Comments on: Godliness and Godlikeness

By: Joseph Sileo

Joseph Sileo — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:50:13 +0000

“Christians *normally* work from the assertion that proximity to God, in some word or phrase (whether Heaven or Beatific Vision) is a worthy enough goal to better the self.”

If I were to poll every christian college student in the world, and I asked them “Why are you in College?” How many would respond “To be closer to God” et al? How many would respond “To get the high paying job” or “to party”?

That is just one example of course. I could list a series of activities that the greater population engage in, that seemingly have no God-driven purpose.

Playing Video Games.
Watching Most TV shows.
Watching Most Movies.
Eating sweets or other foods that bring pleasure.

In fact if I had to define the driving force for most of our actions, I would say Money, and Power. Power and Money are means to achieving material possession. With both or enough of one, you can get cars, houses, sex with beautiful women, just about anything. Humans *normally* act for their own benefit, not God’s.

By: Ben Triplett

Ben Triplett — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:32:13 +0000

Joseph, I’m not sure I follow your point exactly, but based on your primary assertion, you are making an assumption. Christians normally work from the assertion that proximity to God, in some word or phrase (whether Heaven or Beatific Vision) is a worthy enough goal to better the self. In brief, working with the knowledge that God is the highest good, and the following point that anything below the highest good is good only by being derivative of this highest good, “bettering yourself” would simply (in a philosophical sense) entail proximity to this highest good. Thus, capitalism/hedonism/the pursuit of happiness (which, though I do not know where you are from, is quite an American thing to reference) would actually be a detriment to “bettering yourself”. Of course, this is in light of the two opposing worldviews.

By: Joseph Sileo

Joseph Sileo — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:37:09 +0000

Without earthly pleasures, there is no driving force to better the self, for the sake of the self. Capitalism and most any civilization could not exist without it. The keyboard I am typing on, the website I am posting this on, the screen I am looking at, and the power plant that provides electricity to all of it would not exist. I could continue to list items but suffice to say that virtually all human creations are created with the express intent of benefiting the consumer through the pleasure it provides or the creator through the money earned.

Look around your room for a moment and list anything man made. We are living in total depravity.

I’m fine with that, but that’s not the point. The point is, given this knowledge, are you fine with it?