Root Sin (Literature & Language Essay)

Root Sin
Student’s Name
Institution
Root Sin
St. Augustine seemed to believe that the root sin was self-assertion and selfishness. He was trying to understand how even infants are not pure from sin in the eyes of God. “Myself have seen and known even a baby envious; it could not speak, yet it turned pale and looked bitterly on its foster-brother (Pusey, 1999 p.20).” In his opinion, the pursuit of pleasures and vanities, including stealing pears while he did not need them, was a selfish act and the root of sin. His efforts were directed towards self-enjoyment of things that did not even belong to him rather than focusing on God and His love.
I agree with Augustine's opinion about root sin. If human beings were not so self-absorbed and selfish, they would not covet and steal other people’s possessions. Neither would they be filled with jealousy because they would not be concerned about what they do not have. The desire to promote oneself at the expense of others has caused many human beings to commit many sins such as stealing, murder, adultery among others. The desire to possess more earthly things and to have more possessions than others is the root sin.
Socrates would say that the one sin that causes all bad behavior is ignorance. Socrates believed that what is referred to as sin is not sin but pure ignorance (Hattersley, 2009) because no one would willingly commit any wrongs if they knew what is right. In Socrates's view, if everyone was aware of what is right, then there would be no bad behavior among human beings, hence no sin. Socrates believed that peopl...