What is Evil

What is Evil?

God made creation to share his goodness

He needs nothing

God made man to share his goodness

God loves you - because HE is good

He does not love you - because you are good

If you let him love you - his love makes you good. 

He creates all kinds of beings. Rocks, angels, plants, animals, humans, microbes, etc. There is an  Inequality in creation: God makes a hierarchy in his creation…not all things are equal. 

Good and Evil must be seen in complete ecosystem of universe. 

Good: what arouses affection and moving toward the end. Being [the ultimate Good is to be in union and friendship with God-everything else is a lower Good]

Evil: not a positive reality. Nonbeing. Absence. Privation of what should be there. Evil can only be found in something that is (being) 

Evil does not have a direct cause it is a privation. Only an indirect cause. (It is not introduced it it an absence)

God causes being and the good of it. But never positively wills evil. He allows privations for some greater project. (Side effect)

Example:

Humans should be seeing. Blindness is a privation. Therefore blind human is an evil for that human. 

We cannot judge what is complete good or evil because: God can orchestrate a good out of it.  

The defect may be essential for a separate project and therefore cannot be considered an evil because it is a good for that project. 

Gazelle is good but playing a part in an ecosystem, getting eaten by a lion (evil for gazelle, good for lion) is a complete good not evil. 

For Human

Fault/Guilt

Billy steals horse - chosen to turn himself from God, making himself stained, trying to get a good - needs horse. 

Punishment/Penance

Billy sentenced to prison, is an evil for Billy but yet a good because it can teach him to do and be good and just  if accepted and offered as reparation. 

Thomas Aquinas says all suffering is part of this reparation for our faults that we have done since the fall. It helps our soul….its not punishment but to train us. We learn obedience by suffering. 

Hebrews 12:7 (KJV): 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 

Hebrews 5:8 (KJV): 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 

Thomas Aquinas we were born fallen. Born with disease.  God never will the evil of sin or fault. Sin is our fault when we willfully choose a partial good contrary to right reason not caring about it or paying attention to the disorder or damage from that choice. 

God does not cause evil but he does will punishment so it can be ordered back to himself and satisfaction to others. 

Confess:

I admit I stole 20

Forgiven;

He forgives guilt (restored friendship) 

Consequence:

But I still owe 20 

Make satisfaction:

I have to pay (reparation)

He allows privations for some greater project. and to show how much more glorious he is that He would take the payment for us. 

God loves us all. He wills all to be in union with Him. This is why we were made. 

But those that willfully choose sin (a partial good contrary to right reason not caring about or paying attention to the disorder or damage from that choice, will loose the greater good) namely, union with Him. 

You do have free will but that is to rationally think about your choices to choice the greater good. 

Why would you want to hurt your own soul? This is a privation. This is the evil. That you would choose to hurt yourself for something that will never actually satisfy you. The world is full of lies about what satisfy. You must think it through and choose LIFE.