What is required to be a good Christian?
Such strong language seems to indicate a rejection of the body, of human relationships, of human reason, or any good which is not God. Is such a rejection required if one is to be a true Christian?
Human relationships, the body, and human reason are presupposed to be good in Ms. Kreis's statement. Although Saint Augustine, the author of Confessions, would not consider those to be of the highest good (God), he would be hard-pressed to deny that each does not maintain some degree of good. Sin is defined as a lack of good by Augustine; when someone abandons the highest good for a lower good, he/she is sinning. A lower good is any good that is not God (i.e. consumerism, science, astronomy, sex, fashion, societal recognition, pride and prestige, etc.). An inordinate fixation on or passion for a lower good quickly develops into a distraction from the highest good when left unchecked. If one does not control the proclivity to indulge in lower goods, they become habits or dispositions, which then become a way of life. Religion is a way of life. Christianity is dedicated to the praise and worship of God. The true, consummate Christian recognizes man is weak, hence, lives a life separate from human relationships, the body, and human reason. One cannot live a life for God alone when sidetracked by other lesser goods. Living one lifestyle fully and correctly is difficult, if not impossible; therefore, convoluting one lifestyle with another whilst trying to live out each fully is quixotic.
According to Augustine, the potential to be a true Christian is present in everyone; however, succumbing to the highest good is very challenging. Being a true Christian is chimerical for most people because man is prone to three types of wickedness: lust for flesh, lust of the eyes, and lust for domination. Lust of flesh is an obsession with sensuality and the erotic (the lowest part of the soul); the solution is to regulate one's libidinal urges. The thymotic part of the soul, which represents a burning desire to be respected and honored, is called a lust for domination; one should not desire to be in the right relationship with man but rather with God. Lust of the eyes is an inordinate fixation on intellectual and rational thought; God cannot be described via human reason so the solution is one must understand Him through the eyes of one's soul.
Although Augustine grew up knowing about Christianity, as his mother, Monica, was a devout Christian, he spent much of his early years indulging in worldly pleasures until finally converting to Christianity at the age of 32. This is unlike Perpetua in the fact that she became a member of the faith at a young age, against her father’s wishes while Augustine chose to rebel against Christianity. The fact that Augustine’s mother was a Christian who urged him to also convert is also contrasting from Perpetua’s story, as is apparent by Monica’s reaction upon her son telling her that he is no longer a Manichee, but still not a Christian. In Augustine’s words, “she did not leap for joy . . . for which she wept over me as a person dead but to be revived by you [God].” Therefore, Monica was saddened by the fact that her son was not a Christian, while Perpetua’s father was distraught over the opposite, her decision to be a Christian. Once Augustine had finally converted to Christianity, he interpreted his faith differently than Perpetua had. He believed that God is good and humans are also by nature good, but that “free will was the cause of our doing ill.” To him, being a Christian meant that he must not use his free will for evil, that he must resist the urge of temptation and follow God’s path of goodness. While Augustine believed in sacrificing desires of the flesh for God, there was no emphasis in his time on giving up his life for his religion as it was in Perpetua’s. These dissimilar qualities between the lives of Perpetua and Augustine are the effect of Christianity’s movement from a secretive, minority faith to a legitimate, national
A Good man is Hard to Find" focuses on Christianity being filled with sin and punishment, good and evil, belief and unbelief.
Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity: A Revised and Amplified Edition, with a New Introduction, of the Three Books, Broadcast Talks, Christian Behaviour, and Beyond Personality. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. Print.
In Christian society and belief, as well as many other religions, the one true possession that a person has total control over is their everlasting soul. It is this spirit that makes one truly unique from everyone else. The fight within one’s self between good and evil and the day to day struggle to ensure that the goodness prevails is the focal point of a true believer’s life. It is only by this triumph on goodness that he can achieve Salvation in the eyes of God.
...fer temporal goods (such as our body, health, beauty and so on) over goods of the will (such as knowledge and virtue)—inordinate desire’. The way we undergo these acts is by our own free will. Because we do not allow our minds to control the irrational parts of our souls and to perceive the eternal truths/ form/ being/ God, we sin; we allow our minds to be enslaved to inordinate desire. In other words, Augustine argues that we often turn away from the eternal truths, or the ethical truths, towards non-being which is evil because of temporal things. He says that evil lies in one’s intention, and not in their actions because one does evil as a result of their love for temporal goods; we misidentify the goods of the will (virtues) with temporal goods (wealth, honors, pleasures, physical pleasures and everything that a person cannot acquire of have simply by willing).
