REL 300 Test 2 Study (copy)

How did the Platonic books help Augustine overcome his belief that whatever is real must be material and occupy space and time?

They directed him to look inward and recognize that the mind contains real, non-material truths such as ideas and numbers.

How did the “Platonists” help Augustine come to a new understanding of the nature of evil?

They helped him understand that evil is not a substance or created thing, but a privation — the absence or distortion of good.

What are some important things Augustine discovered in Christianity that he did not find in the Platonist books?

A personal relationship with a saving God, moral transformation of the will, and assurance of forgiveness and eternal life in Christ.

Who were Victorinus and Saint Antony, and what roles did they play in Augustine’s journey toward conversion?

Victorinus was a rhetorician whose learned conversion to Christianity impressed Augustine, while Saint Antony was an ascetic whose radical devotion inspired Augustine to renounce worldly desires.

How does Augustine describe the weak, divided, and conflicted human will?

He believes the will is divided — knowing the good does not ensure doing it, since habit and desire pull the soul toward lesser goods.

What happens during Augustine’s and Monica’s mystical experience, and what are its main qualities?

While talking about eternal life near a window overlooking the Tiber, they momentarily transcend the material world and experience a timeless encounter with the divine.

What are the key qualities of Augustine’s and Monica’s mystical experience in Book 9?

It is a contemplative ascent from temporal things to the eternal, guided by desire and reflection, using negation to move beyond the finite until they experience a timeless union with divine truth.

According to Rousseau’s view of the self (as described in the handout), how does he understand the true self?

The true self is found by turning inward into solitary reverie and experiencing an immediate, self-sufficient existence that blurs the line between self and its divine source.

How do Augustine’s and Rousseau’s views of the self differ?

Augustine locates the true self in relation to God and sees self-knowledge as dependent on divine illumination, while Rousseau finds the self in inward feeling and self-sufficient introspection.

How are Augustine’s views of the self, the search for happiness, and the search for God connected?

Augustine teaches that the restless self seeks happiness in finite things, but true fulfillment comes only when love is rightly ordered toward God — knowing oneself and knowing God are inseparable.

What is the step-by-step method of ascent Augustine describes for moving from creation to God?

By examining creation, turning inward to the mind, reflecting on the mind’s powers, negating finite things, and finally encountering God as the eternal light beyond all created reality.

Which of the following best captures the overall message of the Five Truths?

To live truthfully, we must recognize and accept our human limits.

The truth “You weren’t always here” primarily reminds us that:

We are finite beings who entered existence through something greater than ourselves.

What do the first four truths (“You weren’t always here,” “You can’t do it all,” “You can’t be it all,” “You won’t always be here”) have in common?

They emphasize our limits in time, power, and being.

According to the lecture, how does technology create an illusion about reality and God?

It encloses us in human creations, leading us to see the human-made world as ultimate reality.

What happens to our perception of God when we are surrounded by human technology?

We begin to view God as a human invention rather than the Creator.

What is the first step in understanding the true meaning of the word “God”?

Clarifying our own lived experience.

Why is the second step — connecting our experiences to the concept of God — necessary?

It makes “God” a personally meaningful reality rather than a mere idea.

What is the “common view” of freedom?

The power to do whatever one wants.

What problem arises from the “common view” of freedom?

It often leads to choices that cause regret and unhappiness.

According to the lecture, the ultimate goal of freedom is:

To achieve happiness.

How does the “final definition” of freedom differ from the common view?

It defines freedom as not having to choose because one already possesses what fulfills them.

How does freedom raise the question of God?

We depend on God for the fullest freedom — the freedom of fulfillment, not of choice.

Beauty, as described in the lecture, is:

An experience of wholeness and harmony.

Meaning, in contrast to beauty, focuses on:

The part’s relationship to the whole.

According to Tolstoy, what happens when we lose a sense of meaning?

We experience paralysis and despair.

How does the quest for meaning raise the question of God?

Without belief in a greater whole, life lacks purpose or direction.

Desire-love differs from benevolent love because:

Desire-love seeks personal satisfaction; benevolence-love seeks the good of the other.

What makes freely-given love morally superior to natural love?

It goes beyond instinct and involves conscious self-giving and sacrifice.

How does the experience of love raise the question of God?

Because only God offers unchanging, freely given love that grounds our worth.

What makes moral experience distinct from other experiences?

It includes a feeling of obligation to do what is right, regardless of preference.

Which explanation of moral obligation is rejected by the lecture?

It is merely biological or psychological.

What happens to morality if there is no God?

Moral judgments lose their grounding and become subjective.

How does the “external point of view” of modern science affect our sense of God?

It portrays God as distant and external to the world.

Why is constructing reality solely from an external viewpoint inadequate?

Because we cannot step outside our minds to view the world objectively.

How does the ability of our minds to understand the world raise the question of God?

It suggests that the world’s intelligibility reflects a greater Mind in which we live and think.