- Feb 5, 2002
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Having just concluded the 2022 midterm elections, discussions of 2024 presidential candidates feel worse than seeing Christmas decorations for sale in stores before Halloween passes. The electoral exhaustion many Americans feel — or worse still, the rage that overwhelms many of us at the mere mention of this or that politician’s name — leads some to conclude that, surely, a loving God would not have intended this. Politics must be the result of sin.
The question was raised recently at a panel discussion called “The Creation of Politics” at the annual conference hosted by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. And for me, in my post-midterm-election musings, the conference — and whether or not politics existed in Eden — was the salve I needed.
Our first parents were created in a state of harmony. In “The City of God,” St. Augustine describes Adam and Eve, saying, “Their love to God was unclouded, and their mutual affection was that of faithful and sincere marriage; and from this love flowed a wonderful delight, because they always enjoyed what was loved.” The first state of innocence, before original sin, was marked by equilibrium, balance and peace. In fact, none of the passions disturbed Adam and Eve. St. Augustine says, “Their avoidance of sin was tranquil; and, so long as it was maintained, no other ill at all could invade them and bring sorrow.”
Continued below.
The question was raised recently at a panel discussion called “The Creation of Politics” at the annual conference hosted by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. And for me, in my post-midterm-election musings, the conference — and whether or not politics existed in Eden — was the salve I needed.
Our first parents were created in a state of harmony. In “The City of God,” St. Augustine describes Adam and Eve, saying, “Their love to God was unclouded, and their mutual affection was that of faithful and sincere marriage; and from this love flowed a wonderful delight, because they always enjoyed what was loved.” The first state of innocence, before original sin, was marked by equilibrium, balance and peace. In fact, none of the passions disturbed Adam and Eve. St. Augustine says, “Their avoidance of sin was tranquil; and, so long as it was maintained, no other ill at all could invade them and bring sorrow.”
Continued below.
Is politics the result of original sin?
With one election cycle over and, certainly, another one about to begin, Father Patrick Briscoe, editor of Our Sunday Visitor, writes that the timing was perfect for a panel discussion to be held on “The Creation of Politics” at a recent conference he attended: “The electoral exhaustion many...
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