Augustine and His Political Theory Essay

Saint Augustine was a skilled Catholic Bishop of Hippo in the northern part of Africa. He was a creative writer and one of the first Christian philosophers of his time. The contemporary world has a lot to learn from Augustine’s political and social philosophy. Apparently, his views on political and social philosophy provide a vital intellectual bridge between ancient times and the present world.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the importance of Augustine’s thoughts on various aspects of life. It also examines the relationship between the church and the state.

The Purpose of the State According to Augustine

Regarding Augustine’s thoughts on the state, the value of the state is quite obvious. Definitely, the state is a divine gift from God and is an expression of divine justice and mercy. The state plays a very vital role in maintaining law and order and helps to keep the wicked under control through the fear of punishment. As a consequence, God uses the state to control the actions of both the righteous and the wicked so as to maintain and establish order. In general, state leaders are instruments used by God, and they have the privilege of punishing those who are guilty.

According to Augustine, the government is instituted by God in order to ensure that a peaceful environment exists for people to live and operate in. Arguably, a nation will end up in a state of lawlessness without a stable government. The state is thus an important requirement in God’s plan for mankind. This is also true from a Christian’s perspective when one considers how God led the Israelites right from Egypt.

He used appointed specific individuals to be in charge of his people at different times so as to ensure that there was the order in the way things were done. Apparently, the fact that the state is meant to fulfill the will of God, the type of government is beside the point. Although it is the responsibility of the state to ensure that the society functions properly, it needs the support of the church in order to succeed. Generally, an ideal state should be able to establish institutions that make it possible for individuals to live in a just way. It also ensures orderliness and freedom of worship for everyone. In addition, an ideal state offers protection for all individuals and creates an environment that facilitates growth.

Augustine also contends that orderliness is essential as it permits individuals to maintain a good spiritual focus and to be well connected with the creator. The existence of a stable state government is thus a mandatory requirement for people to enjoy a healthy relationship with God. Among other things, the state is responsible for creating laws to ensure that people act morally. It also promotes peace, justice, and mercy for all. It is imperative for the state to remain stable and to avoid any form of disruption for effectiveness to be realized. In Augustine’s opinion, the state should not be allowed to interfere with the operations of the church. Arguably, the main agenda of any state should be to handle secular issues while letting the church deal with matters of spirituality.

Despair over the Efficacy of the State

As has already been explained, the state also plays a very critical role in promoting morality in society, which is an important requirement for healthy social relations to exist. For this reason, efforts must be made to ensure that a stable state exists to facilitate the creation of an environment that forms the basis of good relations. Augustine also alleges that the foundation of healthy social relations in the society is the family. While laws created by the state are good and help to strengthen morality, they can not achieve much without the existence of strong family units that are founded on strong Christian values. Unlike other political theorists, Augustine is convinced that the state can not survive without religion (Carver 82).

Although it is good for the state to exercise authority when dealing with citizens, the absolute authority may have negative effects on how individuals respond. Apparently, the application of excessive force may lead to resistance among citizens. As a result, the state must use its authority very carefully. More importantly, the state should collaborate with the church to create a peaceful and moral society. Whereas the state will rely on the law to compel citizens to respond in a certain way, Christianity promotes dialogue and requires leaders to discuss issues with followers in order to come up with the best approach of encouraging followers to act in the right way. As a matter of fact, the absolute use of power over others is biblically sinful. The use of excessive force by the state is thus unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs.

The bible speaks very strongly against masters mistreating slaves. This notwithstanding, the state is regarded as a divinely ordained punishment for irate individuals. According to Augustine, God uses the state to motivate individuals to act morally and live in harmony with others. Through coercion and punishment, the state is able to instill fear among citizens in order to get them to do what is right. On the one hand, the state assumes the responsibility of reprimanding those who are wicked while on the other, it encourages individuals to work toward being moral. In addition, the state provides remedies for those who have lost their way. In this regard, therefore, the state helps to maintain peace and order in society.

As argued by Augustine, great empires are established by men with selfish ambitions. He is against the oppression of weak nations by those who appear to be strong and contends that justice and mercy must prevail at all times when dealing with the weak. According to Augustine, it would be easier to govern the world if it was composed of small states that could live together in harmony. Debatably, the use of aggression by some states toward others should be discouraged. Rather than rely on imperial power, Augustine was of the opinion that a union of associated governments should instead be used.

Augustine further alleges that no state can be regarded as a true commonwealth state without advocating for absolute justice. Arguably, it is impossible for justice to prevail without the proper worship of God. In a similar way, a healthy environment can not exist in a state where Christ is not regarded as the King. It is the sole responsibility of leaders to ensure that any laws that are enacted do not contradict God’s teachings. Civil disobedience must be avoided by every citizen. Regardless of their moral standing, leaders must be respected by all citizens. However, individuals must choose to obey God rather than state authorities in the event that conflict is encountered. Where an individual is found to be guilty, he or she must be willing to take the punishment for being disobedient. State officers must, however, exercise their authority cautiously.

