Augustine’s theodicy

Question 1

st augustine

Answer 1

-(354-430CE)
-bishop of hippo regius in n africa
-teachings r influenced throughout christianity
-believed when god create world he looked at his creation+saw it was gd
-creation-lucifer was serpent
-misuse of freewill causes downfall from perfection mankind is directly responsible for imperfection w/in the world

Question 2

augustine on evil

Answer 2

-‘evil is privatio boni’: a privation of good
-to explain what evil is augustine draws aristotle who says darkness is absence of light
-evil=absence of gd
-free wills most important when it comes to evil n suffering
-w freedom theres consequences
-he took a literal interpretation of story of fall

Question 3

consequences of adam n eve disobedience

Answer 3

-we all deserve to suffer bc all humans were terminally present in ‘lions of adam’
-for natural world= perfect world into imperfcet one-why theres natural disasters
-he believed in hell which will be fate of wicked incl lucifer. good+righteous=eternal life in heaven
-to understand existence of evil he callled it ‘soul deciding’

Question 4

salvation from suffering

Answer 4

-possible owing to the sacrifice of christ+if we follow christ then all apperent suffering will pale in comparison to glory of heaven
-humanity fate=decided by offer of salvation as result of adams sin.
-why AT refered to as soul defining

Question 5

key points of his theodicy

Answer 5

-god=good n made a flawless world ‘ex nilho’ (out of nothing) genesis 1
-humans n angels were created w free will
-evil is created when this free will is used to turn from god to a lesser good
-evil is not a subsatnce but a privation of good
-natural evill is deserved suffering in response to adams sin
-moral evil was cause of natural evil, its a disorder introduced into gods natural world

Question 6

strengths

Answer 6

-expl for evil
-evil=evil from r prespective
-god isnt responsible for mans choices
evil isnt og part of his work
-values freewill as best choice god could have made for man kind
-its compatible w genesis account of creation, it would therefore appeal to christians who accept authority of bible as word of god
-protects his omnipotence/benevolence as moral responsibility rests w humanity free will (support genesis creation story)

Question 7

strengths

link to design argument

Answer 7

-evil n suffering have a purpose as suggest by DA: the presence of evil distinguishes between good n evil is a necessary part of creation which overall=good

Question 8

weakness

Answer 8

-no proof
-created saton n the tree n apples
-evil more definet in privation of good
-doesnt fit from evolution
-moral: how can loving gd allow it, (isnt theological or fair)
-logical:* FDE schlier macker*= its a logical contradiction to say a perfect world could go wrong
-scientific: belief in genesis creation story is strongly challenged by evolution ‘seminically present in adam’
-his selection for some ppl shows irrational inconsistency=questions gods goodness