A Theological Approach to the Holocaust: How can we maintain a belief in God in light of this atrocious act of evil?

Simpson, Paige Emily (2025) A Theological Approach to the Holocaust: How can we maintain a belief in God in light of this atrocious act of evil? Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

Preview

Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

The thesis is centred around the problem of evil, namely the Holocaust, and how this horrendous event impacts our belief in God. Specially, one of the aims is to show how theodicy is not adequate at addressing or solving the problem of evil, and quite frankly it isn't necessary. Theodicies do not deal with the problem of evil they simply explain it away, and in doing so forget to take the victims of suffering seriously. Theodicies are thus too insensitive and too theoretical; they focus too much on how we can reconcile the existence of evil, in this case the Holocaust, with a belief in a God who is perfectly good. We should not focus on justifying evils that cannot be explained meaningfully, but instead should find practical ways of overcoming evil and maintaining a belief in God. For, is there any theodicy good enough to justify the burning of children? To put it simply, we cannot possibly find an answer to satisfy everyone and so any attempt to do so is futile. The position I wish to endorse therefore, is one of anti-theodicy and one which approaches the problem of evil practically; trying to show that the suffering endured in the Holocaust cannot and should not be justified. Moving forward, instead of focusing on the God of the Philosophers (a God who is omnibenevolent, omniscient and omnipotent, and who is inconsistent with the existence of such evil) I propose we revert back to the classical Hebrew concept of God found within scripture, who is known for being capricious and for allowing suffering, but who is still worthy of worship. This way we can accept that there is evil and maintain a belief in a God that is more compatible with the Holocaust. For me, God of the Hebrew Bible is a more plausible option in the face of the evil for He is a God that allows for evil to exist for reasons outside of our finite knowledge, but who can still be believed in and worshipped, despite the events of the Holocaust. This research is an important addition to the sphere of knowledge because the Holocaust – and innocent suffering more broadly – is often seen as a barrier to faith, a barrier I think can be removed or lowered by a more theologically-sensitive approach to the problem.