After four years at a Catholic high school and four or five years of CCD in my childhood, one would think that the last thing I would want to hear about, let alone write about, would be sin. But ironically out of those eight or so plus years, the one question that was never asked (not like most teachers would have liked my answer anyways) was whether or not sin limits the appeal of Catholicism. In this case, the question is whether or not sin in St. Augustine's Confessions limits the appeal of the work. There are two answers to this question, and the answer depends on whether one believes in Catholicism or not.
As a non-believer (to take it further, I'm an agnostic), the idea of sin really limits the appeal of Confessions. To anyone who is not Catholic or who at least has been exposed to quite a bit of Catholicism, the way St. Augustine presents sin is very odd. According to the Catholic Church, sin is "an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience" and "an offense against God" (for more). This simple enough to understand, but the implications of not committing sins are vast. I have talked to many who have said that the Catholic Church is all about sin and guilt. This is extremely simplified, but it is exactly why the presentation of sin in Confessions limits its appeal. If St. Augustine wrote Confessions to convert people to Catholicism, including the sin and guilt aspect of the religion actually is a deterrent. Why would anyone want to be a Catholic when you can't indulge in every whim. Not indulging in every whim from any perspective is not a good idea, but it is knowing that you have the freedom to do so that people like. Basically, no one like having a giant list of rules that he/she has to follow and that is why including sin in Confessions deters converts rather than inspires them.
In short, by including sin in Confessions, St. Augustine has limited the appeal of his work. ( The ghost of my Catholic high school has turned out to be nice just like Casper.)
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(First off, Casper for the win.) I was taken aback by your inclusion of a Vatican website, the Catholic catechism! In all my years of being a Catholic and questioning aspects of the faith, it had never come to me to actually peruse the master source for the answers. The Vatican's website! So simple, yet ingenious.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Catholic Church oftentimes does seem to expound only on sin and provide instructions of repentance. Not to be arrogant, but need we all be so apologetic? What if, say, I don't think I'm sinning (that... much?)? This is one of the reasons I'm cynical about the Catholic faith, to my parents' great dismay. Also, Sunday Polish mass is as gloomy as a funeral. And the organist plays off-key.