Augustine Paper Flashcards
Augustine’s teachings on human relationships before the fall ARE NOT significant:
Darwin
Goes against Darwin’s theory of evolution to say we started as perfection then had a dramatic decrease
Evolution shows the universe started as chaos and we’ve been developing continually since, there is no evidence to show this is wrong and Augustine’s account is right
Show’s Genesis to be false, and so the teachings for relationships insignificant as it is based on myth
“The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which human beings fell into sin is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense” – Bishop John Selby Spong
Augustine’s teachings on human relationships before the fall ARE NOT significant:
Foucalt
People in power dictate human nature – we are not born with it – we are taught human nature by the people in charge, conditioned
Human nature is a product of society
Shows teachings to be insignificant, as human nature and relationships are not distinctive
Augustine’s teachings on human relationships before the fall ARE NOT significant:
Small sample
Only Adam and Eve to go off to display what society would have been like before the fall
Small sample size inadequate to make such a rash judgement, so insignificant
JJR may provide a better approach:
Born good, society bad
“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains”
Humans are born good but our environment makes us bad
Augustine’s teachings on human relationships before the fall ARE NOT significant:
Schleiermacher
Logical contradiction in believing in a perfect world that could go wrong
We were created in the ‘image and likeness of God’ so it should never have gone wrong, but we chose to disobey him which suggests that evil was already thing – and since God created everything he must have created it
Human relationships before the fall display goodness, this allows for a logical contradiction to be made, and so Augustine’s entire idea to be rejected, and so the teachings are insignificant
Augustine’s teachings on human relationships before the fall ARE significant:
Event
Original sin isn’t an event in history, more a description of the way in which each person progresses from a state of innocence to moral knowledge
We are innocent but as we grow and develop we succumb to temptation
“Many times I lied to my tutor…Can this be the innocence of childhood?”
Augustine’s teachings do not have to be based on historical fact to be symbolically true, so they are significant
Augustine’s teachings on human relationships before the fall ARE significant:
Provides contrast
Showing the disparity between pre and post fall Adam and Eve allows for Christians to see clearly how God’s grace can affect us
Provides Christians motivation to achieve God’s grace, so are significant
Humans CAN be morally good without God’s grace:
Darwin
Goes against Darwin’s theory of evolution to say we started as perfection then had a dramatic decrease
Evolution shows the universe started as chaos and we’ve been developing continually since, there is no evidence to show this is wrong and Augustine’s account is right
Show’s Genesis to be false, and so humans can be morally good without God’s grace
“The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which human beings fell into sin is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense” – Bishop John Selby Spong
Humans CAN be morally good without God’s grace:
Jean Jacque Rousseau
Born good, society bad
“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains”
Humans are born good but our environment makes us bad
Since a human power demoralises us, a human power can also moralise us - no need for God’s grace
Humans CAN be morally good without God’s grace:
Pinker
Phycologist
Original Sin should be replaced by the humanitarian principle
We need to learn to get on with each other because it’s the only way the human race will survive and there are mutual benefits
If we continue to divide ourselves it will just result in more violence
Since the age of enlightenment, religion has declined and so peace has grown – it’s become a better place to live
Seen through less sectarian violence
Improvement without God’s grace shows it is not needed
Humans CAN be morally good without God’s grace:
Jesus + St Paul
Augustine’s notion that “the evil will precedes the evil act”
Humanity after the fall is characterised by a divided will, that despite knowing what good is, humans are continually weakened by desires to do the opposite
“I don’t understand what I am doing. I am doing bad, but it’s not me, it’s the sin that swells within me, the sin has taken over” - St Paul
“The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” - Jesus
Illogical to state that as two display a divided will, the entirety of humanity does.
A scientific sample size of 2 is inadequate, so humans can be morally good without God’s grace
Humans CAN be morally good without God’s grace:
Foucalt
People in power dictate human nature – we are not born with it – we are taught human nature by the people in charge, conditioned
Human nature is a product of society
We are not distinctively evil, and so can be morally good without God’s grace
Humans CAN be morally good without God’s grace:
Dawkins
It is morally wrong to accept responsibility, guilt and be punished for a crime committed by someone else
For example, if your mam committed a crime before you were born, then she died and you were punished for the crime instead it is morally wrong
An omnibenevolent God would not do this.
“What kind of ethical philosophy is it that condemns every child even before it is born, to inherit the sin of a remote ancestor?”
Augustine is illogical, so humans must be able to be morally good without God’s grace
Humans CAN NOT be morally good without God’s grace:
Event
Original sin isn’t an event in history, more a description of the way in which each person progresses from a state of innocence to moral knowledge
We are innocent but as we grow and develop we succumb to temptation
“Many times I lied to my tutor…Can this be the innocence of childhood?”
Augustine’s teachings do not have to be based on historical fact to be symbolically true, so they still show humanities need for God’s grace
Who was augustine?
a 4th and 5th century Catholic scholar
What book did Augutsine base his teachings on?
Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament in the Bible
