2021/12/21
2021/12/20
[김조년의 맑고 낮은 목소리] 생각하고 따져보고 행동하고 또 생각하고 < 칼럼 < 오피니언 < 기사본문 - 금강일보
김조년의 맑고 낮은 목소리] 생각하고 따져보고 행동하고 또 생각하고
기자명 금강일보
입력 2020.10.19
한남대 명예교수
이 세상에 생각하지 않고 사는 사람이 있을까? 생각하지 않는 집단, 기관, 국가, 민족, 종교가 있을까? 나는 그런 것은 하나도 없다고 본다. 그런데도 또 생각하고 생각하여야 한다고 말하고 싶은 것은 무엇 때문일까? 사람들이 편안하게 살고 싶고, 행복하게 살고 싶고, 부유하게 살고 싶고, 하고 싶은 일을 맘껏 하면서 살고 싶은 것은 의심할 여지가 없는 듯이 보인다. 그것을 향하여 매진한다. 매진하는 행렬에 끼어들어 앞서거니 뒤서거니 하면서 앞만 보고 달려간다. 사람이 사람답게 살려면 그래야 한다고 믿어서 그렇게 산다. 그렇게 하는 것에 더 빠르고, 더 많이, 더 좋게 해야 한다는 데 모든 힘을 다 쏟는다.
그렇게 하여 ‘무한의 세계에서 무한한 힘’을 가진 듯 온갖 것을 쏟으면서 산다. 그런데 아주 쉽게 한계에 부딪친다. 그래서 피곤하다. 힘이 든다. 더 이상 앞으로 나갈 수 없을 만큼 지치고 답답하고 어렵다. 생각하고 궁리하고 연구하여 한다는 것이 결국에는 죽을 데를 찾았다는 옛말과 같이 지금 상황이 그렇게 됐기 때문이다. 코로나19 바이러스 감염 위험 때문에 문명과 문명사회가 혼란에 빠졌기 때문이다.
코로나 이전과 이후의 사회가 확연히 달라질 것이라고 많은 사람들이 말한다. 나도 그렇게 생각한다. 그러나 단서가 있다. 코로나19 사태가 길어지면 문명과정의 방향이 달라지고, 사람들이 살아가는 모습도 달라질 것이다. 그러나 코로나19 사태가 짧게 끝나면 세계는 달라질 듯 다시 지금까지 달려왔던 것과 같은 모습으로 치달릴 것이다. 많은 사람들은 지금 이 상태로는 되지 않는다고 생각한다. 달라져야 한다고 생각한다. 그런데 스스로 달라질 가능성은 없다. 그것은 모순이다. 달라지기를 바라지만, 그렇게 되려면 코로나19 사태가 길어져야 한다는 것을 감내해야 한다는 점이다. 어느 누구도 바라지 않는 코로나19 사태의 장기화, 그러나 지금 문명이 달라지지 않으면 안 된다는 판단, 그러나 스스로 어떻게 할 수 없는 위기상황의 연속일 뿐이다.
그것은 마치 높은 산에서부터 굴러 내리는 큰 돌이 스스로 어디에선가 멈추지 못하고 계속 더 빠른 속도와 힘으로 굴러 내리는 것과 같다. 이 때 어떤 강력한 힘이나 상황이 그 돌을 막지 않으면 멈추지가 않는다. 지금 코로나19 사태는 일종의 제동장치로 보인다. 당분간 그것이 나라와 제도와 종교와 정치와 경제와 산업과 외교와 교육과 사람들 사이의 관계를 멈칫하게 한다. 그것들이 방향을 바꾸거나 구르던 것을 중단하려면 어마어마한 희생을 치르지 않으면 안 될 것이다. 이제까지 굴러왔던 체계가 해체되어야 한다는 뜻이다.
