‘augustine Is Right About What It Means To Be Human.’ Assess This View.

Augustine believed that human beings are now in a fallen state, tainted by Original Sin as a result of Adam s choice to disobey God. He believed we are drawn towards sin and incapable of goodness without God s help. In this respect we are also damned to Hell aside from those who God, through his Grace, saves.

On one hand this is compelling simply through our own observation. We feel temptation and we recognise that we act in accordance with our passions - or concupiscence as Augustine established. Examples of child abuse in the Church seem to support the view held by Augustine that humans are depraved. Indeed, Augustine based much of his thinking on his own life and, as somebody who lived a life of debauchery, is well placed to explain the sinful side of human beings.

However, the autobiographical nature of Augustine s writing may be seen as a weakness - it may be that his own personal interest in his own nature clouds his judgement or skews his analysis in order to guard against his own insecurity.

Augustine does find a great deal of biblical support for his view on Original Sin, however, and as a scholar, he was well versed in the Bible. In Romans 5:12 we hear that death spread to all because all have sinned . Likewise, there was great support from other early Church fathers such as Irenaeus, Origen and Tertullian. The latter commented: Every soul, then, by reason of its birth, has its nature in Adam until it is born again in Christ& moreover, it is unclean all the while that it remains without this regeneration& and because unclean, it is actively sinful .

However, there are good examples in the Bible which seem to go against this view. Ezekiel 18:19-20 states that the sins of the father are not inherited by the child. Going further, the view that humans are so fallen they are incapable of goodness, can also be challenged. For example, God warns Cain not to sin, presupposing he has a choice. Also, commandments such as the decalogue seem incongruous with a humanity incapable of goodness.

Aside from the biblical source we should consider whether Augustine s view fits conceptually with Christianity as a whole. This issue can be easily articulated by the Pelagian controversy. Pelagius was a contemporary of Augustine who disagreed almost entirely with Augustine s view of humanity. Pelagius argued that humans were free to choose between good or evil. He believed there was no such thing as Original Sin and that even Adam and Eve, in Eden, were subject to death.

This view seems to fit much better with the open theist approach adopted by many religious believers today. The idea that salvation is achievable by human endeavour seems to fit much better with the concept that God is loving, forgiving and a fair judge of our character upon death. Augustine, it could be argued, paints a picture of a God who arbitrarily selects those he wishes to save. Furthermore, without true freedom, we might go so far as to suggest that he bears all responsibility for the sins that we, as fallen creatures, commit since his prescience establishes that set us on this course knowingly. He thus seems neither fair nor loving. lt;/p>

Augustine would argue that it is arrogant of humans to suppose we know better and that this is yet another symptom of our fallen state. However, the beyond our comprehension defence is not satisfactory as it cannot be rebuked. Another question that might be levied at Pelagius is why some people sin when others do not. Augustine believed that evil is simply a lack of good thus it cannot draw the will towards it. Hence Augustine argued that we must start from a position of sin and be drawn towards goodness by God. However, if we disregard Augustine s belief that evil is a non-entity, this issue is no longer troubling.

On the other hand, Augustine s theology was accepted over Pelagianism for good reasons. If we accept Pelagius view the redemptive act of Christ was not so. In fact, Pelagius argued the crucifixion of Christ was purely exemplary. It seems unsatisfying to say that God became flesh in order to exemplify loving self-sacrifice without any significance purpose - especially since this message had already been successfully given through his ministry. lt;/p>

Augustine s view does, at the very least, mean that the death of Christ was an important moment and carried meaning. At the same time he upholds the importance of humility and deferring to God s supremacy - a core Christian value - over what might be seen as an anthropocentric model put forward by Pelagius. This idea is neatly put forward by St Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:7, What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift? lt;/p>

In conclusion, Augustine s theology raises a number of issues that may be unpalatable - a depraved and predestined human race incapable of good does not fit well with other Christian beliefs about free will or an omnibenevolent God. However, we need to consider whether these issues outweigh the challenges posed by Pelagianism. The Council of Carthage (418 CE) certainly chose Augustine s model but this is not necessarily a reason to do so today. I believe that it is dangerous to disregard the idea because we find it hard to accept or because we dislike the conclusions it draws and I feel that Augustine does a better job than others of protecting the status and role of God, alongside the fundamental belief that Jesus died in order to permit mankind into Heaven.