The Encyclopedia of World Religions

Australian religions S 39

Augustine wrote in his letters that he was “an African, writing for Africans . . . living in Africa.” But he also defined the terms that future European theologians, Catholic and Protestant, would use in trying to express their faith. His ideas influenced Protestant reformers like Martin L UTHER and John C ALVIN tremendously. At the same time, the Roman Catholic Church considers him a SAINT . It celebrates his feast on August 28, the date of his death. Australian religions The traditional religions of the indigenous people of Australia. These people are generally called Aborigines. Human beings seem to have settled in Australia as long ago as 40,000 B . P . (before the present). They developed complex cultural and religious traditions. An example of both are their rock paintings. Some of them are perhaps 15,000 years old. Traditional Australians lived in local groups that had their own languages, cultures, and ter ritories. They supported themselves by gathering and hunting. Complex trade networks covered the entire continent. In 1788 Europeans arrived. Many aboriginals died from warfare and disease. Many others gave up their traditional cultures and religions. They assimilated into European society and adopted C HRISTIANITY . Today, traditional aboriginal ways continue only in northern and central Australia. A major feature of Australian religion is the Dreaming. The name is not aboriginal; it was given by scholars. Traditional Australians believe that at first the world had no form and content. But in a time known as the Dreaming, spirits appeared. They, too, are known as Dreamings. Their activi ties gave birth to human beings, other forms of life, and features of the natural landscape. Tradi tional Australians believe further that these spirits did not simply cease to exist. They are still pres ent at specific locations. They are responsible for flourishing in the world of nature. They also give life to a fetus in the womb. Therefore, traditional Australians believe that each person has a share of spirit. At death, this share returns to the spirit realm and waits to be reborn.

In August 386 Augustine had a profound experience. He heard a voice like that of a child saying, “Pick it up and read.” He picked up the B IBLE and read a passage from P AUL ’s letter to the Romans. He was so moved that he renounced his previous life-style (characterized by sexual immo rality), adopted celibacy, and was baptized the next E ASTER . In 391 the people of Hippo in North Africa convinced him to become a priest. In 395 he became their bishop. He spent the rest of his life administering the church at Hippo, heading a monastery, preaching, teaching, and writing. His highly influential books include the Confessions ( c. 400), an account of Augustine’s long road to Christianity, and The City of God (413–426). The second book attempts to show that Christianity did not cause the decline of the Roman Empire. As a thinker, Augustine grappled with questions that became classic in the history of European and North American THEOLOGY . Where does EVIL come from? If G OD already knows what human beings will do, how can they freely choose their own acts? What must people do in order to be saved? Augus tine developed his answers to questions like these in the course of attacking three different groups: Manichaeans, Donatists, and Pelagians. Donatists taught that members of the church must be pure and that SACRAMENTS administered by sinful priests were invalid. Pelagians said that human beings could and should try to be morally perfect. In attacking these ideas, Augustine combined biblical teachings, especially teachings of the apostle Paul, with Greek philosophy, especially the ideas of Plato and his many followers. God, Augustine insisted, is absolutely good. Evil comes into the world because God creates human beings who are free to choose. Since human beings are free to choose, they will not always choose good. In fact, once A DAM sinned, his transgression was handed down to all of his descendants as original SIN . Original sin makes it impossible for human beings to be perfect on their own. They need the gift of God’s GRACE before they can do good. One way they receive grace is through sacraments like BAPTISM and the E UCHARIST . Sacraments are effective because God is at work in them.