rs - catholics responce to evil

• Evil and suffering


  A test of faith for Catholics
• Job questions God


  God responds that he is greater and Job should trust in God's plan
• Catholic response to evil and suffering

  • Follow the example of Jesus - pray for those who suffer, help and heal the suffering
  • Believe that evil and suffering is caused by human free will, not God
• Evil and suffering


  Preparation for heaven, helps people improve their souls and become more God-like
• God is transcendent, beyond human understanding, so humans should not question evil and suffering
• Good and evil are opposites that help us appreciate each other
• Theodicy


  Arguments which try to show God still exists and is great even though there is evil and suffering in the world
• Evil- St Augustine


  Not a thing, but rather a lack or absence of goodness (privation)
• When God created the world in Genesis, it was "very good"
• Free will


  Humans were given free will to follow God's commandments or not
• Misuse of free will by Adam and Eve


  Creation became less good, a privation of goodness, which is evil
• Humans are to blame for evil, not God
• God sent His Son to die for everyone's sins


  Shows God's benevolence despite human-caused evil
• God is justified in allowing evil to remain, as it allows us to appreciate good by comparison
• Evil may serve a purpose beyond human understanding, like a scorpion's venom