Kyle Lieu
9/21/15
HIST 101
Dr. Greene
Directed Writing #1
For a man so desperate in his search for truth, Saint Augustine had a remarkable tendency to stray towards falsehood. Born to a devout Christian mother and a father for whom the faith never took hold, it is no surprise that he found himself in doubt as to what God was and what place He had in his heart. Even in his youth, Augustine possessed what could have been considered a truly wonderful, basal, and even virtuous desire to seek enlightenment. However, his poor selection of friends hindered his conversion, by instilling in him an unrestrained lust for sexual exuberance and a dangerous streak of pride.
Though one might think Augustine’s religious upbringing would have given him a head start towards conversion, he often chose to follow the lead of his friends instead of his own soul. In his younger years, he became close with a …show more content…
Augustine firmly believed that pride was a strong force that kept him away from God throughout his life. As a boy, he “loved the pride of winning” (12) in competitive games. Both his peers and his natural disposition influenced him in towards this. It led him away from the path of God, for God values humility and learning; not sports, games, or prideful boasting. Guided by the desire to satisfy his pride, Augustine sinned further by cheating to ensure the feeling of self-admiration.
Pride appeared everywhere throughout his life. It is linked with every sin, every roadblock. He was too proud to ever admit that he wrong, he was too proud to let go of his habits, and he was too proud to listen to those wiser than he. He was too proud even to read the Bible. Letting go of his pride was a major accomplishment for Augustine; he had clung to it all of his life. It was only once he relinquished it, as he had his sexual desires, that he could both accept and be accepted by
9/21/15
HIST 101
Dr. Greene
Directed Writing #1
For a man so desperate in his search for truth, Saint Augustine had a remarkable tendency to stray towards falsehood. Born to a devout Christian mother and a father for whom the faith never took hold, it is no surprise that he found himself in doubt as to what God was and what place He had in his heart. Even in his youth, Augustine possessed what could have been considered a truly wonderful, basal, and even virtuous desire to seek enlightenment. However, his poor selection of friends hindered his conversion, by instilling in him an unrestrained lust for sexual exuberance and a dangerous streak of pride.
Though one might think Augustine’s religious upbringing would have given him a head start towards conversion, he often chose to follow the lead of his friends instead of his own soul. In his younger years, he became close with a …show more content…
Augustine firmly believed that pride was a strong force that kept him away from God throughout his life. As a boy, he “loved the pride of winning” (12) in competitive games. Both his peers and his natural disposition influenced him in towards this. It led him away from the path of God, for God values humility and learning; not sports, games, or prideful boasting. Guided by the desire to satisfy his pride, Augustine sinned further by cheating to ensure the feeling of self-admiration.
Pride appeared everywhere throughout his life. It is linked with every sin, every roadblock. He was too proud to ever admit that he wrong, he was too proud to let go of his habits, and he was too proud to listen to those wiser than he. He was too proud even to read the Bible. Letting go of his pride was a major accomplishment for Augustine; he had clung to it all of his life. It was only once he relinquished it, as he had his sexual desires, that he could both accept and be accepted by