Instructions
Read the following prompts and questions carefully. This worksheet explores themes of internal conflict, the nature of evil, and spiritual identity by connecting the philosophical works of St. Augustine with a character-defining moment for Piper Halliwell in the television series Charmed. Use your knowledge of the texts and the episode to formulate thoughtful, detailed responses.
Part 1: The Divided Will and The Internal Struggle
In his autobiographical Confessions, St. Augustine details his intense spiritual and psychological struggle before his conversion. He felt torn between his worldly desires and his desire for God, a conflict he described as a "divided will." Consider this quote:
"So I was in conflict with myself and was dissociated from myself. This dissociation, however, was happening against my will. It did not show the nature of a different mind, but the punishment of my own. ... It was I who willed it, I who was unwilling. It was I."
— Augustine, Confessions, Book VIII
In Charmed Season 1, Episode 2, "I've Got You Under My Skin," Piper is terrified by her new identity as a witch. Fearing she has become evil, she goes to a church for solace. As she tries to enter the sanctuary, she is thrown backward by an invisible force, confirming her worst fears that she is now unholy and rejected by God.
- 1.1: How does Augustine's quote about being "in conflict with myself" and feeling "dissociated from myself" reflect Piper's internal state throughout this episode, especially during the church scene?
- 1.2: Prue later explains to Piper that it wasn't a holy force that pushed her from the church, but Piper's own powers reacting to her intense fear. How does this explanation align with Augustine's conclusion that his struggle was not with an external evil, but with his own conflicted will ("It was I who willed it, I who was unwilling")?
- 1.3: Augustine argued that evil is not a substance or a force, but a privatio boni—a "privation of the good." It is a lack, a turning away, a distortion of the good that should be there. How can the force that repelled Piper from the church be understood not as an "evil power" but as a "privation"? What good was being distorted or was absent in that moment?
Part 2: Earthly Fears and Heavenly Citizenship
In The City of God, Augustine presents history as a struggle between two symbolic "cities": the City of Man and the City of God. These are not physical places but spiritual allegiances.
- The City of Man (Earthly City): Defined by the love of self, even to the contempt of God. Its citizens seek earthly power, glory, and temporary peace.
- The City of God (Heavenly City): Defined by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. Its citizens are pilgrims on Earth, seeking eternal peace and living by faith.
A person's "citizenship" is determined by their ultimate love and desire, not their job, status, or abilities.
- 2.1: After being repelled from the church, Piper fears she is fundamentally evil and has been cast into a demonic world, separate from the "good" world the church represents. How does this fear reflect the logic of the Two Cities? Which "city" does she believe her powers have forced her into?
- 2.2: Augustine argues that the two cities are intermingled on Earth, and true citizenship is a matter of the heart's intention. Despite her fear, Piper's actions in the episode involve protecting an innocent from the demon Javna. How do her choices and actions—rather than her fears or her powers—demonstrate her true "citizenship" according to Augustine's model?
Part 3: Synthesis - The Nature of Goodness
Both Augustine's philosophy and Piper's story arc suggest that identity is not a static label but a dynamic process of choice and will. Piper begins the episode believing an external change (gaining powers) has defined her as evil. She ends the episode starting to understand that her choices define her as good.
- 3.1: Drawing on the concepts from both Confessions and City of God, write a short paragraph analyzing Piper's development in this episode. Explain how her journey illustrates the idea that one's moral identity is defined by internal love and willed action, not by external abilities or the fear of being judged.
Answer Key
Part 1: The Divided Will and The Internal Struggle
- 1.1: Piper is fundamentally in conflict with herself. One part of her wants to be the normal, good person she has always been, while the other part is this new, terrifying identity of a witch. This creates a "dissociation" where she no longer feels like herself. The conflict is internal: her fear vs. her inherent nature, perfectly mirroring Augustine's description of a soul at war with itself.
- 1.2: Prue's explanation internalizes the conflict. The force wasn't an external judgment from God, but an external manifestation of Piper's internal state—her fear. This directly aligns with Augustine's insight that the source of his torment was his own "will." Piper was, in effect, both willing to enter the church for comfort and unwilling to accept herself as a witch, creating a conflict so powerful it manifested physically. She was the source of her own rejection.
- 1.3: The force can be seen as a "privation" because it is a manifestation of fear, which is a privation of faith, peace, and self-acceptance. The "good" that is absent or distorted in that moment is Piper's trust in her own inherent goodness. Her fear creates a void where faith should be, and her power fills that void, resulting in a negative, self-destructive outcome. The power itself isn't evil; its manifestation as a result of fear (a lack of good) is what's harmful.
Part 2: Earthly Fears and Heavenly Citizenship
- 2.1: Piper believes her powers are a definitive marker that places her outside the realm of the holy, essentially branding her as a citizen of a "City of Demons" or, in Augustinian terms, the City of Man (in the sense that it is opposed to the City of God). She sees the church as a physical gate to the City of God, from which she is now barred. Her fear makes her believe her new "nature" (as a witch) has sealed her spiritual fate.
- 2.2: According to Augustine, her actions are what truly matter. By choosing to use her powers (freezing Javna) to help her sisters save an innocent, she is performing an act of love and protection for another. This action is oriented toward justice and charity, which are hallmarks of a citizen of the City of God. Her actions demonstrate that her ultimate "love" is for goodness and for her neighbor, proving her fears about her inherent evil nature to be unfounded. Her citizenship is defined by her choice to do good, not by the powers she possesses.
Part 3: Synthesis - The Nature of Goodness
- 3.1: A strong answer would synthesize the previous points. Example: Piper's journey in this episode is a microcosm of the Augustinian struggle for self-understanding. Initially, like Augustine in his early *Confessions*, she externalizes the source of her struggle, believing her powers are an evil substance that has corrupted her and exiled her to a demonic "City." Her rejection from the church feels like divine judgment. However, by learning the rejection stemmed from her own conflicted will—her fear battling her nature—she begins to grasp a key Augustinian principle: the struggle is internal. Her ultimate decision to act in love and use her powers for good demonstrates her true "citizenship." It proves that moral identity is not determined by external labels or innate abilities, but by the orientation of one's love and the choices that flow from it, defining her as a citizen of the "City of God" through willed action, not passive being.