물론 이전부터 무수히 많은 사람들이 문명전환이 필요하다는 것을 말했고, 지구가 너무 심각하게 앓고 있기 때문에 극약 처방이 있어야 한다고 주장했고, 지구가 온난화로 몸살을 앓는 것을 넘어 파괴될 수 있을 것이라고 예측하였고, 빙하가 녹고 얼음산이 녹아 바닷물이 높아져 사라지는 땅들이 많이 늘어날 것이고, 결국에는 인류의 생존에 커다란 위험이 당도할 것이라고 예언한 이들이 많았다. 거기에다가 온 세상을 뒤덮고 있는 핵무기와 주체할 수 없이 많이 생산되는 물품들과 그것들을 쓰고 난 뒤 버려진 쓰레기들과 독극물들과 미세먼지들과 플라스틱과 비닐들의 반격으로 커다란 재앙이 지구상에 나타날 것이라고 많은 과학자들이 측정하고 판단하였다. 그렇게 하여 어마어마하게 많은 생물종들이 사라지고, 그에 버금가는 새로운 종들이 나타나서 생태계를 혼란스럽게 만들어 결국은 먹이사슬의 맨 꼭지에 있는 인류는 어떤 종말을 맞이하게 될 것이라고 말하기도 하였다. 때때로 이 모든 주장들은 그냥 공상세계의 이야기로만 들렸다. 그런데 목전의 현실로 나타났다. 그런데도 어떻게 할 수 없이 그냥 당할 수밖에 없는 무기력증에 빠진 문명이었다. 이 때 나타난 것이 코로나19 바이러스다. 이것은 분명히 재앙이다. 이 때 할 일이 무엇일까? 잠깐 멈춰 서서 생각하는 일이다.
지금은 전기 없이는 살 수 없는 세상이 됐다. 그 때 전기 없이 살던 시대의 사람들은 어떻게 살았을까를 생각해 볼 필요가 있다. 내가 살던 시골 동네에서 사람들은 내가 고등학교를 졸업할 때까지 전기 없이 살았다. 내가 다녔던 학교들은 교실마다 전기불이 들어온 곳이 하나도 없어서 야간자습이나 야간학습이 없을 때도 탁월하지는 않지만 열심히 공부하면서 사는 아이들도 있었다. 자가용이 이렇게 많지 않을 때도, 어마어마하게 빨리 달리는 기차가 없을 때도 사람들은 여기저기를 느리게 다니면서 만나고 살았다. 인터넷이 없고 스마트폰이 없을 때도 사람들은 느리긴 하지만 편지를 쓰고 소통하면서 살았다. 무겁고 투박하고 잘 깨지고 다루기 쉽지는 않지만 질그릇을 쓰면서 플라스틱이 없던 시대에도 사람들은 잘 살았다. 그렇게 많은 커피숍이 없고 생수판매회사가 없어도 사람들은 어디에서나 몸을 굽혀 솟아오르는 물을 신선하게 마시면서 살았다.
아무리 컴퓨터가 잘 발달하여 인터넷 사용이 편리하게 되었다 할지라도, 종이도 많지 않고 필기도구도 좋지 않았던 시대를 살았던 셰익스피어나 괴테만큼 많고 좋은 글을 나는 쓸 수가 없다. 칼 마르크스나 헤겔이나 루터만큼 깊고 많은 글을 나는 쓸 수가 없다. 토스토예프스키나 똘스또이처럼 사람들을 사로잡는 많고 탁월한 글을 나는 쓸 수가 없다. 온갖 지식 정보를 동원한다고 한지라도 나는 예수나 소크라테스의 몇 마디 말, 노자나 공자의 깊은 말씀 같은 것을 지어낼 수가 없다. 이 말은 나를 비하해서가 아니다. 생각 없이 그냥 세상 돌아가는 대로 살아도 되는가 하는 자괴감이 커서 그런다. 이제는 위기라고 하니 좀 생각하면서 살아야 하겠다. 왜 무엇이 이렇게 만들었는가?
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Do We Need to Develop ‘Holy Indifference’?
Do We Need to Develop ‘Holy Indifference’?
TREVIN WAX | MAY 13, 2021
Is there a place for indifference in the Christian life? Is apathy ever a good thing?
In my previous column, I interacted with Jeffrey Bilbro’s Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News. I recommended we “look local” instead of getting caught up in “distant dramas” that grab our attention but leave us with little to no agency in bringing about change.
