Our group talked about Augustine. He was really involved with the early Catholic church. It was a process of him accepting religion because he enjoyed the pleasures of life soo very much. True piety requires deprivation of the senses. This can lead to later problems in life and in modern day could be things like sex related scandals in churches. Augustine decided way too early to overcome his sins, but he is also too selective. He said philosophy can question anything, except the existence of God. Many people take this as a contradiction. It goes back to what was mentioned in class about how God would know if you weren't questioning his existence on purpose, just to avoid eternal damnation.
Discussion Question: It is right to give up every human pleasure put in place BY GOD, just to be a faithful follower of him??
There isn't anything posted on the syllabus after this date, so we have no fact questions to post for next class. :)
No, this is very wrong in my opinion.I think it takes out one of the main concepts of religion which is to repent for your sins. Also, I think it is kind of a sin in and of itself to completely avoid sinning. We are meant to sin as human beings. It's built into our DNA. I think that it automatically makes you a non faithful follower of God when you give up every pleasure that he placed here to test you with.
ReplyDeleteI believe as humans we are all sinners. Therefor, we should not give up all humanistic things to keep from sinning. You can try to live a predominately moral life without giving up a family and other humanistic things.
ReplyDeleteNot every human pleasure needs to be given up to be a follower of God. You can still find happiness in spending time with friends and family, you CAN have sex, as long as it is inside of a sanctioned marriage, and you can play some pretty awesome board games, like Biblopoly. You just have to stay away from abusive substances and things that are considered immoral. The only people who give up ALL pleasures are monks and clergymen. One might say they are going pretty far to get closer to God, but is it too far?
ReplyDeleteTo deny yourself what you desire is to live a lie. Of course if any of those urges would hurt another individual, they should be suppressed, but nothing else should be off the table. I understand that some feel they need to separate themselves from desires to become closer to God, and if that's what they desire, then that is yet another urge that should not be stifled. It's when choices are forced upon an individual from group pressure (particularly religion) that I have a problem. Initially harmless lessons for life can be twisted by taking teachings too literally, and the next thing you know people are carrying pictures of aborted babies and picketing funerals of a homosexual. I don't think bible (or other religious text) specifically makes people behave a certain way; it's simple people with no concept of metaphor that ruin it for so many others.
ReplyDeleteI just have a hard time grasping the concept that you could be a saint your entire life, then have one day where you mess up- whatever sin that may be, take your pick. Then die that day before having a chance to repent... So you must spend eternity in Hell. This is something that bothers me deeply. Is there something I'm missing or is that the way it is?
ReplyDeleteI believe it is contradictory for Christians to deam it necessary to devote themselves completely to the church and remove themselves from all worldly pleasures whenever Jesus Himself did not feel the need to do so.
ReplyDeleteDiscussion: if god created the world and all worldly pleasures, wouldn't he have done that for a reason?