Title:
Accounting for evil within Augustinian Theodicy
Author:
Natalie R. Schall
Thesis Advisor:
Rebekah Eklund
Committee Member:
Fritz Bauerschmidt
Committee Member:
Nicole Reibe
Committee Member:
Steve Fowl
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola Univeristy Maryland
Date Created:
2021
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
Evil exists because of free will, which means that humans are able to sin and turn away from God. Evil exists in this turning away, and is the privation of God. Nevertheless, because God created us with free will, God would not forcibly consign us to eternal torment for behaving as we were created. If we turn to evil, God will try to bring us back by communicating to us through other persons who are in Christ, because it is within the rights of human nature to have evil removed. We are expected to continue to grow spiritually over time, so there is a level of theological perfection towards which we should be striving. If we ask for redemption from the sins that keep us away from this level, God will give us the knowledge of how to reach theological perfection or obtain forgiveness; we are not irredeemable because that would mean that it is possible for creation to be completely cut off from God. The place that you reside after death, then, is eternal but never a place of pure evil. It is up to the individual to decide whether to go through the pain of purgatory in order to reach heaven or to remain in the misery of hell.
Subject:
Electronic dissertations
Subject:
Academic theses
Degree:
Master of Theological Studies
Level:
Master
Discipline:
Theology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
Use and Reproduction:
The authors of theses and dissertations are the copyright owners. Loyola Notre Dame Library has their permission to store and provide access to these works. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Permission is required to use materials for which Loyola Notre Dame Library, Loyola University Maryland, or Notre Dame of Maryland University hold copyright. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift of purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Identifier:
SchallNR-21
