augustine Flashcards
manicheism’s influence on augustine
- allowed him to eb a follower of christ
- sex is the work of the devil
- we should use reason to understand
- suffering is not caused by god.
pelagius
did not beleive original sin caused universal guilt
more that humans have sufficient free will to overcome personal sin, as god has equipped humans with potential, volition and realisation.
adam’s sin was not a direct influence but an example of choosing right/wrong
- can overcome weakness of will through external grace (jesus is source) and reason - god has equipped us all with abilities needed to make good choices.
AUGUSTINE OPPOSED HIM.
Henry Chadwick thought that they have in common as they both believe humans are born with the propensity to sin BUT Pelagius thinks this ability is contingent on free will.
maximilian kolbe
in concentration camp, sacrificed his life for a man with a family
comforted the 9 men to the last 2 weeks when they were starved to death.
rousseau
humans are essentially generous and only act otherwise when circumstance requires
“man is born free, and everywhere else, his is in chain”
must rediscover the “state of nature” to gain cooperation and peace
hobbes
“state of nature” - humans are not naturally cooperative but “selfish and brutish”. the purpose of life is to conquer the brutish side thorugh reason in order to create fair and just societies.
genesis 1:27
“god created mankind in his own image”
= god is the giver, so we must be stewards of the earth and be good.
augustine on creation
- god deliberately planned and created the world to be stewards.
- imageo dei, we share physical likeness
caritas
generous love of others
eg agape. this leads to love of god
cupiditas
a selfish love
corinthians 13:11
“live in peace; and the god of peace and love will be with you”
concordia
State before the fall where adam and eve lived in perfect harmony.
genesis 3:15
the fall
“i will put enmity between you and the woman”
loss of concordia in the fall
romans 7:15
“for if i now do what i do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me”
= he doesnt understand his actions, he often ends up succumbing to evil as sin resides in him
= AKRASIA
Akrasia
weak, divided will. actign against your better judgement.
concupiscence
unable to control desires such as libido or appetitive aspect of soul.
careful to not accept the manichaean arguement that the body is evil or neoplatonic version that the body belongs to the material world so is imperfect.
romans 7:14
“i am sold as a slave to sin”
romans 5:12
“sin came into the world through one man
augustine double death
god killed our relationship with god and 2nd death is what we live through now and the punishment for the first disobedience.a
augustine book
the city of god
augustine quote adam loins
“seminally present in the loins of adam
== transmission of sin, sex is tainted
city of god
ultimate destination where you can attain heavenly society and peace.
“ecclesia” is the perfect way to life.
geneal critics
- liberal christians
- science
kant
there are powerful human emotions but there is no such thing as sin, it is just a lack of reason.
Niebuhr
post-enlightenment thinkers have made it unfashionable to talk about sin, it is wrong to think that reason can bring about just and fair societies. grace is needed as our reason alone is shite.
gives examples of evil in the modern world eg holocaust, slavery, wars) demonstrate we cannot cure our propensity for immoral actions
freud
turn to psychoanalysis to make your life better and more stable.
teachings on sex are contrary to freud who wanted to stop the repression of sexual guilt
PRODUCTS OF OUR ENVIRONMENTS
dawkins
augustine’s reliance on genesis is absurd and his teachings on sexual guilt and original sin are irrational and dangerous
universe is 6000 yrs old no thanks pal so that undermines everything about creation.
also disproves “seminally present in loins of adam”
strengths of augustine
- universality - all human beings are flawed = equal
- non-dualist, god is not presented as half a bad guy
sartre
“existence precedes essence” = we all have the capacity to make good choices, humans are solely responsible for their choices
example proving augstine
stanford prison experiment - some people abuse power and authority if they can.
locke
we are born as “tabula rasa” - clean slates and there is nothing distinctive about our nature.
essay plan
aug on human nature, fall genesis 3, concordia, caritas, then double death
supported by Hobbes selfish and brutish
supported by Niebuhr that we are unable to cure propensity for sin thru reason
Rousseau man in born free, everywhere else he is in chains, forced into compeition = sin.
reinforced by Kolbe
augustine akrasia, struggle between good and concupiscence, reference his early libido
strengthened by romans 1:14 “sold as a slave to sin”
strengthened by pornography etc markets who thrive on cupiditas (lustful love)
modern science dawkins genesis is untrue 6000 years?!, disproves seminally present in loins of adam.
freud - socially conditioned. by our environment!
others eg sartre and lock, no such thing as human nature - tabula rasa and existence precedes essence.