ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Theodicy and the Bible

Okay, so imagine that you and your friend are playing a game. One of the rules of the game is that you can't touch a certain object in the room. But then you accidentally touch the object and your friend gets upset with you. You might feel bad that you broke the rule and caused your friend to be upset. That's kind of like what theodicy is about.

Theodicy is a big word that means trying to figure out why bad things happen in the world if there is a good God who made everything. People have been asking this question for a long time, and it's something that many religious people think about.

The Bible is a very important book for many religions, especially for Christians. It tells stories about how God created the world and how people should live. But the Bible also talks about bad things happening to good people. For example, there are stories about people getting sick, losing their homes, or even being killed.

People who study theodicy and the Bible try to understand why bad things happen even though God is supposed to be good. Some people think that bad things happen because we have free will, which means we can make choices that can hurt ourselves or others. Others think that bad things happen because the world is imperfect and broken, and we have to work to make it better.

So, to sum it up, theodicy is about trying to understand why bad things happen if God is supposed to be good. People who study the Bible also think about this question and try to figure out why bad things happen to good people in the stories it tells.