God, Self, and Evil: A Miracle Theodicy

About the Author

Robert J. Hellmann has a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Cincinnati and a master's degree in theology from Xavier University.  He and his wife have been dedicated students of A Course in Miracles since 1982.  Since 1991, Robert has conducted hundreds of classes and seminars intended to help fellow students in their understanding and application of the Course's teachings.  He is known for the clarity with which he can express profound philosophical and theological concepts, making it easy for the ordinary reader to understand.  He lives with his wife in Columbus, Ohio.

GOD, SELF, AND EVIL: A MIRACLE THEODICY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

INTRODUCTION

PART ONE:  A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

• The Problem
• Previous Attempts to Solve the Problem
• The Miracle Solution

PART TWO: GOD AND HIS CREATION: YOUR PERFECT SELF

• God Is A Perfect Being
• God Created You Perfect
• God Knows You As Perfect

PART THREE: MISCREATION: EVIL AND THE SELF YOU MADE

• Who Is the "You" Who Suffers?
• The Origin Of the Ego, The Body, And The World
• Perfection And Seeming Lack

PART FOUR: FORGIVENESS: THE WAY TO REMEMBER GOD

• The Memory of God
• What Forgiveness Really Is
• Summary and Concluding Remarks

DETAILED TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

GOD, SELF, AND EVIL:

Miracle Theodicy

 

INTRODUCTION

1. Who Am I?

2. What is Theodicy?

3. A Constructive Approach

4. Miracle Theodicy

 

PART ONE:

A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

Introduction to Part One

CHAPTER 1  THE PROBLEM

1. The Practical Problem Of Evil

2. The Logical Problem Of Evil

 a. The Law Of Non-Contradiction

 b. A Deductive Argument

3. Comments On The Argument From Evil

 a. The Premise On Evil

 b. The Premises On God's Attributes

 

CHAPTER 2  PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM

1. Classical Theodicy

 a. First Approach: What We Call Evil Merely Seems to be    Evil But Is Really Good

 b. Critique of the First Approach

 c. Second Approach: God Has A Good Purpose For Permitting Evil

 d. Critique of the Second Approach

2. Person Making Theodicy

 a. God Has a Good Purpose For Creating Beings In An Environment Where They Would Inevitably Sin and Suffer

 b. Critique of Person Making Theodicy

3. Process Theodicy

 a. God's Omnipotence Does Not Imply That God Can Create a World without any Evil, or that He can Prevent Evil From Occurring in His Creation

 b. Critique of Process Theodicy

 

CHAPTER 3  THE SOLUTION FOUND IN

                         A COURSE IN MIRACLES

1. Miracle Theodicy

 a. The Reality Formula (Real = Eternal)

 b. Applying The Reality Formula: The Eternity Test

 c. The Solution: God Does Not Know About The Evil In The World

2. Given That God Does Not Know Of The Evil In The World, In What Sense Is God Omniscient?

3. Is This Solution Intellectually Satisfying?

4. Questions Raised By This Solution

 a. Given That God Created Neither The Body Nor The World, What, Then, Did He Create?

 b. If God Created Neither The Body Nor The World, Who Did?

 c. If God Knows Of Neither Humans Nor Their Suffering, In What Sense Is Divine Help Available To Us?

 

PART TWO:

GOD AND HIS CREATION: YOUR PERFECT SELF

Introduction to Part Two

CHAPTER 4  GOD IS A PERFECT BEING

1. What Does It Mean To Be A Perfect Being?

 a. The Criteria For Conceiving A Perfect Being

 b. The Personal Attributes Of God As A Perfect Being

 c. The Metaphysical Attributes Of A Perfect Being

2. General Remarks On The Attributes Of God As A Perfect Being

 

CHAPTER 5  GOD CREATED YOU PERFECT LIKE HIMSELF

1. The Nature Of God's Creation

 a. God's Son Is One In Nature And Infinite In Number

 b. All Minds Are Joined As One

2. Theodicy And The Idea That Everything God Created Is Perfect

 a. A Copernican-Like Reversal

 b. An Uncompromising Idea Of Perfection

3. Does An Infinite Number Of Perfect Beings Imply That There Is More Than Numerically One God?

4. The One Distinction Between God And His Creations

5. Summary

 

CHAPTER 6  GOD KNOWS YOU ONLY AS HIS PERFECT SON

1. Our Happiness Rests On A Sure And Unchanging Foundation

2. Extending The Reality Formula (Real = Perfect)

3. Level One And Level Two

4. God And His Creation Remain Unaffected By Your Mistakes

 

PART THREE: 

MISCREATION: EVIL AND THE SELF YOU MADE

Introduction to Part Three

CHAPTER 7  WHO IS THE YOU WHO SUFFERS?

1. The Self That Experiences Evil

2. Why You Seem To Be A Limited And Separated Self In A Body

3. The Request For Special Favor

4. The Conditions Necessary For Specialness

 

CHAPTER 8 THE ORIGIN OF THE EGO, THE  BODY, AND THE WORLD

1. Theodicy And The Question: Who Made The World?

2. Who Is Maker Of The World?

 a. The Separated Mind of God's Son Identified With The Ego

 b. Into Eternity Where All Is One

3. How The Maker Of This World Originated

 a. The Attempt To Create Something On His Own, Apart From His Creator, Resulted In The Splitting Of The Mind Of God's Son

 b. Fear And A Wrathful God: Sin, Guilt, And More Fear

4. The Ego's Attempt To Save Itself: The Making Of The Physical World As A Way Of Being Apart From God

5. Comments On The Origin Of The World,  Its Reality Status, And The Purpose For Which It Was Made

 a. There Is No World!

 b. The World As Dream

6. Summary

 

CHAPTER 9  PERFECTION AND SEEMING LACK 

1. Ideas Leave Not Their Source

2. The Paradox

 a. The Son Was Created Perfect, Yet He Asked for  Something

 b. The Mere Form Of A Question

 c. There Is No Answer; Only An Experience

3. The Best Question You Could Ask

4. Split Minds

5. Does The Son's Request Imply That He Was Not Created Perfect?

6. Resolution Of  The Paradox

7. Does The Son's Asking And The Father's Answering Imply That Reality Is Not Timeless And Changeless?

8. Contradiction, Time, And The Split Mind

9. A Brief Review

 

PART FOUR:

FORGIVENESS: THE WAY TO REMEMBER GOD AND YOUR PERFECT SELF

Introduction to Part Four

CHAPTER 10  THE MEMORY OF GOD AND YOUR SELF

1. The Memory Of God

2. The Dynamics Of The Ego

3. How God's Answer Functions In Our Minds

4. The Structure Of The Mind

5. The Holy Spirit: The Voice for God

6. Other Descriptions Of The Holy Spirit

7. The Holy Spirit Is The Divine Help Available To You

8. Hearing God's Voice

9. You Are Free To Choose To Which Voice You Listen

10. Freedom Of Choice And Freedom To Create

11. Summary

 

CHAPTER 11  WHAT FORGIVENESS REALLY IS

1. To Forgive Is To Give Up Illusions For Truth

2. Other Aspects Of What Forgiveness Is

 a. Seeing Attack As A Call For Love

 b. Forgiveness Is Learned

 c. To Forgive Is To Deny The Denial Of Truth

3. Forgiveness Is The Means By Which We Will Awaken To Our Perfect Self

4. The Forgiven Mind Perceives A World Without Evil

5. Forgiveness Offers Everything You Want

 

CHAPTER 12 SUMMARY AND CONCLUDING  REMARKS

1. Summary Of Our Solution To The Problem Of Evil

2. Concluding Remarks