Trauma, theodicy and faith: maintaining religious beliefs in the Holocaust

ABSTRACT The experience of trauma presents significant challenges to the maintenance of religious faith. Here, we document the role of theodicy in “protecting” religious belief. We argue that the maintenance of religious faith is dependent on the availability of a theodicy framework which can assimilate evil. After defining the concept of theodicy, we critically overview those few studies looking at the relationships among trauma, theodicy, and religious belief. We then analyse the narratives of concentration camp inmates documenting their views pertaining to God and their suffering.