Virtues and Vices

A few times I have used the Boy Scout Law, ("A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.") as a good list of desirable traits for one to develop.  Somewhere this week I saw something about a list of virtues, Googled that, and found that The Catholic Church lists seven virtues, three of them "theological" and four "cardinal."  One thing led to another and next thing I knew I was toying around with a chart to display the virtues, gifts of the Holy Spirit, fruits of the Holy Spirit, and even the seven "capital" sins, all as taught in the Catholic Catechism.  This is what I came up with.  Actually that Boy Scout Law is a pretty good list summarizing the virtues, gifts, and fruits.  Putting the Grace of God in the center just seemed like a good idea to me.

Scripture Alone?

A pillar of Protestant theology is Sola Scriptura which means that “Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian.” That quote comes from this web site which seems to present a balanced view of the subject and some of the controversy surrounding it.

With a unifying common principle such as Sola Scriptura, it would seem that all who subscribe would be in agreement on the important issues of the Christian faith and would be in full communion with each other. Alas, that is not the case because various Christian churches making the claim end up with quite different positions on theological issues they deem important such as the appropriate age for and method of baptism, whether a person once “saved” is always “saved,” whether the Lord’s Supper is a memorial or a sacrament, whether our salvation is up to us, up to God, or depends on both to some extent, whether miraculous healing and prophesy or even exorcism are alive and well in the 21st century, and whether God wants His followers to be rich or poor. The obvious conclusion which must be drawn from the existence of such variances is that it is not Scripture itself but rather the interpreters of it who are seen by us as the final authorities.

Some would argue that these differences are not important and that most Christians, whether claiming Sola Scriptura as their foundation of belief or not, agree on certain Biblical essentials of salvation such as our creation by God, our sinfulness, our need for forgiveness, the facts that God sent his Son Jesus to show us how to live and to give his life for us, and that through faith in Jesus we become part of the family of God and receive eternal life. These basic elements of the faith comprise sort of a “Four Spiritual Laws” approach to Christianity, and that approach works as an introduction to the Faith. But if a believer or a seeker begins a deeper study, it is discovered that efforts to understand some of those key words in the sentence above, “creation,” “sinfulness,” “forgiveness,” “Son,” “live,” “faith,” “family of God,” and “eternal life,” for example, have resulted in centuries of study and contemplation, volumes of writings, and multitudes of opinions. So, even when we agree on the basics, we don’t necessarily agree on exactly what they mean. The inquiring student also finds that there are lots of mysterious things in the Bible that don’t seem to be pointing to these simple ideas but rather to something much deeper and more complex. And it is those differing opinions on theological issues, word meanings, and complexity (possibly along with occasional squabbles over pastors or property) that have resulted in splintering of the Church over the centuries to the point that there are now thousands of Christian “denominations.”

For many 21st Century Christians, neither these divisive issues nor the splintering of the Church is problematic. To many, the proliferation of denominations and churches is good because it makes it easier for believers to find what they want or need in what has become a giant religious shopping mall. For others, purity of belief is critical and they will argue any point of disagreement, citing proof text after proof text in support of their position and even stand ready to found a new church or denomination if some unique distinguishing position can be identified and defended. And finally there are those to whom the splintering of the Christian Church and the resulting confusing and unclear messages about The Gospel to an unbelieving world seem counterproductive at best and who would like to see a lot more uniting and a lot less dividing going on.

The Catholic Church officially rejects Sola Scriptura and argues that there is a tradition of scripture interpretation and Christian practice going back to the very birth of the Church and passed from Jesus to and through the Apostles that must go hand in hand with Holy Scripture. As the keeper of that Tradition, the Catholic Church claims the sole authority to interpret and teach Holy Scripture. That sounds pushy, but c’mon Protestants, surely we must admit that we too are sometimes claiming that authority but, it seems to me, without the case that Catholics can make from Holy Scripture that Jesus gave power and authority to Peter and Paul and the other apostles and established The Church and put them in charge of it.

So, if the issues of Christian unity and teaching authority are of concern, what is one to do? One can take the loner approach and say, “It’s just between me and Jesus and The Holy Spirit will reveal whatever truth I need to know.” Or one can align with one of the more fundamentalist and authoritative churches and just accept their traditional interpretations, varied and youthful though they may be. A third option is to join a US mainline denomination congregation “read scripture together faithfully, “join the conversation,” cast a vote about how to interpret Holy Scripture, and then accept the result in the very young tradition of democracy. And finally, one can discount the well deserved scorn the Catholic Magisterium had earned in some quarters by the late Middle Ages, sparking The Protestant Reformation, conclude that the Reformation has outlived its usefulness, and accept that Jesus really did establish a church with leaders and teaching authority and a succession plan and that that church is the Catholic Church, blemished though it may be. And, when the person who makes that choice gets upset with the Catholic Church or is faced with criticism of it, he or she can remember that even Jesus had trouble with personal ambition, denial, and betrayal among his original twelve and that he never promised a blemish-free church but rather one against which the Gates of Hell would not prevail.

