The City Of God By Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, And Frederick Douglass
Christianity Defying Racial Oppression Christianity has worked its way through history making its imprint on all of society up until this very day. Some of the most influential Christians have set a particular focus on an array of beliefs, making it difficult to pinpoint the characteristics and attitudes of a perfect Christian. Being the perfect Christian was sought to be the epitome of happiness and greatest achievement. Important Christian philosophers had views that varied from law, social division, and unjust racism which influenced the religion and the way people thought about faith substantially. Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, and Frederick Douglass work to integrate equality and righteousness into the faith by directly and indirectly explaining
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the effects of division in the Christian community. Frederick Douglass, reflects on the hypocritical Christianity of this land in his piece Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass. He compares the Christianity of Christ to many behaviors and attitudes of that time. Douglass emphasizes the cruel and unreligious society Christians consider themselves a part of, as well as the contradictory roles they are supposed to be fulfilling. There is a clear divide between what people say they believe in and what they are actually living out through actions and works. He proves that many advocators of Christ and members of the church continually abuse their power and hide behind social normality’s for their internal justification. This hierarchical society has allowed previous Christians’ to justify racial oppression and sexism. Though it had been disagreeable, yet ignored for so long, racism continued to be considered a political enhancement in this society.
Hierarchy was not only cherished because of its order and consistency, but it also coordinated with the principles of laws and fruitfulness of a flourishing society. Society strived for political perfection and communal happiness through the fulfillment of laws. Thomas Aquinas used Summa Theologica as an effort to integrate faith and reason to obtain all necessary knowledge. Aquinas focused on ordering common good and believed that laws directed us toward beatitude. This great philosopher explicitly states each single man is a part of the perfect community and therefore law necessarily concerns itself particularly with communal happiness. The subtle remark about communal happiness and the perfect community helps us understand another reasoning of his for laws which he states, “ Second, due to the uncertainty of human judgement, particularly regarding contingent and particular things, there tend to be differing judgements regarding human acts, from which proceed diverse and contrary laws. Therefore, in order for man to be secure in the knowledge of what should be done and what avoided, it was necessary that his acts be directed by divinely-given law which cannot err.” Aquinas reaches to Christians by expressing certain laws and actions are not just and that the true and just thoughts are given to us by God only. By using God in his works, Aquinas works to demonstrate the ignorance of the human race, clearly opposing any divide in a community.
God is an extremely important authority in which Christians have the utmost respect for regardless of their behavior and actions that may portray an opposing truth.
Augustine reflects on Christianity in the secular world in his writing The City of God, where the focal point of the writing is to differentiate the two separate kingdoms men are living in. A kingdom lived by according to man and a kingdom lived by according to God. Augustine states that when a man lives according to himself, or society in this case, he is living according to a lie. Augustine openly states this about the kingdom of man, “But as this is not a good which can discharge its devotees of all distresses, this city is often divided against itself by litigations, wars, quarrels, and such victories are either life-destroying or short-lived.” He pushes for the reader to simply notice and examine the division created by personal victories, which leads him to write “…all men desire to have peace with their own circle whom they wish to govern as suits themselves. For even those whom they make war against they wish to make their own, and impose on them the laws of their own peace.” As a devout Christian he works to solidify the idea of peace and true acceptance of one another. Augustine continues to strengthen his argument with this statement “…God, then, the most wise Creator and most just Ordainer of all natures, who placed the human race upon this earth as its greatest ornament, imparted to men some good things adapted to the life, to wit, temporal peace, such as we can enjoy in this life from health and safety and human fellowship, and all things needful for the preservation and recovery of this peace…” He finishes by saying earthly peace and earthly community is connected by the City of God with eternal peace. Augustine works to expose the social divide among believers of the Christian faith and is against man feeding into their own self-interest opposed to God’s. By uncovering truth in his
works, Augustine becomes am impactful leader to which whom people rely and trust his words. It is clear, Augustine’s position, defies racial and political oppression.
