renounced God's existence after the Holocaust, even among those who survived it. The impact merely expanded the study of theodicy into new areas.