From an explanation that that was given to St. Augustine, "the cause of evil is the free decision of our will, in consequence of which we act wrongly" (pg 161). In other words the decision of our will is that we make our own decisions and our destiny is what we make of it. In life, majority of people have moral beliefs (to do what is right and not what is wrong) and we know the difference. It is up to us to make that decision as to what we are going to do in a particular situation. Hence, if we act wrongly, we will endure the consequences and basically go to hell, or experience his righteous judgment; which ever that may be. Throughout the reading, it was evident that Augustine did not except the explanation that was given to him. He wanted to see evil and understand evil for himself and not having faith kept him searching.
Discuss the accounts of the origin and construction of evil?.
When St. Augustine began his search to understand evil, he had a lot of questions. Augustine wanted to know what was the origin of evil that caused the devil (once an angel of God) to turn into evil especially when an angel is made the supreme creator. He later found that "what is indestructible is better than anything liable to be destroyed" (pg 162). Throughout his search he believed that people are not forced into anything that they really do not want to do. Augustine believing that our power is greater than our will supported that. This means that the angel that now is a devil and is evil chose that way of life. The devil's will was obviously stronger than his power. .
However, Augustine confuses me because he states that it (your will) could be greater only if you were greater than your self, for God's will and God's power are identical with God himself. I was wondering if he was trying to say that maybe the devil's will was greater than his power. And if this is so does this means that the devil was greater than God? This would be so.
Aurelius Augustine, later known as Augustine of Hippo or Saint Augustine, was one of the most important and well-known theologians in the history of the Christian religion. He was born on November 13, 354 AD, in Roman Empire and died on August 28, 430 AD, in Hippo Regius, Algeria. He was born as a ...
St. Augustine's City of God The philosophies of Saint Augustine were remarkable and perhaps revolutionary for his lifetime. ... (Dietrich, St. ... (Dietrich, St. Augustine, philosophies.) ...
Evil Cannot Exist. St. Augustine was one of the most influential Christian converts of his time. In his book, The Confessions, he described his life and journey towards converting to Christianity. He addressed many of the issues that arise from infancy to adolescence to adulthood. In each phase of...
According to St. Augustine, sin comes via free-will. ... In Saint Augustine Confession's, Augustine believes he stole the fruit for the mere enjoyment of the sin and the theft which the stealing involved. ... Saint Augustine had a choice, to sin or not to sin. ... When viewing the crime which Augustine committed, it is noted that Augustine acted in self-indulgence or vice. ...
St Augustine had similar beliefs as Plato. ... Augustine states that "one must believe in order to understand." ... So what Augustine is saying is that we shall love all things even if the seem to be evil, because they to severe a purpose in life. ...
Saint Augustine and Classical Education In Saint Augustine's deeply personal work, Confessions, he shares the story of his life up to his eventual conversion to the Christian faith. ... Augustine's attitude towards classical literature and thought was at times slightly self-contradictory. ... Augustine recalled that as a very young man he himself succumbed to excessive pride. ... Augustine was a rationalist man throughout the work, and yet his most defining moment is one of pure faith. Only after years of personal struggle did Augustine arrive at his own religious revelation. ...
St. Thomas Aquinas supports and accepts the notion of Augustine that evil is not something positive and God is not the cause of evil, because evil is not a thing. His whole answer on the problem of evil is related to God. St. Thomas Aquinas believes God did not will moral evil in any sense but only...
St. Augustine: The City of God According to St. Augustine, there have been many people and events that have helped in the establishment of philosophy and natural theology. He mentions many great thinkers before him that have contributed, such as Thales of Miletus along with his disciples Anaxim...
The Confessions of St. Augustine was not, as some scholars have claimed, the work of a weak-willed or self-indulgent man. Rather, it was the work of a very determined and self-sacrificing individual who was looking back into his sinful past. When Augustine wrote the Confessions he had already been a...