Good and Evil Flashcards
Define Evil
(2 marks)
St Augustine defines Evil as the absence of good (privatio boni)
And it can be both moral and natural
Also the impulse to seek our own desires with disregard for the consequences
This causes suffering
Define Suffering
(2 marks)
Suffering is the consequence of both moral and natural evil
which inflicts pain, hurt or loss
Define Privation
(2 marks)
Lack/absence of
Augustine defines Evil as the privation of good
Define Goodness
(2 marks)
The quality of being like God
which includes “loving thy neighbour as thyslef”
and following Jesus’ example
Define Incarnation
(2 marks)
God “enfleshed”
In Christianity, including Catholicism, Jesus is believed to be the Incarnation
God in human form
Being both fully human and fully divine
Define Natural Law
(2 marks)
An ethical theory proposed by St Thomas Aquinas of the universal and absolute distinction between right and wrong moral practices which we can discover through reason
Define Conscience
(2 marks)
God’s voice within us helping to determine right from wrong
We have this ability because of our creation imago dei
Define Free Will
(2 marks)
The ability, due to God’s omnibenevolence, for humans to act according to their own desires and chose between right and wrong for themselves
Why is evil a challenge to religious belief?
It seemingly contradicts the characteristics religion attributes to God
especially omnibenevolence and omnipotence
Questions his existence because, surely, a God witht he power to remove evil would do so as he is also all-loving
What is original sin?
Augustinian Christian Doctrine stating that humans are born with the tendency to sin (misuse free will)
It is a defect in human nature inherited from Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden
How did Adam sin in the Garden of Eden?
He disobeyed God’s command and ate fruit from the Tree of Knowledge
What does the story of Adam and Eve’s sin reveal?
When we disobey God’s commandments, evil enters the world
Where can Adam and Eve’s sin be found in the Bible?
Genesis 3
Name the 2 types of evil
Moral
Natural
What is moral evil?
And give 2 examples
Evil caused by human actions
Murder, theft
What is natural evil?
And give 2 examples
Evil caused by nature/the natural world
Earthquakes, tsunamis
Who proposed the theory of the Inconsistent Triad?
J L Mackie
Name J L Mackie’s theory to explain the Problem of Evil
The Inconsistent Triad
What does Mackie conclude in the theory of the Inconsistent Triad?
Either God is not omnibenevolent
He is not omnipotent
Or he simply does not exist
From God or not?
State the fundamental Augustinian belief on the origin of evil
God did not and could not create evil
Find evidence to support Augustine’s belief ont he origin of evil
Genesis 1:31
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good”
From where did Augustine believe evil originated?
Instead of being created as a thing itself by God, Augustine believed that Adam’s misuse of free will (sin) brought evil into the world
What belief suggests humanity’s sharing in the guilt of Adam?
Our being SEMINALLY PRESENT
(present in Adam’s semen)
What is Salvifici Doloris?
An apostolic letter by Pope John Paul II
What does Salvifici Doloris mean?
Saving Power of Suffering
What does Salvifici Doloris say about suffering?
Jesus’ cruxifiction gives meaning to suffering
He understands the difficulty of it and what it means to be human
He enters into it, not avoiding it or explaining it
Christ is an example of how we should face suffering
State 5 physical features of the Pieta
Mary’s left palm is open
Mary supoorts adult Jesus on her lap
Mary’s right hand doesn’t directly touch Jesus’ flesh (cloth)
Both figures are beautiful and idealised despite their suffering
Deep shadow created by fold of the garment next to Jesus
What is the meaning of Mary’s open left palm?
Mary is at peace after witnessing her son’s cruxifiction
What is the meaning of Jesus being supported on Mary’s lap?
Reminder of her holding him as an infant
Symbolises a mother’s love
Can be a comfort to other mothers who’ve lost their children
What is the meaning of Mary’s right hand not coming into direct contact with Jesus’ flesh and instead being covered by a cloth?
Shows the sacredness of Jesus’ body
What is the meaning of the idealised appearance of the two figures?
Reflects the Catholic ambivalence to suffering
Jesus knows that he’s done God’s will, reconciling God and humanity
What is the meaning of the deep shadow created by the fold of the garment next to Jesus?
Symbolises an open womb
Reminds us that she carried Jesus in her womb
Invites us to share the pain of her sorrow
“Happy Attitudes”
A series of counter-cultural statements to challenge us to stand up those society may have forsaken
They are blessings spoken by Jesus on the Sermon on the MOunt and can be found in Matthew’s gospel
peace
Give an example of a Beatitude
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God
What are the six antithesis?
Teachings where Jesus makes the law more challenging, addressing the root cause of sin
anger, adultery, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and love of enemy
“I have not come to abolish but to fulfil”
Which 2 key metaphors does Jesus use in the Sermon on the Mount?
“You are the salt of the Earth”
“You are the light of the world”
What does being the “salt of the Earth” mean?
We should enrich life through good deeds
What does us being the “light to the world” mean?
We should be and example to others by following the teaching of Jesus
How does Aquinas sum up Natural Law?
Give quote
“Do good and avoid evil”
State Aquinas’ 5 Primary Precepts
Worship God
Ordered Society
Reproduction
Learning (Education)
Defend the innocent
What did Aquinas say the 5 Primary Precepts show?
The purpose fo human life
What are the secondary precepts?
Rules deduced from primary precepts that help us to live well
Give 2 examples of a secondary precepts
“Do not steal” as it reflects “Ordered living in society”
“Abortion is wrong” as it reflects “Defend the innocent”
Why did Aquinas distinguish between real and apparent goods?
To show that when humans do wrong, it is because our reason has made an error
Give an example of an apparent good according to Aquinas’ Natural Law
Abortion in the case of foetal disability
Name the values that help us achieve real good
Collective, wide term
Cardinal Virtues
State the 4 Cardinal Virtues
Temperence
Fortitude
Justice
Prudence
State the 3 theological virtues
Love
Faith
Hope
What is the purpose of both the cardinal and theological virtues?
To help us achieve real good as opposed to apparent good