Today, I turn to a provocative section of Bilbro’s book, where he encourages us to develop a “holy indifference,” a kind of “sacred apathy” when it comes to the results we might achieve when advocating for a cause.
Pascal and “Holy Indifference”
What is holy indifference? Bilbro begins with a letter from Blaise Pascal to his brother-in-law in the mid-seventeenth century.
Pascal’s brother-in-law wrote him about a controversy in which he was involved, and Pascal replied by sketching a view of Providence as guiding not only our efforts, but also those of our opponents: “The same Providence that has inspired some with light, had refused it to others.” In other words, the God that allows you to have the right perspective on this particular issue also allows others to be wrong about it. Recognizing that the outcome of all our controversies is in God’s hand––that in some sense he wills or permits people to hold different views on these issues––should radically temper our emotional investment in the victory of our preferred side. (36-37)
Bilbro believes we can learn epistemic humility from Pascal’s approach. Pascal would have us ask: What if we are misguided in what we think is the right thing to do in a situation? Or what if, even when we’re right, God Himself allows others to oppose us? Sometimes, your opponent wins. But whatever happens, God is in control of the outcome. For this reason, Bilbro says, we are to “care deeply about the issues to which God has called us but to care without worrying about the score, the outcome” (40). In other words: “holy indifference.”
Confidence and Humility
Where does this “holy indifference” originate? Bilbro believes it’s rooted in two things:
confidence in God’s sovereignty, and
humility regarding our ability to discern what God is up to in contemporary events.
He writes:
God often accomplishes his providential purposes in ways that we do not expect, so we should not be too quick to rejoice over what seems like a positive development or to despair over what seems like bad news. Further…we should be very cautious to claim that we can recognize what exactly God is doing in any given situation. (37-38)
This is holy indifference—to be confident in your faith that God is in control, and humble in your acknowledgement that you don’t know how He might be working out His providential will. It could be God’s will for a righteous cause to encounter a terrible setback. Or it could be that, even if our cause is winning, we’re being led astray in terms of temptation and character.
A high view of Providence and a chastened sense of our ability to recognize God’s methods of victory frees us from worrying about whether a given event is good or bad. Even when the events of the news seem irredeemably evil, they remain under the hand of the Creator who is working all things according to his plan. (38-39)
What’s the benefit of “holy indifference”? Freedom and joy, Bilbro writes. Because we trust in God’s sovereignty “we are freed from emotional over-investment in the day’s drama” (41). We don’t have to follow the same worldly path as the politicians and pundits whose strategy is always focused on the next temporal victory. Instead, we look around to see what good work we can do in both the short-term and the long-term, trusting that God will use our efforts for His purposes.
Is Indifference an Excuse for Inaction?
Bilbro’s advocacy of “holy indifference” could turn into an excuse for inaction, right? Perhaps you already register this objection. Isn’t this just a way for comfortable and privileged people to diminish their passion for righteousness and justice? Does holy indifference mean we can embrace apathy regarding our love for neighbor?
Bilbro anticipates these concerns, and so he clarifies that, rightly understood, the indifference concerns the results of all our efforts, not indifference toward other human beings, or indifference toward the cause itself. To get at what he recommends here, picture not the privileged but the persecuted. He writes:
Certainly apathy can be an attitude of the privileged who are insulated from the effects of bad news, but holy apathy is also the attitude of the martyrs who faithfully obey God regardless of the events swirling around them, events that they are powerless to control. In reality, we are all powerless to control the outcome of the political, social, and cultural disputes of our time, and the vast majority of us have little opportunity to directly influence these battles; when we follow their developments with bated breath, rooting for our chosen side to win, we display a lack of faith in Providence and an outsized view of our own power. And the result is that we profane our minds, macadamizing them with trivial updates instead of meditating on eternal words so that we, like the blessed man of Psalm 1, can bear fruit to bless our neighbors in whatever situation we find ourselves. (42-43)
That’s the holy indifference that Pascal (and Bilbro) recommend. Not indifference or apathy toward suffering, as if we can neglect matters of justice and righteousness, but joyful trust in the sovereignty of God and gracious humility at seeing our own limitations, so that we, with happy abandon, adopt the attitude of the martyrs who “commit to acting faithfully regardless of the consequences” (43).