The human being is more vulnerable to accept sensuality because they feel weak. These temptations of any kind can make any person to make a mistake due to their time of desperation. However, God created every pleasure that human beings can experience making it difficult for devils to create a form of pleasure that is separate from the ones that God has created. As a result, people are influenced by the devils to participate in the pleasures that God has created in ways that the Lord will discourage. Then, Screwtape introduces another way of attacking an individual’s faith; giving them a false view of Christianity while they are in their trough periods. If a person. who is discouraged turns to the Bible for direction, but they do not recover all of their happiness. In conclusion, the individual will transform their view of Christianity by coming to terms that Christianity is good, but only to certain point. Overall, Screwtape states that this view of Christianity that an individual takes on is equivalent of Christianity not existing at
The Christian religions do however present much more of an appealing atmosphere than such other religions which are as large as the Christian. The Christian religion is one of few religions where punishments for sins are not severe. In the Christian religion, even if you have lived a life of sin, so long as you repent in the end, you will be saved and given eternal life. This is not so in other religions. Such religions as Hinduism for instance do not believe this. For everything you do wrong you will be punished. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, if not in this life, then the next. Hindu's also believe that punishing the body is part of the path to salvation. Christianity is nothing like this. Many Christians live in high class society. Christianity is one of the most appealing in that any sins may easily be corrected and that Christians may live comfortable, if not wealthy lives without guilt.
...duals, happiness is attained through a variety of ways whether it be doing well on a test, finding love, or getting revenge, but as a Christian, happiness is fully achieved by giving yourself to God. Augustine explained how we must avoid evil in this life in order to completely be restored with God in the next life. As humans, we should never harm others or ourselves and should continually act in ways that we know will benefit others, ourselves, and society. We should never give in to evil, and although we may be tempted, God is there to help us through everything. Not everyone can avoid evils in this world, but we can be forgiven, and God will forgive anyone who proves they are worthy of his forgiveness and try to better themselves as individuals. Ultimately we must look beyond this life to have successfully reached the supreme good and live a happy life with God.
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:3). The most confusing part of Christianity is the Trinity. Understanding God in three persons is difficult. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Humanity is to trust in the Father’s providential care; trust in the Son 's forgiving, justifying work; and trust in the Spirit 's comfort and witness to the truth of the Word (Johnson, 2014). Christianity will therefore change the way a person thinks and behaves. To live for Christ and have the Holy Spirit means that one dies to themselves. Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians
The famous bishop of Hippo, St. Augustine, is claimed as a cornerstone of Christian theology by both Catholics and Protestants. Many of his views are regarded by Christians as authoritative interpretations of the Bible because they have withstood heated debate throughout the centuries. Christians ought to ask, however, whether such allegiance is justifiable in all cases. Augustine's idea of sex after matrimony, for example, is very narrow, restricting actions and emotions married Christians today consider part of the beauty of intercourse. A logical assertion then, is that Augustine's view of sexuality, as delineated in many writings, is a response to his life of sensuality prior to salvation; therefore, his idea about the intent for sex within marriage stems more from his former sin than from Biblical perspective.
...ugustine about the human condition. Throughout life we are faced with many decisions both right and wrong, however the wrong option always seems more fun or better in someone even though we know its wrong. Something so basic like breaking the speed limit is a choice we know is wrong and could end it punishment but we do it anyway, because we just enjoy doing the wrong thing, its part of our human nature to do wrong. However in Augustine’s time there was no question that God existed, if you broke a law or sinned you where doing so against God, now if you sin or break a law, the human population focuses more on how the law will punish you, rather than how God will feel about it. Happiness and sin are two sides of the same coin, you cant achieve one without the other, and because of our human nature sinning and choosing false happiness will always “look’ better to us.
In his book Confessions, Saint Augustine writes about his conversion from a Manichee to a Christian. He confesses to God and asserts that God is “incorruptible and inviolable and unchangeable” (Augustine 111). Based on his deep faith in God, Augustine abandons the concept of Manichee dualism and believes in God as “not only [the] good but the supreme good” (114). At first he has no idea what the nature of evil is, but finally he starts to understand that the nature of evil is not a substance at all, but rather “a perversity of will twisted away from the highest substance [– God]” (Augustine 124-126). He contends that the totality, rather than the evil or goodness of individual things should be considered (125). In this essay, I am going to argue that Augustine’s reflection and understanding are better described as knowledge, rather than correct opinion.
Romans 1:24-27; Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural us for what is against nature. Likewise also, the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
... hand, a love which is holy: agape, unselfish love, and on the other hand a love which is unholy: distorted love of self; selfishness. Augustine clearly acknowledged unselfish love, which is holy love, the love of God. Augustine’s philosophy of love of self is defined as self-seeking and egotistical. The two self-loves are entirely divergent. One is self-giving, selfless, self-sacrificing, and the other is self-centered. One builds up; the other idea of love is self-destructive. One turns to God, and the other turns away from God. In my opinion, I think it is almost impossible in today’s world to live in the way that Augustine accepts. Nevertheless, I can agree somewhat due to the fact that he referring towards an eternal life with God in a Christian sense of thinking. In our secular culture of today's culture, many more people are beginning to turn away from God.
There has always been some sort of Christianity in history. Always new ways of doing things with each generation that comes of age. The changes that are made have not been with the conception of destroying the established ways but with establishing a continuity to preserve what is now and what is new. This is known as the preservation of type or the first note of fidelity of the existing developments of Christianity also known as the Principles of Christianity. There are three particular principles that I find to be intriguingly fascinating.