One of the most bedeviling difficulties in life is the problem of suffering: why do we live in a world with so much nastiness, especially if (as Christians maintain) our universe is created by God who is the unrestricted absolute, and thereby all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good? Furthermore, there is data in revelation pointing toward the real possibility of eternal separation from God – a definite, self-excluded state known traditionally as Hell. Finally, what is the role between God and sin, especially since we must affirm that God is the ultimate cause of everything else which exists? Does affirming God’s universal causality also make God the cause of our sin, either directly or indirectly? These are serious questions, and they deserve a serious answer. That’s where Dr. Michael Torre comes in.
Dr. Michael Torre is a professional philosopher, religious convert from agnosticism, and has specialized on the issue of evil, providence, and human freedom. In this episode Dr. Torre defends the Thomistic position (articulated by Francisco Marin-Sola) in showing how God is certainly not the cause (either directly or indirectly) of sin, against both Molinism and neo-Banezianism. This “3-lane highway”, argues Dr. Torre, is not only faithful to St. Thomas, but helps us to maintain both divine innocence and God’s universality causality. Please enjoy!
The Mystery of Evil, Providence, and Human Freedom
Recommended Resources
Do Not Resist the Spirit’s Call
Maritain’s St. Thomas and the Problem of Evil, Existence and the Existent, and God and the Permission of Evil (search around for this one; it isn’t on Amazon, unfortunately).
Learn more about Dr. Michael Torre here
Related Episodes
Do The 5 Ways of St. Thomas Aquinas Prove the Existence of God? (UPDATED)
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