Theodicies Flashcards

Question

Explain why humans are sinful, for Augustine.

Answer 1

When adam and eve disobeyed God there was a transmission of sin. from this humans became ontologically sinful and could do not behave morally. There is also a privation of good meaning that where good was it is no longer there.

Answer 2

because of humanity's lust for power or libidio dominandi where humans seek their own lives over Gods

Answer 3

There was a barrier made between Gods goodness and humanity

Answer 4

Augustine believed that evil can exist alongside God because it exists due to humanities miss use of freewill. God is a perfect being thus his creations reflect this perfection so God is not at fault for the fall of man. God gave humans the gift of free will as he wanted them to love him autonomously but when adam and eve missused this there was a transmission of sin. 'seminally present in the loins of adam'. This created a barrier between Gods goodness and humans. After this humans became ontologically sinful and could no longer act good. Also there was a privation of God created by humans lust for power.

Answer 5

explains both moral and natural evil would be appreciated by literalists

Answer 6

It seems unjust that humans would suffer the consequences of the first people, if we can question Gods fairness can we question his benevolence and omnipotence too Epicurus Mackie Schleiermacher postulated two questions. How can a perfect world go so wrong and how can people and angels who live amongst God become evil. so, God made an imperfect world, or he enabled it to go wrong. Based on an outdated interpretation of Genesis and even disproven - dawkins and evolution

Answer 7

evidential = a posteriori a priori = logical

Answer 8

there is evidence to show that natural disasters occured during the early forming of the earth - before humans Schleiermacher postulated two questions. How can a perfect world go so wrong and how can people and angels who live amongst God become evil.

Answer 9

Augustine = soul deciding Irenaeus and hick = soul making

Answer 10

Irenaeus believed the world was intentionally made imperfect by a perfect God. This is because evil is necessary to grow closer into the likeness of God We have all been created in the image of God, Free will is an essential component of what it means to be made in God's image. Irenaeus argued that humans must develop into the likeness of God through using our free will to make the right choice. by choosing the good we develop as moral people and grow closer to God but only if choosing evil is possible does this choice actually become virtuous. Irenaeus also argued for aesthetic quality of evil, must know evil to know good. Irenaeus describes Adam and eve growing from immaturity to maturity as do humans and generationally society and humanity will improve.

Answer 11

Influenced by John Keats (poet) from whom he borrows the idea that the world is the "vale of soul-making." Disputed the story of Adam and Eve as a myth that reveals truth about the nature of God and his relationship with humanity rather than as a historical event. Hick argues that God allows an 'epistemic distance' (knowledge gap) between God and humans and that this is necessary. If God were not 'distant' from us then we would have no free will. we would have no freedom to choose in moral matters if God did not distance himself from us we would have indisputable knowledge of God's existence which would take away our choice to enter into a free relationship with him. God therefore intends for his existence to be ambiguous. Hick's theory relies on the existence of a life after death (heaven) Believed that the 'all-important aspect' of Irenaean theodicies is the belief that although we do not necessarily understand what happens to us now, everything will be resolved after death

Answer 12

we can observe humanity improving genorationally The view of creation presented by Irenaeus is radically at odds with the Biblical account in which man is created perfectly. It is certainly not to be considered wholly 'orthodox' The quantity and gravity of suffering is out of proportion to rewards. Even if suffering is necessary it could be restricted. For example, if Jews had to die in the Holocaust why not 1 million instead of 6 million? D Z Phillips argues that it is never justifiable to harm someone in order to help them. process theodicy God suffers with us bertrand russel Surely suffering cannot be an expression of God's love bonhoeffer in the costly desciple argued that to suffer allows us to follow christ who also entered suffering at the fault of human evil

Answer 13

Can the end justify the means? Is it satisfactory to state that all the suffering experienced within the world is justifiable because it will lead to knowledge of God and moral perfection. wishful thinking not scriptural - excluciism and luther The concept of heaven for all is unjust and it does not correspond with biblical view of eternal punishment The quantity and gravity of suffering is out of proportion to rewards. Even if suffering is necessary it could be restricted. For example, if Jews had to die in the Holocaust why not 1 million instead of 6 million? D Z Phillips argues that it is never justifiable to harm someone in order to help them. Surely suffering cannot be an expression of God's love?

Answer 14

The ambiguity of God means we have an honest free relationship with him as it takes a 'leap of faith' as said by kierkegard to believe. Thus, evil exists so we can choose Gods existence and believe in him swinburne ' we would never learn the art of goodness in a world designed as a complete paradise' doesnt rely on the story of genesis attractive idea

Answer 15

God exists temporally and has indefinite knowledge of the future because he cannot know what is logically impossible to know. Therefore cannot know how humans use their free will. And will not know suffering.

Theodicies Flashcards

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