Confessions Response Questions: 3. What would you say are the "moral standards of the world" according to Augustine? How do you think Augustine understands the "moral standards" of God? How and where are these standard different?

"Such were the moral standards of the world at whose threshold I lay, a wretched boy; this was the arena in which I was to struggle." (19, 30)

Augustine makes a clear distinction between the morality that we are "taught" in this world and that of God's standard. Our human morality may not be entirely separate from God's, but there is a certainly a difference to be noted. The morally righteous actions we commit on earth are only reflections of the good character we wish others to assume of us by our appearance. Augustine says that prior to his conversion he "believed that living a good life consisted in winning the favour of those who commended me." (19, 30). Implicitly, Augustine sees God's morality supported by the pure desire of good, being the omni-benevolent being He is. Perhaps the audience may make the logical bridge to say that the closer humans come to God, like through conversion, the purer their motivation of morally righteous acts is. Augustine doesn't deny a sense of 'God-like' moral standard among humans, he only condemns the selfish motivations of these standards.