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Personal Reflection Of Evil

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In Aquinas for Armchair Theologians, chapter 3, it speaks to the existence of why there is evil, and if humans actually have free will. This paper will review what evil means and how it is viewed by Aquinas as well as my personal reflection of evil. Aquinas argues that God is timeless and suggest that God has a path for each creature both before their time, during their time and after their time on Earth.
Evil
Evil is defined as being of profound immorality, wickedness, and depravity, especially when regarded as a supernatural force (Dictionary, n.d.). Aquinas felt that evil was a privation of the good, and by removing evil, some good would be lost (Renick, T., 2002). Renick states that for many Christians, evil exists in the world because of Satan. Satan was put into the world with the goodness of all those created by God, and through time becomes corrupt. Many Christians, Aquinas included, question why God could allow so much evil, and rationalize the existence of Satan. Why would God create a world with evil in it when he had the power to create peace? Where there is evil, there is suffering; why would God want those he created to suffer and experience pain? The issue with evil is avoiding the contradiction between what God has planned versus the reality of the evil that has been created. Aquinas states that the world is a better place with evil in it, as it evil serves a greater good. God sometimes causes evil as a punishment. Evil can be a

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