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What is "Holy Indifference?" - Amazing Catechists
What is “Holy Indifference?”
BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH, OP
Indifference is an uncomfortable word, isn’t it?
Imagine if someone called us, “indifferent”. I suspect we would either be offended, because we don’t think that accurately describes us, or we might feel convicted if we felt the word did accurately describe our attitude.
The word “holy” we tend to think of only in a favorable way. If something is holy, then it is good, pure, or “of God”.
But now bring the two together – “holy indifference” – and I think the most likely impression is the phrase represents an oxymoron. The terms are too dissimilar to be used in conjunction with one another.
We might be surprised to know that “holy indifference” is an attitude recommended by the Saints for hundreds of years. For example, Saint Francis de Sales (1567 – 1622) wrote a chapter entitled, “Holy Indifference Embraces All Things” in his book, Of the Love of God. In it he wrote:
We should seek to practise such indifference with respect to all that concerns our natural life such as health or sickness, beauty or deformity, strength or weakness, honour, rank, and riches; so, also, in all fluctuations of the spiritual life, dryness, consolation, and the like.
In a later chapter of the same book, St Francis de Sales writes:
Unquestionably it is a most pious mental attitude to bless and thank God for all that His Providence may ordain; but if, while leaving God to will and do whatever He pleases in us, we, indifferent to all surroundings, could devote our whole heart and mind to His Boundless Goodness and Mercy, blessing them, not merely in their appointed results, but intrinsically, this would assuredly be a higher spiritual exercise.
Jesus encouraged his followers to be detached from this world and some isolated verses of scripture might lead us to the conclusion that our “holy indifference” is to be so radical as to almost be hostile towards the world. For example when Jesus says of the man who wished to bury his parents before following him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:59-62). Is Jesus really telling us we need to adopt a hostile attitude towards the world in order to be “fit for the kingdom of God”?
I don’t think so.
Jesus taught us to love God and love neighbor, calling these the greatest two commandments (Mt 22:36-40). So right away we can see that we need to love our neighbor through concrete actions (i.e. Corporal Works of Mercy). This is not something we do in the abstract.
So for example, it’s the dead of winter and you’re leaving your office early to head home because the weather forecast is calling for snow and freezing temperatures. You put on your brand new winter coat (man, you really love this thing) and head outside towards your car. You’re getting ready to put your keys in the door when you see a homeless person walking by with a tattered blanket wrapped around their shoulders. It’s decision time. You really love your new coat (and that’s okay) but an attitude of “holy indifference” doesn’t love the coat more than the homeless person. You know you can get in your warm car, drive to your warm house, and take out last year’s winter coat, which is still in fine shape, and use that.
There is nothing wrong with having a new coat. Also, there is nothing wrong if you really enjoy it. But when an opportunity presents itself for us to fulfill our Savior’s command to love our neighbor, we can’t love the coat more than that. That’s having an attitude of “holy indifference”. It says, “This thing is nice, but it is nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to my Lord.”
Pope Innocent XII (1615-1700) wrote the following on “holy indifference”:
In the state of holy indifference, a soul no longer has voluntary and deliberate desires for its own interest, with the exception of those occasions on which it does not faithfully cooperate with the whole of its grace.
In the same state of holy indifference we wish nothing for ourselves, all for God. We do not wish that we be perfect and happy for self interest, but we wish all perfection and happiness only in so far as it pleases God to bring it about that we wish for these states by the impression of His grace.
In this state of holy indifference we no longer seek salvation as our own salvation, as our eternal liberation, as a reward of our merits, nor as the greatest of all our interests, but we wish it with our whole will as the glory and good pleasure of God, as the thing which He wishes, and which He wishes us to wish for His sake.
The bottom line is we can love our things so long as we don’t become so attached to them that we no longer have the strength to become detached when they begin to interfere with our eternal destiny. Everything and everyone must be subordinated to our pursuit of God. That’s “holy indifference” in contrast to the world’s indifference which would have left a homeless person without a coat.
