Although religion and spirituality factor into many lives, research is scarce about how stress and traumatic events can impact and test an individual’s belief system.
In response to the question of why a loving God would allow suffering, Crystal Park, Ph.D, professor of psychological sciences at University of Connecticut, and a team of researchers developed a tool centered around theodicy.
The assessment tool measures to what degree people regard their difficult times to violate their understanding of God or where he is, according to Park.
“People want a stable environment and certainly health…so when something terrible happens, it creates a gap. Theodicy is the attempt to justify the co-existence or evil with God’s love,” she said.
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