The Two Kinds of Evil According to Augustine Essay

God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent, which makes us wonder what kind of morally sufficient reason justifies God to allow evil. We know that evil exists in our world, but so does God, so would God be the source of evil as well as good? We have established that God is the omnipotent and benevolent free creator of the world, but suffering and evil exist. Is God unable to prevent evil? If so, he would not be omnipotent. Is He able to prevent the evil in our world but unwilling? If this were then case then he wouldn’t be benevolent. A Persian thinker, Mani, suggested that the answer to this question was a kind of duality between the good and evil. This pluralistic view of the good and evil in our world would suggest that God is†¦show more content†¦Is all evildoing due to inordinate desires? For instance, when you kill someone out of self-defense, would that be considered an inordinate desire? Two laws determine the criteria by which we are allowed to kill: t he eternal law and the temporal law . When we give in to our lustful desires, we receive temporal punishment, which is when we suffer for attaching ourselves to things that are lost against our will. Therefore, humans are only susceptible to temporal punishment if we commit evil acts through lust . Most of the time, our temporal punishments are results of evil actions except in a few cases when eternal law coincides with the temporal law. For instance, if a person using self-defense kills someone then they would be excused from their sins in the eternal world if they were true in their actions, whether or not they are proven innocent by temporal law . He also comments on a soldier in war and explaining his action of killing an enemy is â€Å"then acting as an agent of the law, and thus easily does his duty without lust† . Both the eternal and temporal laws guarantee a perfect order, but what exactly does this mean? Augustine says that there is a hierarchy of value with G od above all, then comes humans because we have rational thought and will to live well. After humans are animals which will to live, but do not reason, then there are plants, which live but do not will to do so or possess the ability to reason . Therefore, aShow MoreRelatedAugustine s Confessions By John Augustine Essay1721 Words   |  7 Pageswhich many Americans face today. That is evil. Evil is everywhere in the world. Augustine lost his mistress, mother and even his own son in the book. He had to also figure out why god is punishing people with these action. So found out the answer to the evil, Augustine ask why is God good and still allows suffering to exist. Augustine found out that evil because of the free will that people have. 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However I think happiness is different for everyone, and ever changing depending on where you are in life, and my life is a perfect example of this. A years ago if you asked me what happiness was, I would have told you, I was experiencing pure happiness. I had a job that paid well, a niceRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Philosophy And Philosophy1451 Words   |  6 Pagesanswers that are still up to debate. Augustine, a highly respected philosopher and theologian, used his understanding of human life in theology in order to answer this intensely sought out question. Rather Socrates, also a highly respected philosopher, shifted away from using a theological undertone and foundation, and looked solely to knowledge for and as the answer. Socrates believed that knowing the nature of good leads to the best way of living , while Augustine believed that the root of wrongdoing