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READ ALL POSTS BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH, OPFILED UNDER: THEOLOGY
About Christopher Smith, OP
Mr. Christopher Smith, OP was born and raised in Northern Michigan. After graduating high school, he joined the United States Navy and had the honor of serving his country for almost 21 years. He retired from active duty in March 2010 and now works as a cybersecurity consultant for the Department of Defense. Christopher, his wife, and their two children live near Baltimore, Maryland.
Christopher earned a BA degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2005 and a MA degree in Theology (AOC: Moral Theology) from St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland in 2010. In June 2007, he was received into the Dominican Order as a member of the Immaculate Conception Chapter of Third Order Dominicans located at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington D.C.
When he is not blogging, Christopher is involved in several ministries in his parish, including: RCIA catechist, adult formation leader, and parish council. He also conducts workshops on a variety of theological subjects. Some of Christopher’s favorite research topics include: apologetics, theodicy, just war theory, church/state relations, and public theology. He also enjoys digital photography, soccer, reading, and playing on his drum set.
In addition to writing for AC, you can find Christopher on his blog Christopher's Apologies. He also hangs out on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and YouTube.
Ignatian Indifference - Ignatian Spirituality
Ignatian Indifference
By Marina Berzins McCoy
Often, we think about freedom as freedom from interference from others, but St. Ignatius understood freedom differently. For him, human freedom is a freedom to grow in relationship with God and share in God’s redemptive work. This requires internal freedom or what Ignatius called “indifference.” Indifference means being detached enough from things, people, or experiences to be able either to take them up or to leave them aside, depending on whether they help us to “to praise, reverence, and serve God” (Spiritual Exercises 23). In other words, it’s the capacity to let go of what doesn’t help me to love God or love others—while staying engaged with what does.
Indifference does not mean not caring. One can be indifferent and yet be deeply passionate. In fact, since God is love and God’s redemptive work takes place through love, we cannot be indifferent in the Ignatian sense unless we love and love deeply. Each time that I became a new mother, I fell in love with my baby, in a way that led me to feel great reverence for the giftedness of this child’s existence. Contemplating the beauty of sunlight sparkling off ocean waves often leads me to a sense of wonder and praise. The delight that I feel about prayerful, mutually supportive friendships leads me to feel gratitude. But indifference means that when the baby grows up, the friend moves away, or a day at the ocean is cloudy, I can still find ways to love God and people.
This is not always easy. I have been pulled off-course often. Ignatius names attachment to wealth, health, long life, and status as obstacles. Lately I have been noticing how much the stories that we tell ourselves can limit our freedom too. For example, consider how often we think, “If only I were not sick with this illness (or received this promotion, or healed this broken relationship, or…), then I would be happy.”
But when was the last time that any of us said, “I am so happy because I have never had cancer,” or, “Because I am grateful to have a steady job, I will never complain about any of my coworkers again”? Probably we ought to practice such gratitude. As a spiritual director once emphasized to me, everything is a gift. Nothing and no one belongs to us. Every beloved person and every good creation belongs to God, including me. And there can be a kind of delightful freedom available in learning and accepting this—even if sometimes I resist!
But I suspect that gratitude alone will still not get us all the way to Ignatian indifference. For me, freedom nearly always comes from getting back to knowing that God loves me as an unrepeatable, unique creation. From that basic knowledge of being loved, two things become possible. First, I learn that I have worth apart from any of the things or people in the world that are present or absent from my life. God loves me as I am—with all my talents, quirks, and failings. I am enough for God, and God is enough for me. Second, when God’s love is at the core of my identity, then I am attentively aware that I, too, have the capacity to love, no matter where life takes me.
When we are grounded in God’s love, then we can love when our relationships are flourishing, and we can love when we feel grief. We can love when we are well or when we are ill. We can always choose to love, because we are never undertaking love alone, but always in friendship with God, who always wants to create something new and good. God’s love and friendship are the foundation of indifference.
