L
lemondiesel
Guest
I am going along with Augustines writings, but I would like to get some thoughts on this issue. Now, I may not agree with Augustine’s religious choices, but I definitely agree he has something with the two cities he develops in his writing. (City of God)
City of God (what I understood it as) is the perfect city. Since Augustine was a Neo-Platonian, its not unreasonable to see why. There are certain aspects of this city that make it idealistic, well perhaps all the aspects, but it is a place in the afterlife. Understandable if you are a believer, but the other city really answers the flaws of God’s city.
The City of Heaven is completely different. It is a place here on Earth. Now, I have personally come to agree with this idea and here is why. Augustine says that all humans should be under one city, which makes up the City of Heaven. Earth is one large state, and the more populated it becomes, the more it should be ruled as one state. Different ideologies and political agendias corrupt the City of Heaven, because it creates states within states. If you need to image this, picture the mayor of you city having the same authority as the federal government, or even ruling as his own ‘state.’ It is an independent rule within another rule.
The city of Heaven is Earth as one government, which I believe should be the only true form of government. Each ruling nation should rule like United States’ states do, having individual rules but still being subordinate to the federal government. The problem arises when asked, “who are nations really subordinate to?” Excellent point and question, because there really is no ultimate authority. (maybe besides the UN) The only way to achieve this higher authority is too either a) conquer the entire known world, like the Romans tried, the Persians, and even later Hitler. or b) we create a City of God, where the perfect laws are placed. We strive to become part of God’s city, ruling for the preservation of existence, of all life.
This leaves me with the conclusion that Religion and the State are actually quite connected. Religion provides the proper ways to live, in the eyes of a perfect city, an idealistic (something that may be obtainable with hard work) and the State provides the enforcement of laws, the protection of all its citizens (the global population), the preservation of natural life and resources, and also provides morality codes that present themselves in civilizations. (voting rights, banking, etc).
Perhaps Augustine was onto something, and perhaps Heaven is the living conditions that all citizens of Earth have the potential to belong to. We are in fact very alone in this universe, and sometimes we forget that. We have creation divisions where divisions can not be supported without corruption and ‘evils.’
Perhaps the City of God is nature, without any free thinking observer to manipulate it, and since we are free thinking beings, we must manipulate the already manipulated, to bring it back to the time before it was manipulated (haha, too many manipulateds )
City of God (what I understood it as) is the perfect city. Since Augustine was a Neo-Platonian, its not unreasonable to see why. There are certain aspects of this city that make it idealistic, well perhaps all the aspects, but it is a place in the afterlife. Understandable if you are a believer, but the other city really answers the flaws of God’s city.
The City of Heaven is completely different. It is a place here on Earth. Now, I have personally come to agree with this idea and here is why. Augustine says that all humans should be under one city, which makes up the City of Heaven. Earth is one large state, and the more populated it becomes, the more it should be ruled as one state. Different ideologies and political agendias corrupt the City of Heaven, because it creates states within states. If you need to image this, picture the mayor of you city having the same authority as the federal government, or even ruling as his own ‘state.’ It is an independent rule within another rule.
The city of Heaven is Earth as one government, which I believe should be the only true form of government. Each ruling nation should rule like United States’ states do, having individual rules but still being subordinate to the federal government. The problem arises when asked, “who are nations really subordinate to?” Excellent point and question, because there really is no ultimate authority. (maybe besides the UN) The only way to achieve this higher authority is too either a) conquer the entire known world, like the Romans tried, the Persians, and even later Hitler. or b) we create a City of God, where the perfect laws are placed. We strive to become part of God’s city, ruling for the preservation of existence, of all life.
This leaves me with the conclusion that Religion and the State are actually quite connected. Religion provides the proper ways to live, in the eyes of a perfect city, an idealistic (something that may be obtainable with hard work) and the State provides the enforcement of laws, the protection of all its citizens (the global population), the preservation of natural life and resources, and also provides morality codes that present themselves in civilizations. (voting rights, banking, etc).
Perhaps Augustine was onto something, and perhaps Heaven is the living conditions that all citizens of Earth have the potential to belong to. We are in fact very alone in this universe, and sometimes we forget that. We have creation divisions where divisions can not be supported without corruption and ‘evils.’
Perhaps the City of God is nature, without any free thinking observer to manipulate it, and since we are free thinking beings, we must manipulate the already manipulated, to bring it back to the time before it was manipulated (haha, too many manipulateds )
