After Auschwitz - World War II as a Stress Test for Theism
Table of Contents Introduction: World War II as a Historical Rupture The Problem of Evil After Auschwitz The Evolution of Theodicy as Historical Evidence WWII and the Rise of Naturalistic Explanations Religion as an Adaptive Human Institution The Cold War Fusion of Religion, Politics, and Economics The Strongest Theistic Objection: Development Is Not Refutation Why Theological Development Differs From Scientific Development The Criterion Problem Why the Naturalistic Explanation Is Stronger Conclusion: The Stress Test Failed World War II was not merely a challenge to religious belief because of the scale of suffering it produced. Rather, it functioned as a civilizational stress test on theism itself. The war exposed the inadequacy of traditional theodicies, accelerated the rise of naturalistic explanations in science and systems thinking, and triggered extensive revisions in theology, apologetics, and conceptions of Go...