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Marina Berzins McCoy
https://graceinmidlife.wordpress.com/
Marina Berzins McCoy is a professor at Boston College, where she teaches philosophy and in the BC PULSE service learning program. She is the author of The Ignatian Guide to Forgiveness and Wounded Heroes: Vulnerability as a Virtue in Ancient Greek Philosophy. She and her husband are the parents to two young adults and live in the Boston area.
Spiritual Indifference
SPIRITUAL INDIFFERENCE
Intro.
1. Few things have robbed the Lord & His people as much as spiritual indifference (insensitivity).
a. Robs Christians of giving their proper attention & involvement to spiritual things in their lives.
b. "Apathy is an attitude of indifference & unconcern toward spiritual things. It generally ignores spiritual matters in order to place a greater emphasis on material things."
c. Indifference is one of the besetting sins of our age!
2. The vigor & vitality of the Christian’s life is outlined in the following: Matt. 6:33; Rom.12:1-2; Gal.2:20; Col .3:1-4.
3. A thief is among us & we must root it out & conquer it -- APATHY!
I. INDIFFERENCE ROBS CHRIST:
A. Of Souls - Lk. 19:10.
1. When one is indifference toward spiritual matters, truth will not penetrate heart - Soul lost! - Matt. 13:14-15
2. Worldliness w/ its affluence, preoccupation w/ secular things, etc., breeds spiritual indifference toward Christ & truth! Matt. 13:22
B. Of Sacrificial Servants - Lk. 9:23; Jno. 13:12-17.
1. Deny self & take up cross (difficulties of discipleship) -- Not for the uncommitted! (Lk. 8:13-14).
2. Jno. 13:12-17 - Christianity is not so you can be served - So you can serve others!
3. Lack of servants because there is an abundance of indifference!
C. Of Stalwart Soldiers - 2 Tim. 2:1-4.
1. v. 1-3 - Be strengthened in grace to teach & endure hardships of spiritual combat!
2. v. 4 - For many, affairs of this life are more important than the affairs of the next life!
3. Stable, resolute soldiers of the cross are in short supply! Eph. 6:10-13
II. INDIFFERENCE ROBS A CHURCH:
A. Of Its Maximum Worship Potential.
1. Indifference shows itself through neglected attendance, preparation & participation.
a. Enthusiasm to worship will be missing - Psa. 122:1.
b. Violation of God’s stated will robs your brethren & yourself of edification - Heb. 10:24-25.
c. Hinders effective teaching & learning - Heb. 5:11-12.
2. Our interest must increase for our worship to be a blessing!
3. "I don’t get anything out of worship." - Are you putting anything in?!!
B. Of Its Maximum Work Potential.
1. cf. Giving - l Cor. 16:2.
a. We can only fund work according to funds available.
b. Little giving - Little work! - cf. 2 Cor. 9:6-8.
c. Our giving must increase!
2. cf. Individual work of spreading gospel - We must renew our zeal & fervor for sowing the seed!
3. As teachers & students of classes - Last minute thing, or priority?
C. Of Its Maximum Growth Potential - Eph. 4:14-16.
1. Growth of Christian affects growth of the body.
2. Lack of interest in personal growth directly affects church (damages it!).
3. No interest in self - No interest in others!
III. INDIFFERENCE ROBS THE CHRISTIAN:
A. Of Spiritual Interest - Acts 2:42, 46; Rom. 12:11 (cf. Eccl. 12:1).
1. Bible study, personal growth & pure living.
2. l Pet. 2:l-2 - We shouldn’t have to be rebuked before we will study, grow & live pure lives!
3. Apathetic Christian has no time left for God! (School, job, play, etc.)
B. Of A Tender Heart - Jno. 12:37-40. (cf. Non-Christians, too!)
1. Apathy is to be "without emotion."
2. To the indifference, truth makes no impact of love, reverence, honor & devotion. (Heb. 6:4-6)
3. Heb. 3:12-14 - Be warned & exhorted to avoid effect of indifference!
C. Of His Soul - cf. Col. 3:2-4.
1. v. 3-4 - Live for Christ, reign with Christ!
