Does Evil Disprove God? w/ Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. & Prof. W. Matthews Grant
Feb 1, 2024
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"Does Evil Disprove God?" features Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. and Prof. W. Matthews Grant discussing the concept of evil and its correlation to God. They explore moral evil, the problem of evil, God's attributes, and perspectives on free will and determinism. The podcast delves into the nature of evil and its implications for God's existence in an engaging and thought-provoking manner.
Evil is the absence of some perfection, rather than an actual entity, and its existence does not contradict the attributes of an all-good and all-powerful God.
Evil is permitted for the sake of certain goods that contribute to the overall good of the cosmos and redirect individuals towards recognizing true happiness in God's infinite goodness.
Deep dives
Evil as a privation of good
Evil is understood as a lack of goodness that a thing ought to have based on its nature or purpose. This applies to both natural and moral evil. The broad understanding of evil sees it as the absence of some perfection, rather than an actual entity.
The dilemma of evil and God's attributes
The existence of evil is viewed by some as contradictory to the attributes of an all-good and all-powerful God. If God is good, he would want to eliminate evil, and if God is all-powerful, he would have the ability to do so. However, the presence of evil is seen as evidence against God's existence.
The purpose and goods arising from evil
Evil is permitted for the sake of certain goods that require its presence. It can contribute to the overall good of the cosmos or lead individuals to recognize that true happiness is found in God rather than the lesser goods of the world. Suffering and evil can redirect human beings towards their ultimate end in God's infinite goodness.
God's causality and human freedom
God's causality is distinct from the causality of creatures. While God is the ultimate cause of human actions, this does not determine or negate human freedom. God's causality does not force the will or remove the possibility of choice. The compatibility of God's causality and human freedom depends on understanding how God brings about our actions without determining them.
Does evil disprove God? Join Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. of Aquinas 101, Godsplaining, and Pints with Aquinas for an off-campus conversation with Prof. W. Matthews Grant about his latest Thomistic Institute lecture, "Does Evil Disprove God?"
Does Evil Disprove God? w/ Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. & Prof. W. Matthews Grant (Off-Campus Conversations)
You can listen to the original lecture here: https://on.soundcloud.com/afxYp
About the speaker:
W. Matthews Grant is Professor of Philosophy at University of St. Thomas (MN), and Associate Editor of the American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly. His work has focused on Aquinas and the philosophy of God, particularly issues having to do with the divine nature and God’s relationship to human freedom. His book, Free Will and God’s Universal Causality: The Dual Sources Account, draws resources from Aquinas and the scholastic tradition to explain how libertarian creaturely freedom can be reconciled with robust accounts of God’s providence, grace, and predestination.
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