Tuesday, April 14, 2015
The Summa of Theology
On page 30, St. Thomas Aquinas makes the following statement: "Therefore if there were a God, evil would not exist." I disagree with this statement. According most theological texts, namely The Bible and The Qur'an, it was human beings that were responsible for creating sin. I am most familiar with Christian theology, and God distinctly told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge, yet Eve did anyway. She then told Adam to try the fruit, leading the God of the Old Testament to force them out of the paradise of Eden. God did not intend for sin to occur; it was the notion of free will that led to sin. St. Thomas Aquinas then continues on to list 5 reasons that God does exist. In your opinion, do you think God and the idea evil can exist together, and that man was responsible for the entrance of evil into society? If so, why or why not.
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I agree with you Annie. I think that the notion of evil has come about at the fault of human beings. God is portrayed as a purely good figure in Christian theology, as well as other monotheistic religions such as Islam and Judaism. Human beings under their own free will brought the notion of evil upon themselves. God was removed from the process upon which evil was brought about upon humanity. Thus, I think it is reasonable to believe that evil can exist in a world where God is perceived as a benevolent, all knowing figure. I think that with the concept of free will coming into play the entrance of evil into society is inevitable.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this Annie. In The Confessions, St. Augustine said that men were the source of all evil in the world and that good came only from God. This directly contradicts with what St. Thomas was saying in his writings.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I believe that humans commit evil out of self-interest and that is why we have evil in this world. Most humans are looking to better their lives and they don't always think of others. I disagree with what St. Thomas Aquinas says because to me it seems like if there is evil, it has come through our own self-absorption.
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