Review of St Augustine's Sin
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- Macha Marumo Mphela
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Review of St Augustine's Sin
In this provocative book titled St Augustine's Sin, Joe Baker explores the influence that St Augustine had on modern-day Christianity. He dissects how St Augustine's life works infiltrated how Christians view sin, and how this view has created an unhealthy outlook on life for many people across the world. Joe Baker shares with us his experiences in Catholic schools, and he dives into the controversial topic of child sexual abuse in the church. The last two chapters were written by Lorna Graham, whose expertise as a teacher gives her a unique insight into the effects that religion has on children.
One of the most important issues the authors deal with in the book is the prevalence of religious (Christian) education in Britain. Several public schools in Britain still teach children religion. Many issues arise from this, and the authors make comments against this practice. They outline how this negatively affects children of all faiths and non-faiths, and they outline how a more secular approach to education should be universally adopted instead.
A big chunk of the chapters deals with the difficult topic of sex and the sexual abuse of children in religious schools. Joe Baker makes a correlation between these topics and St Augustine's teachings. I found these chapters to be incredibly difficult to read, but I understood their significance. The Catholic Church has been mired in child sex scandals for decades, and these scandals have been largely swept under the rug to protect the image of the institution.
The book is against religious teachings in schools. The book isn't anti-religion, which I should make clear. Although the authors aren't religious in the traditional sense of the word, they aren't opposed to religion as an institution. What they are opposed to is Britain's relentless need to uphold Christian values in a largely secular society. Religious education in schools infringes on other people's rights. The authors are also against the Indroctination of children. They are also against the sexual abuse that the Catholic Church has been unable to handle for decades. I thought that the book was written as fairly as possible, which couldn't have been particularly easy. I loved every little thing I read, and it's for that reason that I'll rate the book 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to readers who also believe that religion shouldn't be part of any school's curriculum. I don't think that this thought is necessarily unique to non-religious people. I think that some religious people also hold these opinions and ideas. The book contains sexual abuse themes that could be triggering. I wouldn't recommend it to sensitive readers.
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St Augustine's Sin
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