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Summary Of Aquinas Philosophy On Evil And The Free Will Of God

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In chapter three of Aquinas for Armchair Theologians by Timothy Renick, Aquinas’s philosophy on evil in the world and the free will of humans is heavily discussed. Renick describes a very complex topic and transforms it into something the average person can read and understand. Aquinas answers the questions of whether evil exists, did God create evil, why does evil exist, and if evil exists, who or what removes it. He also answers the questions of whether humans have the free will to make decisions or has God predetermined every decision and its outcome according to his plan. While I found this article somewhat easy to follow, I can understand how some of Aquinas’s arguments can lead to debate or confusion on the nature of God, evil, and free will. Despite this, because of reason and what God is envisioned to be, I agree with conclusions that Aquinas has made.
Renick begins by asking the question “Why is there evil in the world?” The answer given by many Christians is that Satan is the reason evil exists since he corrupts God’s creation and history through Eden. Initially, I believed the same thing. My knowledge of the Bible is limited to what was reiterated to me in church. Growing up, I was taught that Satan was once a good angel who rebelled against and disobeyed God because he was jealous and wanted to be more powerful than God. I never questioned this because I thought seeking answers and clarification would be going against God. For some Christians, Satan is the

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