According to Augustine, the rapid development of the Roman Empire was in absolute harmony with God’s eternal plan. Presumably, the decision by the Roman Empire to adopt Christianity as the official religion was also predestined. Even though the influence of Christianity upon the Roman Empire may have been symbolic, it was of great benefit for Rome to adopt Christianity. However, embracing Christianity does not necessarily transform a state into a City of God. While the church has an important role in teaching and encouraging people to live in harmony with others, it can not impose any decision on followers. It is the responsibility of every individual to make the right choices.

Augustine’s Arguments and the Aims of Christians to Live Virtuously

As explained earlier, the state is instituted by God in order to create a harmonious environment for all to live and operate in. For this reason, states exist to reinforce God’s intentions. At the very least, they are an important requirement for marinating law and order and for preventing war and unfairness among citizens of a given state. As noted by Augustine, the state has an important part to play in ensuring that citizens can live in line with the teaching of God.

Although the law is created by state political leaders, the law creation process borrows heavily from the laws of God. It is thus obvious that by obeying state laws, an individual will, to some extent, be living as God desires. However, while the law may be used to coerce individuals to do the right thing by instilling fear in them, it is not completely effective. As a consequence, state governments must do more to get individuals to comply with the teachings of God. Augustine suggests that state governments should actively engage Christian leaders in order to promote genuine change among citizens.

For Augustine, war a strategy within God’s plan to rescue mankind. He alleges that justice and mercy are very close to the heart of God. However, the concept of war has also been used selfishly by various individuals. Because of a desire to be powerful and to dominate others, men have been engage in illegal war activities.

While living by faith is an important requirement for every Christian, Augustine asserts that any person who desires to live by faith must be fully aware of the challenges of an imperfect world and the contradictions of war. He or she must understand how to cope with the various shortcomings of an unjust world. It is also essential for such a person to know how to deal with various difficulties that are associated with the present world. According to Augustine, war is an important part of the human experience, which is based on the wickedness of men in a less than perfect world. Apparently, Augustine’s thoughts make it possible for Christians to understand what just war is how it may be used as a coping strategy useful for people who are concerned about living in peace and harmony with others. It is generally presumed that the power of Augustine’s thoughts on just war is quite substantial.

Arguably, Augustine’s approach to war is essential for staunch Christians as much as it is for other people making attempts to discover the best way to live in a hostile environment. Augustine alleges that war is part of God’s plan to make sure that individuals do not deviate from his instructions. It is thus necessary for Christians to understand the importance of war as a means of correction. During the Israelites journey in the desert, God subjected them to wartime again for disobeying his instructions. As a Christian minister, Augustine undertook to defend his followers against any form of assault by heretical doctrine spawned by those opposed to the teachings of Christianity.

To a large extent, Augustine’s arguments are founded on Christian principles of creation as well as the fall and redemption of man. Despite the fact that the earth was established by a loving and caring God, it will eventually pass away. As a consequence, every Christian should live on the face of this earth as a stranger while waiting for a better world. Apparently, condemnation is as a result of the fall of man and came into existence because of Adam’s disobedience that interfered with God’s perfectly good order.

Can the State Resolve the Problem of our Free Will or Change Human Tendencies?

Although the state is considered to be part of God’s divine plan to create harmony in the society, Augustine argues that no state is just. This is because men are generally opposed to actions that are meant to build a just and fair society. Consequently, it is impossible for the state to resolve the problem of free will completely or to change human tendencies. According to Augustine, it is the teachings of Christ that can help to promote justice and fairness. While state authorities are generally inconsistent as far as the application of justice is concerned, God’s word and promise never change (Ware 90). In addition, God created all human beings with an inherent ability to freely choose guided by biblical principles (Cooper 209). The state and church must, therefore, work closely to change human tendencies and to create a healthy environment for every citizen to live and operate in.

How Augustine Compares with the Selections, we Read from the Bible

By and large, Augustine’s thoughts are in agreement with what we read from the bible. As noted by Russell, most arguments presented by Augustine generally agree with Scripture (352). For example, God gives all human beings an opportunity to be saved and to act out of the free will. As a consequence, obedience to the teachings of God is not automatic. This notwithstanding, it is imperative for the ministers of God’s word to keep on with their work while allowing Christians to make choices on their own. In the same way, Augustine argued that while God’s instructions are meant to help Christians live morally, it is upon every individual to make the right choices.

Conclusion

Following Augustine’s approach, it is possible to conclude that God predestines every event during man’s life on earth. Without a doubt, nothing takes place contrary to God’s divine plan for human beings. As a result, the ultimate destination of man is predestined. Apparently, Augustine’s thoughts have a long effect on Western civilization. Augustine was a relentless and devout practitioner whose output and diversity remain a distinct hallmark in the present-day society.

Individuals who are elected for salvation, as well as those elected for condemnation, are thoroughly mixed together. Ostensibly, the distinction that arises from their respective destinies causes an appearance of two classes of cities identified by Augustine. On the one hand is the City of God, while on the other is the earthly city.

Works Cited

Carver, Terrell. Men in Political Theory. New York, NY: Manchester University Press, 2004. Print.

Cooper, Stephen. Augustine for Armchair Theologians. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002. Print.

Russell, Bertrand. History of Western Philosophy. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004. Print.

Ware, Bruce. Perspectives on the Doctrine of God: 4 Views. Nashville, Tennessee: B & H Publishing Group, 2008. Print.