Traditionally, theodicy does not refer to the problem of evil per se, but rather to intellectual devices that are seen to vindicate the claim that the world (or God) is just and holy. Originally applied only within the Christian theological tradition, Max Müller extended the idea of theodicy to encompass any feature of a belief system that acts to explain the injustices and trials of the world. In this light, the Buddhist belief in karma (kamma) and rebirth is a theodicy. The world itself is morally neutral, and good and evil are the products of human action. Even in a seeming 'natural' disaster, karma may be at work in the choice of who is or isn't harmed in the process (Note that contrary to popular belief, Buddhism does not regard karma as the only cause of events in the world, even those which intersect the lives of sentient beings)

Theodicy is seen as being a central feature of most religious faiths; the theory goes that in order to be succesful in the world, the Problem of Evil has to be addressed. In non-theistic traditions, or those that do not postulate a single omnipotent being, the problem of Evil is not "why is evil permitted? by God", but rather "why does evil exist in the world?". Other examples of theodicy are found in Confucian beliefs in the will or mandate of Heaven (the cosmos is orderly and good, but an unjust ruler introduces disharmony), animistic beliefs in nature spirits (bad growing seasons are the result of offended rain or harvest spirits) and, as someone mentioned above, the idea in Christianity that God may be unable to stop some actions from taking place, either due to inability (non-omnipotence) or as a consequence of free will (God created volcanos, but you chose to live under a volcano; God can't help you out without isolating you from the consequences of your choice, making free will somewhat superfluous).