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- Published: 15 November 2009 15 November 2009
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Actually the problem is deeper than tastebuds, but sometimes new words can perhaps jar us into thinking about certain things. For Christians of a traditional sort, it can be tempting to think of the lordship of Christ, the life of following in Christ in terms of stamping out desires instead of transforming desires. As I have read Augustine over the years, I have always been struck by how central "desire" is for his thinking. For Augustine God does not squelch desire in general, although desire is central both to the problem and the solution of human existence, sin, and misery (and happiness!). Since for Augustine all persons are caught up in Adam's transgression, we have--to put it plainly--disordered loves or desires. We both love and desire the wrong things, but we also at times love the right thing the wrong way. Our "tastes" are satisfied when they should not be (as C.S. Lewis says in "The Weight of Glory"--we are much too easily satisfied). What we need are new tastebuds (the problem is deeper--perhaps we need to become brand new persons, tastebuds and all). In terms of desire and tastes, Augustine writes this in To Simplicianus: "The price of deadly pleasure includes the sweetness which deceives, and gives delight in doing contrary to the law, which is all the more pleasant the less it is lawful. No one can enjoy that sweetness as the price of his condition without being compelled to serve lust as chattel-slave. He who knows that an act is prohibited and rightly prohibited, and yet does it, knows that he is the slave of an overmastering desire" (To Simplicianus, I, First Question, 7).