2. Opposite necessarily true - 2 Tim. 2:1l-13.
Conclusion
1. Spiritual indifference is sin! - Rev. 3:15-16
2. Remedy: Repent & reaffirm our priorities - Then live them! (Matt. 6:33; Rom. 12:1-2; Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:2)
What the Bible says about Spiritual Indifference
What the Bible says about Spiritual Indifference
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Amos 4:4-5
Three cities of Israel had become religious centers and places of pilgrimage: Bethel, Gilgal and Beersheba. What is intriguing is that, even in their spiritual indifference, the Israelites loved to go to church! Since Amos indicates that their social lives may have revolved around the church, their purely social, not religious, motives may have been the problem.
This is intriguing in light of Laodiceanism. God says, "You may be coming to church regularly and enjoying it, but while you are there, you are sinning!" The scriptures are unclear about what the exact sins were. They may have been breaking the Sabbath somehow, or they may have been indifferent to the messages they heard. What their sins were makes no difference because God's judgment of their show of religion is that their hearts were not in it.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The World, the Church, and Laodiceanism
Related Topics: Beersheba | Bethel | Gilgal | Heart | Hypocrisy | Laodiceanism | Sabbath | Spiritual Indifference
Matthew 24:38-39
In these verses, Jesus describes people involved in normal activities of life: eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. None of these activities are evil—in fact, they are necessary. He implies, however, that in focusing upon the everyday activities of their lives, they miss the signs, the evidence, which prove the imminence of Christ's return. The sad result is that they do not become aware until it is too late.
Laodiceanism is not a matter of laziness, but of spiritual indifference caused by giving attention to the wrong things. A Laodicean commits a subtle form of idolatry, paying undue attention to self-centered interests rather than the interests of our Lord. Setting aside those responsibilities to which he has been called, he favors activities and interests that Jesus simply describes as eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage. He has chosen carnal priorities over spiritual ones.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The World, the Church, and Laodiceanism
Related Topics: Cares of the World | Carnal Priorities | Drink | Food | Idolatry | Laodiceanism | Priorities | Self Centeredness | Spiritual Indifference | Spiritual Priorities
Revelation 3:19
"Zealous" means "earnest, enthusiastic, to seek or desire earnestly, to have an ardent love," in contrast to their spiritual indifference. God desires them to have a burning desire for Him and His way of life. Instead, Revelation 3:14-21 paints a clear picture of people who are successful by the world's standards, yet spiritually deficient. They are devoid of spiritual judgment while rich with material substance. Their problem is an internal attitude: The mechanism that drives them is neither godly nor ardent.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The World, the Church, and Laodiceanism
Related Topics: Ardent Desire | Attitude | Enthusiasm | Heart | Indifference | Laodicean | Laodicean Attitude | Laodiceanism | Spiritual Indifference | Wealth | Zeal
Self-denial - Wikipedia
Self-denial
Self-denial (related but different from self-abnegation[1] or self-sacrifice) is an act of letting go of the self as with altruistic abstinence – the willingness to forgo personal pleasures or undergo personal trials in the pursuit of the increased good of another.[2] Various religions and cultures take differing views of self-denial, some considering it a positive trait and others considering it a negative one. According to some Protestants, self-denial is considered a superhuman virtue only obtainable through Jesus.[3] Some critics of self-denial suggest that self-denial can lead to self-hatred.[4][better source needed]
Contents
Positive effects[edit]
There is evidence brief periods of fasting, a denial of food, can be beneficial to health in certain situations.[5][6] Self-denial is sometimes related to inhibitory control and emotional self-regulation, the positives of which are dealt with in those articles.[7] As people grow accustomed to material goods they often experience hedonic adaptation, whereby they get used to the finer things and are less inclined to savor daily pleasures. Scarcity can lead people to focus on enjoying an experience more deeply, which increases joy.[citation needed]
Negative effects[edit]
Others argue self-denial involves avoidance and holding back of happiness and pleasurable experiences from oneself that is only damaging to other people.[8] Some argue it is a form of micro-suicide because it is threatening to an individual's physical health, emotional well-being, or personal goals.[9]
Religion and self-denial[edit]
Self-denial can constitute an important element of religious practice in various belief systems. An exemplification is the self-denial advocated by several Christian confessions where it is believed to be a means of reaching happiness and a deeper religious understanding, sometimes described as 'becoming a true follower of Christ'. The foundation of self-denial in the Christian context is based on the recognition of a higher God-given will, which the Christian practitioner chooses to adhere to, and prioritize over his or her own will or desires. This can in daily life be expressed by renunciation of certain physically pleasureable, yet from a religious stand-point inappropriate activities, sometimes referred to as 'desires of the flesh', which e.g. could entail certain sexual practices and over-indulgant eating or drinking. In the Christian faith, Jesus is often mentioned as a positive example of self-denial, both in relation to the deeds performed during his life, as well as the sacrifice attributed to his death.
