How is original sin passed down the generations according to Augustine?
- it is passed through the loins of Adam.
Which biblical evidence suggests that all humans are guilty as a result of Adam’s sin?
Romans: “Because all sinned”
- suggests that the fall has consequences for all people and all descendants of Adam.
Which scholars agreed with Augustine that society is corrupted by original sin, even if the fall didn’t bring it about?
- Niebuhr said that it was the one empirically verifiable doctrine, as we witness people doing wrong all the time.
- Chesterton argued that you could see the evidence of original sin in the streets.
What did Dawkins think about the doctrine of original sin?
- he said it is not supported by contemporary scientific evidence from evolution.
- it creates an unhealthy societal obsession with sex.
- the church has weaponised original sin as a way to control people.
Define exclusivism:
The view that only one religion, christianity, offers a complete route to salvation.
Define single predestination:
God only decides who goes to heaven, not who goes to hell.
Define double predestination:
God decides both who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.
Define akrasia:
The divided will - we might know what the right thing to do is, but end up doing something else because we give in to desires.
Why did Augustine and St Paul believe in predestination?
- the fall makes the will corrupted so we are unable to bring about our own salvation.
- god therefore is the one who determines where we will end up in the afterlife.
What was pelagius’ response to predestination?
- predestination makes punishment unjust - we need free will.
- if we cannot avoid doing evil, then it is unjust to punish us for it, and we surely cannot be accountable for the actions which people committed thousands of years ago.
- incompatible with biblical views of gods omnibenevolence.
Why did Pelagius believe that we have free will?
- many instances of god commanding moral goodness in the bible, so we must be capable of moral action, eg the Ten Commandments.
- no point in trying to do good if, as Augustine believes, we are thoroughly corrupted. leads to a fatalistic and lazy outlook.
What was Augustine’s response to pelagian free will?
- we can do good, but only with the help of gods love and grace, not using our free will.
- points to Paul in Philippians who says that it is god who works in us to fulfil his good purpose.
- leaves no room for free will, instead only biblical evidence of divine help.
What was Sartre’s view of human nature?
- there is not such thing as a unified or ubiquitous human nature.
- people act according to good or bad faith - good faith is complete autonomy and freedom which leads to moral, good actions and bad faith leads to the opposite.
- existence precedes essence so we are free to choose our own purpose and meaning.
What was Locke’s view of human nature?
- we are born without any preconceived notions of morality or good and bad - tabula rasa.
- not tainted by augustinian original sin.
- free to develop in any way we like, but shaped significantly by our environments.
What was Rousseau’s view of human nature?
- we are born good, generous and cooperative but are corrupted by society and institution.
- man is born free but everywhere he is in chains.
What was Hobbes’ view of human nature?
- pessimistic view of human nature.
- life is nasty, brutish and short, and people are inherently self serving.
- we can use our reason to create society which allows us to work together to make life more tolerable.
What did the Stanford experiments reveal about human nature?
- normal people made to be prison guards.
- became so sadistic and abused power so much that experiment had to be stopped.
- some guards neutral, some actively kind, some actively cruel.
- maybe there is no definitive human nature?
