Anglicans discussion

One of the things I'm going to be undertaking during this coming season of Lent is to read St. Augustine's Confessions - it seemed appropriate.

Would love for folks to join me in this.

P.S. I will be blogging about it as I go along over at http://ethawyn.blogspot.com

Yay! I've been wanting to do that one. I have that on my kindle. I'll check out your blog about it.

Well I started reading it on my kindle and so far the reading is going fine. When I finish the first chapter or section, then I'll go back and see what I really liked and share on that.

It's weird, but in some ways St. Augustine reminds me of my son, who often chatters his thoughts out-loud. Especially when Augustine complains about being forced to learn things he did not feel like learning. He seems like someone that I'd enjoy sitting down and talking with!

I just don't feel I can do a blog...too much else to do with home-schooling, and all the other stuff that I am involved in :) Now if I were younger...maybe.

Kevin-
I saw your blog. Neat..like it!
Where in Kenya were you born? We've lived there 3 times (looooong stories).

Thanks. I was born in Kijabe, spent most of my time there in Kerio Valley. I responded to your comment.

I posted for the Anglican Group's "Currently Reading," that some in this group are reading Augustine's Confession. If you have read it in the past, feel free to post any thoughts on anything you enjoyed or learned in your reading.

I confess I didn't learn much in Confession--but I think it's because I came from the pre-Vatican 2 era of RC catechism classes. Could it be?

Did you attend school in Kenya?
My son helped on a water project in Kerio Valley back in 2001.

Sorry, Karen.

Charity, I don't know what I'll learn from St. Augustine...time will tell. I thought I should try this classic and why not try it in Lent :) I know some old writing of that sort goes right over my head.

We left when I was three, so no school.

Kevin, have you gone back to Kenya since your early childhood?

Kevin, I appreciated your article on your blog, titled, "Why Feast on Sundays?"

Karen L. wrote: "Kevin, I appreciated your article on your blog, titled, "Why Feast on Sundays?""

Thank you. It's very encouraging to learn of people appreciating my posts.

Well I am S-L-O-W-L-Y plodding through Augustine's Confession. There are some profound statements, but I wish he said it all in less words! I am only in book 2.

For those who have read St. Augustine: was it a tough read for you?

I'm getting through pretty slowly as well. Lots of other reading to do. I'll be doing some blog posts soon I think.

I'm in book 3 now...progress! I think I am getting how this story/confession works now. He really exposes the shallowness of sin. If he were in our day and age, I imagine that he would tell of a deliverence story of being set free from sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Here is something from book three, that I liked CHAPTER VII

12. For I was ignorant of that other reality, true Being. And so it was that I was subtly persuaded to agree with these foolish deceivers when they put their questions to me: “Whence comes evil?” and, “Is God limited by a bodily shape, and has he hairs and nails?” and, “Are those patriarchs to be esteemed righteous who had many wives at one time, and who killed men and who sacrificed living creatures?” In my ignorance I was much disturbed over these things and, though I was retreating from the truth, I appeared to myself to be going toward it, because I did not yet know that evil was nothing but a privation of good (that, indeed, it has no being)7373 Cf. Enchiridion, IV.; and how should I have seen this when the sight of my eyes went no farther than physical objects, and the sight of my mind reached no farther than to fantasms? And I did not know that God is a spirit who has no parts extended in length and breadth, whose being has no mass--for every mass is less in a part than in a whole--and if it be an infinite mass it must be less in such parts as are limited by a certain space than in its infinity. It cannot therefore be wholly everywhere as Spirit is, as God is. And I was entirely ignorant as to what is that principle within us by

If anyone would like to look at Augustine's Confessions online. This is a great link to look at. Also good for copying and pasting for discussion here.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine/co...

Well, it's after Easter and I am still reading Augustine's Confession...VERY s-l-o-w-l-y.

My 80 year old Mum was hit head on by a driver asleep at the wheel, and so I have been spending lots of time visiting and caring for her needs, which means not much reading is getting done...which is okay for now. She is the priority at this time.

I've been reading blogs. I especially like Kevin's from our group.

Blessings,
Karen L.

I finally finished the Confessions. Read up through the actual confessing part (Chapter 8) by the end of Lent, but then school reading distracted me.

It's quite an interesting text, and there are parts of it I love. As with other times I've encountered Augustine though, I also find myself getting frustrated with him as he takes his Neo-Platonism just a little too far.

He seems to almost begrudgingly acknowledge the goodness of what God has created, and seems to almost wholly ignore the incarnation when he goes on about his hierarchies (spirit better than matter, etc).

Kudos to you Kevin for finishing the Confessions! I am not going to give up. I got to the halfway point and put it aside due to having school things to do and guests coming. Things are settling down with summer. I'd love it if you found an online edition of the Confessions, so you could copy and paste your favorite parts or quotes here. I think I learn more when I see what others like about a book and get to ask them questions. I am going to get back to reading it, starting tonight :) Part of my joining this group was to learn more about my faith through discussions and reading with other Anglicans.

Blessings,
Karen