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'Augustine's teaching on historical fall and Original Sin is wrong…
'Augustine's teaching on historical fall and Original Sin is wrong.' Discuss
Fall
Aug View:
Fall = turning point for whole of creation
Humans created by God, they are ' fallen' in nature, they can be redeemed through Christ
Before fall = Caritas (agape), after fall = cupiditas (selfish love / lust
Before fall = concordia (perfect friendship)
Positive: helps understand lust, sexual desire + relationship with God
Need Gods grace to enter heaven
Issues
Illogical of God to make us in his likeness and image if we're destined to fall
Why is it necessary to be redeemed if we could just be perfect to start with
Gen 1 & 2 written by different people = inconsistancy
Evidence of evolution discredits Gensis account
Genesis chapter 3: Punishments
contains mythological elements
God is anthropomorphic
snake can talk
'magic tree'
Logical inconsistencies
Original Sin
Off back of fall, Adam + Eve corrupted humanity and that tendency to sin is passed down = Original Sin
Aug View:
People now pulled away from goodness to lust. Caritas to cupiditas
This concupiscence warps human will and leads us to choose our selfish desires
Original sin puts people beyond rescue - only help from God
Sites Romans 7, Pauls struggle with freeing himself from sin
'I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.'
Paul possibly used sin as scapegoat for evil actions => humans are inherently sinful. Links to Augustine attempting to change himself from his youth -
'In adolescence... I ran wild in the shadowy jungle of erotic adventures. Adolescence (Book II of Confessions)
'Human nature is without any doubt ashamed about lust - and rightly ashamed.' Augustine (City of God)
Hick's Theodicy
Aug theory is scientifically flawed due to contradiction of evolution
Believed humas not created perfectly but have tools to become perfect as you grow
Hicks views:
God gave humans ability to choose free and loving relationship + struggles
Evaluation:
Inherently contradictory -> human nature to sin yet God created us in image and likeness
Sin passed through sex, yet God says to multiply
Undermines concept of punishment completely - can't be punished if already sinful or if its in nature already
Negative:
Positive:
Human nature is already selfishly inclined as survival technique
Undermines idea of free will if we are already inherently pointed towards sinful thought and actions
Views on sex
Aug View:
Procreation is good
Sinful lust is bad bc of original sin and transmitted via sex. Concupiscence
Absinence is best option
Women have sexual hold over me that can cloud a man's judgement
Marriage:
Affirmed as form of community
Should avoid
but also states that its the remedy for concupiscence
Women
Tool for men: calming force + used for sex
subject to man 'woman is merely man's helpmate'
Obey man 'What can be worse than a house where the woman has mastery over the man?'
Evaluation
Inherently contradictory - absence + procreation are best
Confused view - specifically marriage, how can we follow a contradictory view
Intro
View: Agree as too many contradictions within his arguments as well as outdated to evolutionary science.
Human Nature
Aug views:
Implications of Fall
Inherently selfish as a result
Eval:
General outlook on human nature is far too pessimistic.