Community may not be recognized as a place where race, religion, and social status remain irrelevant, but each of these authors attempt to disclose Christian beliefs in their works that prove that wrong. Augustine’s depiction of the contradicting cities correlates nicely with Douglass’ view of Christianity being separated and Aquinas’ view of certain laws. The connection between each of these Christian philosophers is that they each recognize the division and hypocrisy in the Christian religion in a slightly different manner. All three of these brave men proved to be true Christians and followers of God. Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, and Frederick Douglass identified, addressed, and declared the negative social and political effects of racism on society through the Christian religion.
the effects of division in the Christian community. Frederick Douglass, reflects on the hypocritical Christianity of this land in his piece Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass. He compares the Christianity of Christ to many behaviors and attitudes of that time. Douglass emphasizes the cruel and unreligious society Christians consider themselves a part of, as well as the contradictory roles they are supposed to be fulfilling. There is a clear divide between what people say they believe in and what they are actually living out through actions and works. He proves that many advocators of Christ and members of the church continually abuse their power and hide behind social normality’s for their internal justification. This hierarchical society has allowed previous Christians’ to justify racial oppression and sexism. Though it had been disagreeable, yet ignored for so long, racism continued to be considered a political enhancement in this society.
Hierarchy was not only cherished because of its order and consistency, but it also coordinated with the principles of laws and fruitfulness of a flourishing society. Society strived for political perfection and communal happiness through the fulfillment of laws. Thomas Aquinas used Summa Theologica as an effort to integrate faith and reason to obtain all necessary knowledge. Aquinas focused on ordering common good and believed that laws directed us toward beatitude. This great philosopher explicitly states each single man is a part of the perfect community and therefore law necessarily concerns itself particularly with communal happiness. The subtle remark about communal happiness and the perfect community helps us understand another reasoning of his for laws which he states, “ Second, due to the uncertainty of human judgement, particularly regarding contingent and particular things, there tend to be differing judgements regarding human acts, from which proceed diverse and contrary laws. Therefore, in order for man to be secure in the knowledge of what should be done and what avoided, it was necessary that his acts be directed by divinely-given law which cannot err.” Aquinas reaches to Christians by expressing certain laws and actions are not just and that the true and just thoughts are given to us by God only. By using God in his works, Aquinas works to demonstrate the ignorance of the human race, clearly opposing any divide in a community.
God is an extremely important authority in which Christians have the utmost respect for regardless of their behavior and actions that may portray an opposing truth.
Augustine reflects on Christianity in the secular world in his writing The City of God, where the focal point of the writing is to differentiate the two separate kingdoms men are living in. A kingdom lived by according to man and a kingdom lived by according to God. Augustine states that when a man lives according to himself, or society in this case, he is living according to a lie. Augustine openly states this about the kingdom of man, “But as this is not a good which can discharge its devotees of all distresses, this city is often divided against itself by litigations, wars, quarrels, and such victories are either life-destroying or short-lived.” He pushes for the reader to simply notice and examine the division created by personal victories, which leads him to write “…all men desire to have peace with their own circle whom they wish to govern as suits themselves. For even those whom they make war against they wish to make their own, and impose on them the laws of their own peace.” As a devout Christian he works to solidify the idea of peace and true acceptance of one another. Augustine continues to strengthen his argument with this statement “…God, then, the most wise Creator and most just Ordainer of all natures, who placed the human race upon this earth as its greatest ornament, imparted to men some good things adapted to the life, to wit, temporal peace, such as we can enjoy in this life from health and safety and human fellowship, and all things needful for the preservation and recovery of this peace…” He finishes by saying earthly peace and earthly community is connected by the City of God with eternal peace. Augustine works to expose the social divide among believers of the Christian faith and is against man feeding into their own self-interest opposed to God’s. By uncovering truth in his
works, Augustine becomes am impactful leader to which whom people rely and trust his words. It is clear, Augustine’s position, defies racial and political oppression.
Community may not be recognized as a place where race, religion, and social status remain irrelevant, but each of these authors attempt to disclose Christian beliefs in their works that prove that wrong. Augustine’s depiction of the contradicting cities correlates nicely with Douglass’ view of Christianity being separated and Aquinas’ view of certain laws. The connection between each of these Christian philosophers is that they each recognize the division and hypocrisy in the Christian religion in a slightly different manner. All three of these brave men proved to be true Christians and followers of God. Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, and Frederick Douglass identified, addressed, and declared the negative social and political effects of racism on society through the Christian religion.