Augustinian Type Theodicies Flashcards
What does it mean if god was omniscient and omnipotent?
That god would have known in advance that the angels would rebel and that the humans would fall and he didnt do anything to stop it. This would suggest that God is at least partially responsible for the existence of evil/ privation of good in the created order. It can be argued that the logical world we live in today would not accept these inconsistencies within the theodicy and therefore the Augustinian type theodicies are irrelevant in the 21st century.
How can this argument be furthered?
This argument can be furthered by the fact that the Augustinian type theodicies presume an acceptance of the belief in the existence of angels. Yet this is unlikely in the 21st century as there is no empirical evidence to support such beings. This belief would therefore be too fantastical to be taken seriously today.
What is the issue with the view of evil as a privation?
It means that everything existed in a state of goodness and perfection and that only by a disruption of this was the lack of goodness found. However, it can be argued that there is more than a lack of goodness in the world as evils presence is very real and so are it’s effects. So, suggesting that evil is purely a lack of goodness seems to be a naive opinion rather than reality.
What is the issue with salvation?
The salvation of human beings due to the sacrifices of Jesus is a comfort to those of Christian faith. However, for people outside of this faith there is no comfort, and since this salvation is only offered to those who believe and society is becoming more secular then this salvation is not relevant to the majority of people it the 21st century.
What is the conclusion?
In conclusion, despite the appeal the Augustinian type theodicies have on those from a Christian faith, they lack the scientific and logical credibility to be truly relevant in the 21st century.