Based on gender[edit]
Self-denial in women is linked to cultural definitions of femininity which women have internalized to such an extent that self-abnegation had become basic to women's experience.[10] Judith Plaskow observed this and argued that it was more linked to women than men because they were to follow this Christian virtue because of their detriment. Women are seen in a domestic perspective and self-denial puts all things women were once exposed to the side so they can be committed to their marriage and family. The way women are portrayed has not changed much throughout the years because the patriarchal perspective continues to be present. Through self-denial women have to sacrifice their interests and goals to satisfy not only family, but many times social norms. They are not allowed to be independent but more so are trapped to be the individual they are expected to be. However, in men, this is different.
Masculinity is linked to self-denial when put in a male perspective. Men's self-denial is both a source of men's existential alienation and part of the infrastructure of men's power.[11] When men go through self-denial it is interpreted as self-improvement as put by the book Manliness in which they emphasize self-denial as a comparison to the image of the goal of Superman in "What does not kill me makes me stronger".[12]
However, the psychological differences between men and women are often disputed among researchers.[13]
See also[edit]
- Altruistic suicide
- Asceticism
- Atlas personality
- Generosity
- Human sacrifice
- John 15 (Section 13)
- Journey of self-discovery
References[edit]
- ^ Arthur I. Waskow (1991). Seasons of our Joy: A Modern Guide to the Jewish Holidays. Boston: Beacon Press. p. 31. ISBN 0-8070-3611-0. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ Tina Besley; Michael A. Peters (2007). Subjectivity & Truth: Foucault, Education, and the Culture of Self. New York: Peter Lang. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8204-8195-1. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ Brian Stewart Hook; Russell R. Reno (2000). Heroism and the Christian Life: Reclaiming Excellence. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. p. 2. ISBN 0-664-25812-3. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ David Jan Sorkin (1999). The Transformation of German Jewry, 1780-1840. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. p. 4. ISBN 0-8143-2828-8. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ Fond G, Macgregor A, Leboyer M, Michalsen A (2013). "Fasting in mood disorders: neurobiology and effectiveness. A review of the literature" (PDF). Psychiatry Res (Review). 209 (3): 253–8. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2012.12.018. PMID 23332541. S2CID 39700065.
- ^ Knapton, Sarah (5 June 2014). "Fasting for three days can regenerate entire immune system, study finds". Telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ Robin M. Kowalski; Mark R. Leary (2004). The Interface of Social and Clinical Psychology: Key Readings. Psychology Press. pp. 55 and 60. ISBN 978-1-84169-087-2.
- ^ Robert W. Firestone; Joyce Catlett (2009). Ethics of Interpersonal Relationships. Great Britain: Karnac Books. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-85575-605-2.
- ^ Robert I. Yufit; David Lester (2005). Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention of Suicidal Behavior. New Jersey: Wiley. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-471-27264-9.
- ^ Darlene Fozard Weaver (2002). Self Love and Christian Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-521-52097-3.
- ^ Victor Seidler (1991). Recreating Sexual Politics(Routledge Revivals):Men, Feminism, and Politics. New York: Routledge. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-415-57289-7.
- ^ Harvey C. Mansfield (2006). Manliness. New York: Yale University Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-300-10664-0.
- ^ Locker, T. K., Heesacker, M., & Baker, J. O. (January 2012). "Gender similarities in the relationship between psychological aspects of disordered eating and self-silencing". Psychology of Men & Masculinity. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. 13: 89–105. doi:10.1037/a0021905.