Augustinian Theodicy Flashcards
According to Augustine, IfGod is a good God, then…
Everything he creates must be good too.
What is the central theme to Augustine’s theodicy?
God made the world creation ex nihilo.
According to Augustine, if all things are good then…
Evil is not a thing. It is decay: the going-wrong of something inherently good.
According to Augustine, what do we call evil?
Sin.
What is the original sin, according to Aquinas?
Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit.
Augustine maintains that we are all seminally present in Adam - what does this mean?
We can’t inherit perfection because he is no longer perfect.
According to Augustine, what does God do because he is a good God?
Provides mankind with salvation. If we choose to follow God’s will and accept Jesus Christ, then we can live eternal life.
What is Augustine’s theory called?
Soul-deciding Theodicy
What are Schliermacher’s three errors with Augustine’s theory?
Logical error
Scientific error
Moral error
What is the logical error?
How can a perfect world go wrong?
What is the scientific error?
Augustine’s theodicy is in conflict with Darwinian evolution which maintains that we are improving.
What is the moral error?
How could God allow evil to occur in the first place?
JL Mackie criticises Augustine by stating that:
He could of made us any way he liked, so why give us such a natural tendency to do evil?
