Charlie Bit Me
July 10, 2008, 9:23 am
Posted by Cathleen Kaveny
This is one of the most popular videos on You Tube. Okay, I put it up because it’s really, really cute. But we can make it theologically relevant: What would Saint Augustine say about Charlie?
Really cute, Cathleen. Thanks!
But forget about Charlie. He’s a poster boy for Calvinistic theology–with a deep reverential nod to Augustine, of course.
What I want to know is why his brother offered his finger a second time. Proverbs 26:11 comes to mind. But so too do all manner of discussions about compulsive self-destructive behavior.
I think Charlie’s brother is demonstrating an ontological disorder. Fingers are at best meant to be stuck in one’s own mouth, not someone else’s. The fact that he is bitten only demonstrates this point, clearly indicating what happens when the natural law of finger use is violated. Perhaps science will one day help us understand whether or not Charlie’s brother was born with an inclination to stick in finger in someone else’s mouth, and so is onto-congenitally disordered, or if he acquired this disorder as a result of some psychological trauma in his past. At any rate, we should clearly love Charlie’s brother but also firmly reject all instances of such disordered finger usage. One may also wonder if such disordered finger usuage would disqualify Charlie’s brother from seminary life.
Though “onto-congenitally disordered” is an interesting diagnosis, I’m not quite certain that Joe P. has put his finger on (or in) the problem yet.
I don’t know about St. Augustine, but I think Dr. Spock would say that Charlie is teething.
What I was thinking of was the stuff in the Confessions on the mental states of babies. Some people have suggested that Charlie knew exactly what he was doing, and was amused by his brother’s reaction.
I think Charlie knew that his brother wasn’t really hurt, and was hamming a bit for the camera.
On the other hand, those new baby teeth are sharp!
I believe Augustine would have said something like, “If I put my finger in your mouth once and you bite me, shame on you. If I put my finger in your mouth a second time and you bite me again, shame on me.”
Only he would have said it in Latin, and it would have sounded a lot more impressive.
Augustine: “Lord, make me love Charlie, but not yet.”
I was sitting in the garden and I heard a child screaming, “Charlie bit me! And it really hurt!”
I don’t have the texts in front of me but as I remember Augustine’s words he was hardly enamored of children describing them as quite self centered. They are really not much different from adults except that babies are more transparent. Adults learn over the years to disguise their selfishness. We call this adaptation. Most parents have learned the hard way not to put their fingers into a teething babies mouth.
And what about Augie putting all those unbaptized infants in hell. A was a great writer and preacher but he was messed up in many ways.
And he did more to Donatists, who were really followers of Cyprian, than bite their fingers.
Obviously there is just so much that is so precious and lovable in children. They do give us glimpses into God. There is mystery here as in so many things in our world. Augustine would say that is a matter of will in choosing the heavenly city. I am with him on that. This is our hope.
Wonderful reflection, Bill!