Theodices

A theodicy is a systematic attempt to explain the existence of evil and to reconcile that evil with the benevolence and omnipotence of God. 

THE AUGUSTINIAN THEODICY

St Augustine suggests that since God is the creator of the world, and is wholly good (omnibenevolent), he cannot be responsible for the existence of evil in the world. Evil does not exist as a seperate substance, but is rather a 'privation' or an absence of good. 

The created universe contains every kind of thing, otherwise it could not be perfect. It therefore depends on the nature of each creation, to whether they are evil e.g. it's in a lions nature to catch and kill meat, so it cannot be seen as evil.

Sometimes the good things in the universe may not act in accordance to their nature. This is called evil. Evil is therefore a privation of goodness. 

Humans commit…