Challenges to Augustinian type theodicies

Valldity of accounts in Genesis chapters 2 and 3
Augustine's theodicy relies heavily on the accounts of Creation and the Fall in Genesis. If these accounts are taken literally, humankind's place in the created order and the suffering that it faces are clearly accounted for. However, if the view of scripture taken is non-literal and mythological, then any claim of historicity relating to Creation and the Fall become suspect

Scientific error - the biological impossibility of human descent from a single pair
The idea that all humans deserved to be punished because they have inherited Original Sin is problematic as it is scientifically impossible for 'sin' to be transferred or for humans to have descended from a single pair. If the Genesis account is scientifically invalid, then Augustine's theory is not consistent with or relevant to our experience of evil

Contradiction of perfect order becoming chaotic
The perfect world becoming imperfect contradicts geological evidence, which shows that the nature of the world is chaotic and unpredictable - geologists would deny…