Wikipedia:Today's featured article/June 16, 2015
The Augustinian theodicy, like other theodicies, is an argument reconciling an omnipotent, benevolent God with the presence of evil. Named after the early Christian theologian and philosopher Augustine of Hippo (pictured in a 16th-century painting), the argument asserts that evil exists not in itself but as a corruption of goodness, requiring the abuse of free will. The 20th-century philosopher John Hick classified similar theodicies by Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, and others as Augustinian for their shared beliefs that God is perfect and guiltless, that he created the world out of nothing, and that evil is a punishment for original sin. Augustine's argument was criticised by his contemporary Fortunatus, a Manichaean, who contended that God must be implicated in evil, and by 18th-century theologian Francesco Antonio Zaccaria, who said the argument neglected human suffering. Hick regarded evil as something necessary for moral development, and process theologians have argued that God is not responsible for evil because he is not omnipotent. Scientific consensus regarding the beginning of the world and the development of life runs contrary to some aspects of the Augustinian theodicy. (Full article...)