Augustine's Lie

Many wonder how Catholicism grew to domination when they weren't always the largest or strongest. At one time there were 400 Donatus Bishops in North Africa, far exceeding Catholics in those areas.

Many don't realize there was a Donatus Bishop in Rome simultaneously with a Catholic Bishop. Both existed in the same city for about 100 years, thus it is impossible to know which was actually legitimate.

Donatus did not recognize Catholicism as the true Church. That is why Catholics attempt to trace all Bishops back to the Apostles. It is why Donatists wished to call Catholic succession into question. Donatus raised questions about the legitimacy of Catholic leadership.

We only know which one survived short-term.

One reason we should question Augustine is his stance on persecuting others to persuade them to Christianity. We know that he sought to turn others against Cassian and he greatly persecuted the Donatus movement.

He quoted Jesus to support persecuting others.

Luk 14:23  And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 

He believed the phrase "compel" them authorized the use of stronger forms of persuasion.

1. Banishment

2. Economic persuasion

3. Bribery or liberal support of those changing sides

4. imprisonment

5. Death

Christ's word "compel" didn't mean persecute or bribe. It was used of persuasion apart from violent persecution in some passages. It was also occasionally used of tyrants compeling others. The context in which Christ used it was persuasion by calling them, not persecution. Augustine twisted Christ's teaching and sided with a satanic view.

He also destroyed the writings of those opposing his views, violating several principles of leadership.

Php 4:5  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 

Moderation means fair minded and hearing both sides. It comes from the root of moderator. Moderators don't imprison the other side or burn their books. If people want to burn books on their own it is a personal decision, not something forced.

We know that the 95 thesis of Luther was pointed towards the over use of authority. Augustine believed priestly commands of penance were viable means to remission of sins. Though penance may reflect sincerity, it may also mean you are being compelled through persecution, it is no more sincere than a real heart felt confession. Sometimes penance is forced or coerced. It isn't sincere if compelled by persecution.

If Augustine twisted one scripture he could twist others.

Augustine wasn't the only leader that used violence or persecution to compel enemies.

Pope Gregory wrote to civil leaders to make the persecution worse.

 Such, said the pope, is the well known law of your excellence, that it should be made to bear with greater force on the most nefarious depravity of the heretics. We have learned, said the pope, that in their parts the audacity of the Donatists hath increased to that degree that by a pestiferous authority they not only eject priests of the Catholic faith from their own churches, but more than that, they do not fear to rebaptize those whom the water of regeneration had previously washed. After expressing his wonder at such impiety, the pope assured the prefect that the souls of those who were lost would be required at his hands, provided he had neglected the means in his hands for their salvation.

Pope Gregory layed the weight of their salvation on the leader who refused to use these means to save men from the heretics. In other words, he thought it a just cause to imprison or kill those who were converting Catholics.

(Though Catholics try to tie all civil actions and wars to just causes, in this case there is clearly no just cause, the Donatists were simply converting Catholics peacefully and the Pope used civil authority to persecute.)

The only wrong it seems the Donatists were accused is they taught the Catholics a different approach to the scriptures. This was 200 years after Augustine called for the persecution of Donatists, so that civil persecution occurred for 200 years at least. Perhaps much longer.

An estimated 40 million people were killed by Catholics over a period of 700 years. They would say in just wars, but clearly not in this case. In the Donatist example it was because they were converting Catholics, nothing more, Catholics were in a civil position to persecute and they chose to.

We shouldn't restrict all criticism to Catholics, John Calvin for instance had people imprisoned for going against his teachings and in his writing praised Gregory.. Augustine's views were passed to others, Catholics and the protestants coming from them used persecution. Much like Muslim society under Mohammed.

American society, though offering protections, still allows men in power to persecute others to some degree. Loss of jobs, fewer promotions, socially ostracised individuals.etc

It is common to see church groups being aggressive in having their people appointed to civil authority.

Judges (Local and higher)

Governors

Legislators

State Boards

Mayors

Commissioners

School Boards

Lower Level positions of authority

These are all positions targeted as positions of civil authority, organizational protection, and social control for religious groups. Having ranking officials politically in place offers them a large measure of protection for their activities.

It is common for national organizations to insert business leaders from their groups into church positions because they will have access to hundreds and sometimes thousands of members, and it is common to move church leaders into political positions to change laws but also provide protection for their activities. It is also common to place such members in large corporations to gain position and control.

In a sense it works like organized crime only for religious purposes.

It is common in some companies to have local pastors or youth leaders as team leaders within the organization. It helps funnel money to members of their group. It also allows them to move the organization in a religious direction.