A Brief Biography of Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine was born in the year 354. During his adolescence he was a “womanizer” and not involved with the Christian faith. However, Augustine’s profession was rhetorician, and he got a job teaching in Rome. In Rome he came across Ambrose, bishop of Milan, who was able to help Augustine through his difficulties regarding Christianity. Ambrose was the first intellectual Christian that Augustine had encountered, and Augustine was impressed with his intellectual abilities. Ambrose was an inspiration to Augustine, which led to his passion for Christianity. During Augustine’s life, in the year 415, Vandals captured the city of Rome. The Romans had believed their city would never fall and therefore the collapse was a shock to the people. Everyone sought answers about what to believe in. Many people said that the Christian God had failed to protect Rome. The disputes about whom to blame prompted Augustine to write “The City of God”. Augustine defended Christianity and taught it.

Throughout his life, Augustine began to question why he knew what was best for him, knew what the right thing to do was, and yet he kept making bad choices. He posed a powerful question. If God is all-powerful why do sin and evil exist? Augustine’s theology developed from personal reflections on his life experiences. Augustine came to the conclusion that all humans, even infants, have selfish desires. Augustine believed that we sin because of selfishness and that all sin is a disorder in our desires that leads us to seek pleasure, beauty, and truth in creatures rather than in their creator. God allows humans to freely choose their actions, and evil and sin can result from these choices. Augustine believed that we biologically inherit free will, w...

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...yees of Foxconn have been striking and demanding for higher wages. If the workers do not work overtime they are paid one hundred and sixty three dollars a month, which is barely enough for food and is insufficient to support a family. In addition, employees are forced to work eleven hours a day if they want to earn enough money for food. There are endless accidents and injuries on the production line. These issues directly relate to the Nerum Novarum. The Rerum Novarum teaches that employers should pay their workers just wages. Obviously, in our modern world, one hundred and sixty three dollars per month is not a just wage. Also, the Rerum Novarum teaches that employer’s need to respect the dignity of each person. The laborers in China do not have time for their religious duties, and often have to neglect their family because they work so many hours.