Council day 5 – Augustin

A lot was done on the 5^th day of the Council and for this I am pleased. Unification of the church seems a bit closer than it was on the third day of the Council. I voted against the Creed that was passed but this was not because I agreed with it or disagreed. I was put on the spot and made to vote and so I chose nay because I started out with disagreeing with it and figured its best to be consistent. However, I am glad to see that it was passed because the majority voted for it. This means unification of the church is one step closer. I am also happy that the canon concerning the lapsed was passed however, I am not quite happy with the fact that the clergy, the priests and the bishops in particular do not have any extra consequence. I believe deeply in the scripture for James 3:1 says, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgement.” As much as we are to set examples of the merciful God we must also set an example of the just God. If we do not hold those who know the scripture better than the rest then we are not holding our brothers accountable for their actions.

Apart from that particular part of the canon, I am pleased to know that the canon concerning the prohibition of women in positions of influence in the church has been passed. I wanted this to pass because since the church does want to spread the word of God and save as many pagans as there are in the Roman Empire, we must do it in a way that they will be welcomed. We can preach as much as we want about the goodness of God but if we are not smart about it. This may sound ‘un-Bishop’ like of me but we also have to understand the ways of men and sympathize like Jesus did. I am also pleased about the canon concerning the hierarchy of Bishops. I do believe that Metropolitan Bishops should have a higher power than the other Bishops especially since a new Creed has been passed. If we are trying to unify the church we must make sure there is some one in every region who can explain the Creed as well as preach it without any other voice putting them down. This is the only way we can achieve unification in the Church when there are so many voices trying to be heard.

All that I have said may sound like a dictatorship however, Christianity is not a democracy. If God has deemed it in the scriptures, then it is. I only strive to live and be the close to what the scripture tells us to be. He is both just and merciful. He is both understanding as well as does not tolerate sin. I, like the rest of those in the Council wish for unity in God. In the world that we live in, unfortunately, pagans do not see our God as the one true God. We must have a concrete way of being unified, while trying to save those who have not yet been saved by God. Thus, in this world, to an extent, we must form a realistic (that is realistic to this world) set of rules in order for unity of the Church to be realized.