Augustine And Human Nature

Question 1

Explain Catholic belief about the effects of the fall

Answer 1

Catholics believe that human nature has just been weakened by the fall and now they need to avoid concupiscence

Question 2

What do Protestants believe about the effects fall

Answer 2

Protestants believe the fall has completely corrupted human nature and cannot be dealt with by humans alone

-Protestants also believe concupiscence is the sin itself compared to Catholic views that the fall has brung about the concupiscence that then leads to sin

Question 3

What is a general Christian belief about the affects of the fall

Answer 3

General Christian belief is that before the fall Christians had the potential to be obedient but also the potential to disobey and that through the fall they disobeyed Gods commands

Question 4

What did Augustine believe about humans before the fall

Answer 4

Augustine believed that before that before the fall humans were able to live in a spirit of loving friendship and were able to co operate fully with other creatures

• He also believed they were in a state of perfection and that they had been made just as God wanted them
• He believed humans had free will , given to them by God

Question 5

Explain Augustines understanding if the fall and its effect on human nature

Answer 5

• Augustine thought that the fall was the turning point for humanity and the effects of the fall have been felt by humans ever since
• He felt that due to the fall all humans have been tainted and deserve the same punishment as Adam and Eve (original sin)
• He also believes the fall has corrupted the idea of friendship and made it difficult to maintain due to humans instinct to have it affected by lust due to lust being a punishment given to Eve by God
• Augustine believes that since the fall we have a lack of control over our desires (concupiscence) and these desires will rule us now and force us to make selfish decisions

-Augustine particularly believed that the effects of the fall can be seen in how men treat
women for their own desires and how a mans body can no longer control its concupiscence

-More generally Augustine believes that it is human nature to turn away from God and do bad due to humans being in the grip of Bad since Adam and Eve sin