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Milton's Theodicy In Paradise Lost

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:
(A discussion of Milton’s Theodicy in Paradise Lost) Mythology is a way for people to explain the unexplainable. From the Greek gods and mythology to the Biblical version of the creation, people use stories like these to explain how and why things happen the way they do. Milton uses the story of Adam and Eve to explain why terrible things like death, illness, and suffering occur in the world today. He uses the story to explain how God can be an all loving, all powerful God, and also allow bad things to happen in the world. Milton also views child birth as Eve’s punishment for falling, and Adam’s work as his punishment. Milton’s theodicy is that all things bad in this world are a punishment resulting from …show more content…
Of those Milton’s theodicy is closer to my belief system than many others. He believes that men all originate with Adam and Eve and many things in this life are a result of their decisions. I disagree with him that trials and death are a punishment for Adam and Eve’s sin. I don’t believe that child bearing is a curse placed on woman because of Eve’s choice to eat the fruit. Adam’s hard work was not a punishment either. God used the fall to bring apart his ultimate plan. Jesus Christ role in this world is to save mankind, and through his atonement everything that was fallen is restored. I also vary with Milton in his recounting of the war in Heaven. I believe God planned on sending his Son, Lucifer wanted to come and be the Savior of mankind. Christ wanted to give the glory to God, but Lucifer wanted the glory for himself and he wanted to remove agency from mankind. The war in Heaven was fought because some of the host of Heaven wanted to follow Satan’s plan and the others wanted to follow God’s plan. Those who choose to follow God’s plan came to earth to receive bodies. Milton describes angels and humans as different species. I believe that angels are just spirits of humans either not yet come to earth or already returned to

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