To begin with, a theodicy is a way of justifying God. In the face of the problem of evil, a theodicy is an argument that attempts to explain how God can exist in a world that contains suffering and evil. A response to the problem of evil is the Augustinian theodicy of free will, titled for the fourth to fifth century theologian and philosopher Augustine of Hippo. Now, This theodicy evolves around the concept that evil exists but not because of God, it exists because of human sinful choices. The free will lens is a theodicy that aims to defend God as a ‘good’ God in a world full of evil. Many theodicies believe that bad things are caused by evil, however, I believe that evil is not a thing, it is a lack of goodness.
Just the way that darkness is a lack of light. Evil was not ‘created’ or invented’ by God, instead it was God’s creatures that failed to be good which then allowed evil to enter into existence. The disobedient actions of Adam and Eve towards God caused natural evil as it ruined the perfection of God’s creation so ultimately humans chose to be evil, but it doesn’t end there. God is a loving Father and the free will that we have had had flowing consequences of moral evil, natural evil and the doctrine of original sin. As a Father, God must be just and fair, so we are punished because we deserve it. In this way, my belief to the problem of evil is that evil exists because we – humans – caused it. Only in a world where suffering and evil exists, humans can strive to develop virtues such as grace, love, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, generosity, and compassion. How could we have all of these things if we lived in a perfect world? In summary, God did not intend to create evil, humans brought evil into this world, however, evil can help us value the virtues to be the best we can.
Furthermore, I believe that ‘to err is human, to forgive is divine’ means that it is natural for humans to make mistakes. It is ok to make mistakes, but it is not ok to keep repeating the same ones. We can all learn from every experience. No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes or can cause accidents, but it is important that we learn from these mistakes. Ultimately, I agree that everyone should forgive others, however you should only forgive them if they apologise first, exactly the way it is seen in the bible of Luke 17:3, ‘if your brother sins, criticise him, and if he apologises, forgive him.’ It is extremely important to forgive others because if you don’t you are not benefiting from this; as a matter of fact, you are hurting yourself. Carrying anger and hateful feelings takes so much emotional energy and in the end it’s just a waste of time. It ruins and prevents any positivity throughout your day.
You should always learn to forgive others including yourself, just the way it is written in the Bible of Luke 6:37, ‘do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.’ This Bible quote refers to the saying ‘treat others the way you want to be treated’. The Vatican News issued an article which states that Pope Francis indicated – at the weekly General Audience – on the words of the Lord’s prayer, “as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This line of the Lord’s prayer relates to God only forgives us if we forgive other people. Even though, it is difficult to forgive others or even yourself, you must realise that it is only for our own growth and happiness. It can hurt us more if we hold on to pain, hurt, resentment and anger exceedingly more than it hurts the offender. Forgiveness guides us to move on without anger, contempt or seeking revenge.
In summary, St Augustine’s theodicy provides a response to how God and evil can co-exist. It is important to understand that ‘to err is human, to forgive is divine’ as no one is considered perfect and never will be. You should now also be able to understand that forgiveness can benefit both ourselves and others.