The Thomistic Institute

How Could a Good God Allow Horrible Diseases? | Prof. Stephen Meredith

Jun 10, 2025
Join Stephen Meredith, a professor at the University of Chicago specializing in pathology and philosophy, as he tackles the challenging question of why a good God allows suffering, particularly through disease. He shares poignant personal anecdotes from medical training that deepen the exploration of human suffering. The discussion covers sickle cell anemia's genetic background and its evolutionary ties to malaria. Philosophical reflections on the Book of Job and insights from thinkers like Aquinas and Hume reveal a complex interplay between good, evil, and divine purpose.
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ANECDOTE

Author's Daughter's Tragic Leukemia

  • Peter de Ries wrote about his daughter's death from leukemia to question why a good God allows such suffering.
  • His novel "The Lord is the Lamb" explores this deep problem of evil and disease.
ANECDOTE

Sickle Cell Anemia and Evolution

  • Stephen Meredith shared a story about Sylvester, a boy with sickle cell anemia, explaining the biology behind it.
  • He discussed how the mutation that causes the disease has a balancing evolutionary advantage against malaria.
INSIGHT

The Classic Problem of Evil

  • The problem of evil questions why evil exists if God is all-powerful and all-good.
  • This trilemma challenges God's omnipotence, goodness, or the existence of evil itself.
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