Augustine grew up in a home where Christianity was practiced, but he turned away from its teachings and beliefs and turned instead to a life of sin. He had a mistress and had a son out of wedlock. He did not embrace Christianity until later, when his desire for wisdom and truth outweighed his carnal desires. But why did he choose to return to Christianity or the better question is why did he abandon it in the first place and chose a life of sin/ "evildoing-? .
During a conversation Augustine was having with his friend, Evodius, he was asked if God was not indeed the cause of evil. Augustine redirects the question and asks which of the two evils he was referring to: "one when we mean that someone has done evil; the other when we mean that someone has suffered evil."" Evodius responds, "I want to know about both kinds."" (1) Augustine affirms that if one believes in God, then one must believe that he does not do evil ""the first kind of evil."" God however, is responsible for "the cause of the second kind of evil."" What exactly does Augustine mean by this? Basically that just as God rewards those who live their lives free of sin, similarly, he gives punishment to those who choose a life of sin--"punishments that are indeed evil for those who suffer them."" (2) So then Evodius asks, if God is not the cause of the evil committed by humans, there has to be a cause outside of God, what is it? Augustine responds by saying that there is no one particular cause, and that "each evil man is the cause of his own evildoing evil deed are punished by the justice of God. It would not be just to punish evil deed if they were not done willfully-. (3) .
Augustine continues and presents the dilemma, which Evodius is so eager to comprehend: "how God should not be indirectly responsible for these sins, if they come from those very souls that God created and if, moreover, these souls are from God-.