Earlier Augustine already knew that God was supreme and no one was better than him, however he still had these questions that contradicted his faith. And his contradictions are what confused me. .
In continuing his search for evil, Augustine declares that our fear is evil. Although he is unsure of this Augustine says "either the evil we fear exists or our fear itself is the evil" (pg 163). However he does not understand where it comes from, especially if the good God made all things good. St. Augustine continues his search until he learns that "everything that exists is good and so is evil" (pg 174). Meaning that evil was once good and it was its will that made evil the way that it was. It does not necessarily mean that evil exist. Personally, after reading and trying to find what Augustine thought was the origin and nature of evil, led me believe that God is supreme. He is made perfect. And if he did not make people as himself that would mean that we are not perfect. And when people are not perfect they tend to do evil things. Also our will and our power and our wills are not stronger than god's so of course there will be a struggle with in ourselves. No one is perfect. Even the person that goes to church every Sunday does not curse, and follows the bible is not perfect. They still tend to do things that are bad. Or maybe it was a good deed but not a good deed at that time or that situation. .
Always rejecting the thought of the belief of the devil, I never gave thought to where evil might have come from. However, I do believe that there is no such thing as the devil. The evil that is embedded into some people comes from their lack of faith into what is right and also their fears. Sometimes people ride off of their wills and forget the true powers that they possess, because no one makes you do anything that you do not wish to do. Also it seems like Augustine tries to answer questions that are just not answerable.
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 ...
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...
