St augustine confessions

A detailed Summary of St augustine confessions

What makes is the difference between a regular Catholic and saints? Are all Saints supreme beings of righteousness? Saints are usually looked at as God's holiest servants, people who have centered their lives around God and the teaching of the Church. Saints are seen as if they are without sin. If these things are true then how does one explain the sainthood of Aurelius Augustinus, or Saint Augustine? Augustine in no way fits the traditional mold of saint. Quite the contrary, his life was full of sin. People can find it very easy to sympathize with Augustine's story because of his humanity. He does not place himself above anyone. He shows his life, as it was, a very confused and sinful life. But through his conversion he sets himself apart from the rest. Augustine was effected by many outside factors that lead to his change in point of view. The outside forces drove Augustine to look inward and see what exactly he was made of. The result was a total change in point of view bringing him closer to God. Friendship played a crucial role throughout all of Augustine's life. He loved having friends, and he loved being people's friend. Augustine was always concerned that his friendships were equal in nature. There was al

Religion does not involve love it is based on love. Love serves as the structure that religion builds on. Religion in this context can better be summed up as spirituality. People do not have to affiliate themselves with a specific known religion to believe in a God. A farmer who has worked his entire life on the plains of Africa without knowledge of Christianity or any other religions can still be a religious person. A faith in God does not have to be engrained or educated into someone. A love for God must be sought for not taught. One cannot read passages from people who knew a crucified prophet in Israel and then believe that they truly love God. Augustine knew of this process he spent time with different religious groups and each time he realized that their beliefs were not his own. The Mannichee were not wrong for the way they believed in God, but the Mannicheen beliefs did not suit Augustine.

After the bridge to Christianity had been crossed, Augustine forms two more very important relationships. These two friends are the embodiment of Christian values. Ambrose and Simplicianus are the exact models of perfect Christians. Simplicianus was the father of Ambrose a Bishop at the time. Simplicianus always tried to direct the wandering Augustine in the ways of Christ. "Then, to exhort me to the humility of Christ hidden from the wise and revealed to babes"(Pg. 135). They value and instill in Augustine charity and God's wisdom. They are blessed with the intellect for God that Augustine had been searching for all his life.

One of the major responsibilities of a friend is to be constantly watching out for the well being of each other. Augustine was always vigilant in his friendship. He would always make sure that his friends were on the right path and not straying far from God. Two very close friends of his Alypius and Nebridius were cruising on a downward spiral. They loved gladiatorial games and events of this nature. "I had discovered his fatal passion for the circus, and was gravely concerned because he seemed to me about to throw away or even already had thrown away a career of high promise."(Pg. 99) Augustine knew that nothing good could come from their hobbies. He went to his friends and explained to them what they were doing, and how their very actions were endangering not only there well being but there jobs as well. They listened intently to Augustine and knew that of course he was right. They were grateful for his honesty. True friends know that the intentions of their friends are never spiteful or duplicitous. A true friend has a deep love for the other and would do anything to see the other happy.

Supports in life are needed at every opening door. Friends are people that can always be trusted to be leaned on in times of need. Augustine confesses much about his friendships, here he speaks how any connection between two people should be heavily rooted in God. This is a matter of the degree of faith one has, but nonetheless it shows how Augustine has complete and utter faith in God. He believes that everything he does is not done without god. Through his love through God he can now share his love with others whom he cares for. He speaks of how he did things against God when his friends encouraged him. Although knowing full well that it went against what he believed he succumbed. Should Augustine be condemned to hell for eternity? No, he did go against God commandments, but wrongdoing is in human nature. Forgiveness is the issue at hand. If God the Supreme

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Approximate Word count = 2384
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History