“They saw their injured country's woe;
The flaming town, the wasted field;
Then rushed to meet the insulting foe;
They took the spear, - but left the shield.”
―Philip Freneau
.
And by a prudent flight and cunning save A life which valour could not, from the grave. A better buckler I can soon regain, But who can get another life again?
Archilochus
What i see as the essence of this discussion centers on the necessity for "VIRTUE" in oreder to be authentic must come from deep INNER conviction. It must be SINCERE.
No amount of "play-acting" or "going-through-the-motions" in order to show others how fine and noble you are will suffice. Apparently, even if you do some actrual "GOOD," but do it for the wrong reasons –– i.e. winning favor from Authority or mere "Self-Aggrandizement –– you sre not bolding the kind of character that will stand you in good stead through all the crises and vicissitudes you are bound to face in the future.
This perfectly reveals the meaning of St. Paul's famous letter to the Corinthians where he says in essence that whatever strength you show, whatevergood you do counts for NAUGHT unless it is done with CHARITY (Love).
Yes, but it seems a nearly-impossible standard to meet, since few of us are by nature sincerely virtuous and overflowing with the milk of hmn kindness.
So where does that leave most of us? Must we, becase of our flased Human Nature accede to being damned for all Eternity?
I don't like to think that, yet I wouldn't dare try to claim that all my acts and words supporting Goodness and Godliness have always been heartfelt. Often they've been merely pragmatic.
So am I damned?
Naturally I hpe not so I believe THIS:
Whether we are perfectly sincere or not, it well behooves us to ACT AS IF we were. This means doing "The Right Thing" even if you dn't particularly feel like it. I believe that by exercising virtuous ACTS in the HOPE of eventually becoming genuinely virtuous fulfillment of that goal will proceed automatically.
This, I believe is the true meaning of the adage "VIRTUE IS ITS OWN REWARD."
Nevertheless, in the end it is only by God's GRACE that we may be saved. I hope, however, that He would favor one who sincerely TRIES over one who remains a determined, unrepentant reprobate.
You'll notice that the "cardinal virtues" are merely the ancient "platonic virtues"... as Lewis had to revert to the more ancient/traditional meanings of "temperance" (aka- moderation) and(fortitude:courage::prudence:wisdom) in order to explain them. They are then "supplemented" with the Christian "theological virtues" of faith, hope, & charity to "tip" the scales in a particular social direction.
It's still a recurring "evening spent" without loved ones who didn't make the cut, eternally separated yet fully aware they are burning in Hell while you do the mandatory grovel before the one that sent them there. You get to do that, forever.
Christian theology needs to figure out how to make eternal life sound appealing.
Charity (Love) is not a dry academic subject created for the purpose of endless debate and attempts by conceited cynics, chronic naysayers, and cryptic, highfalutin intellectuals' attempts to deny and defeat it.
10 comments:
What i see as the essence of this discussion centers on the necessity for "VIRTUE" in oreder to be authentic must come from deep INNER conviction. It must be SINCERE.
No amount of "play-acting" or "going-through-the-motions" in order to show others how fine and noble you are will suffice. Apparently, even if you do some actrual "GOOD," but do it for the wrong reasons –– i.e. winning favor from Authority or mere "Self-Aggrandizement –– you sre not bolding the kind of character that will stand you in good stead through all the crises and vicissitudes you are bound to face in the future.
This perfectly reveals the meaning of St. Paul's famous letter to the Corinthians where he says in essence that whatever strength you show, whatevergood you do counts for NAUGHT unless it is done with CHARITY (Love).
Yes, but it seems a nearly-impossible standard to meet, since few of us are by nature sincerely virtuous and overflowing with the milk of hmn kindness.
So where does that leave most of us? Must we, becase of our flased Human Nature accede to being damned for all Eternity?
I don't like to think that, yet I wouldn't dare try to claim that all my acts and words supporting Goodness and Godliness have always been heartfelt. Often they've been merely pragmatic.
So am I damned?
Naturally I hpe not so I believe THIS:
Whether we are perfectly sincere or not, it well behooves us to ACT AS IF we were. This means doing "The Right Thing" even if you dn't particularly feel like it. I believe that by exercising virtuous ACTS in the HOPE of eventually becoming genuinely virtuous fulfillment of that goal will proceed automatically.
This, I believe is the true meaning of the adage "VIRTUE IS ITS OWN REWARD."
Nevertheless, in the end it is only by God's GRACE that we may be saved. I hope, however, that He would favor one who sincerely TRIES over one who remains a determined, unrepentant reprobate.
You'll notice that the "cardinal virtues" are merely the ancient "platonic virtues"... as Lewis had to revert to the more ancient/traditional meanings of "temperance" (aka- moderation) and(fortitude:courage::prudence:wisdom) in order to explain them. They are then "supplemented" with the Christian "theological virtues" of faith, hope, & charity to "tip" the scales in a particular social direction.
Either Christ died for the sins of the world - no strings attached - or he wasn't dead long enough.
Ten thousand ages in God's Sight are like one evening spent.
It's still a recurring "evening spent" without loved ones who didn't make the cut, eternally separated yet fully aware they are burning in Hell while you do the mandatory grovel before the one that sent them there. You get to do that, forever.
Christian theology needs to figure out how to make eternal life sound appealing.
...or ancient history.
All things Good, All things Fair,
All things beautiful everywhere
Come to Earth from Above
From the Father's Heart of Love.
Disbelieve that at your peril!
Charity (Love) is not a dry academic subject created for the purpose of endless debate and attempts by conceited cynics, chronic naysayers, and cryptic, highfalutin intellectuals' attempts to deny and defeat it.
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