I think all four options are valid and reasonable and may be appropriate for any one Christian at various stages of his or her faith journey. Probably for the vast majority raised in one of the traditions, the questions raised in this essay are unimportant because they are quite happy and secure, blessed by God and “blooming where planted” so to speak. Others have doubts and concerns from time to time, recognize that Christian faith is a journey, and are blessed or cursed with inquiring minds that know God is beyond our understanding but are always searching for increased wisdom and understanding.

I think one serious result of the disunity of Christians is our tendency to be self righteous and to criticize each other. Today’s (10/24/2010) Gospel lesson, Luke 18:9-14, is the story of the Pharisee who came to the temple to pray and loudly announced his thankfulness that he was so much better than other people. He was followed by the tax collector who came just humbly asking God for mercy because he was a sinner. As I was listening to the sermon, I had the thought that probably some of us there were making the same mistake as the Pharisee, sub-consciously thanking God that we are not like that selfish fool, and completely forgetting that we are all in need of mercy because of our sin and just need to follow the example of the tax collector in our prayers.

So, let us be patient with each other.

"Giving Back"

I wonder what the implication is when someone says they are doing volunteer work or donating money or helping someone directly because they want to "give back." 

Is the implication that they have taken something and want to give back some of it or all of it or is it that they have been given something and now want to give some or all of it back? 

Is "giving back" different from giving forward to someone never before encountered? 

Is there some suggestion in a person's declaration of intent to begin "giving back" that nothing much has been given in the past but that a point in life has been reached at which "giving back" is appropriate and affordable and not too disruptive or maybe even fun or ego building or image enhancing? 

I think it is the simple word "back" that bothers me about this popular phrase probably because of the suggestion of reciprocity.  After all, Jesus is not reported in Acts 20:35 to have said, "It is more blessed to give (back) than to receive," and while there may be some suggestion of reciprocity in Matthew 10:8, "Freely you have received, freely give," the word "freely" seems to take away the selfishness.

Of course we know that Jesus gave everything so the standard has been established.  If only I...
 
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. - John 19:30

Sorry for the rant about a pet peeve.  But it is food for thought.

Faith, Doubt, and Certainty

Famous and not so famous quotes about faith, doubt, and certainty abound, but I believe this phrase which came to my mind while I was on a bicycle ride last evening may be original.

Faith and doubt walk hand in hand.  Faith and certainty are perfect strangers and have no need of each other.

If not, I apologize to whoever first composed it and anxiously await their identification so I can thank and acknowledge him or her.

Random Acts of Selfishness

I often recall seemingly random acts of selfishness when I reflect back on my life. It’s unfortunate, but true. Oh, there is much to rejoice about and be thankful for and I’ve been a good guy from time to time, but there are those troublesome bad things, the unkind word, the ethical mistake, the moment of thoughtlessness, the feeling of self righteousness, the disrespect of someone, the submission to greed or lust or ego, etc., that often pop into my mind when I have time on my hands and am in a reflective mood. Those are the things people would be trying to dig up and reveal if I were ever to threaten anybody in power with a run for political office.

The truth is that there’s no good reason to expect anything other than selfishness from our natural selves since we begin life as totally self-absorbed infants and hopefully spend the rest of our lives in recovery from it. The objective, as Augustine wrote, is that “…as we grow we root out and cast from us such habits.” (Augustine’s Confessions VII:11). So there is good reason for regret, not just for the things we have done, for which we can obtain forgiveness, but also for lack of progress in growing and rooting out. Or, to put it another way, we, or at least I, have a lot of trouble with this challenge from St. Paul, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect…” – Romans 12:2

One good way to root out the undesirable and work on that transformation is replacement of it with something desirable. There is a foundation called the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation which is dedicated to getting people to plan and organize acts of kindness. I think that is a good thing, but such acts wouldn’t really be random, would they? I guess they might seem so to the recipients. I have frequently been involved in planning and carrying out acts of kindness. Even the Boy Scouts emphasized doing a good deed daily, and my parents and grandparents always set good examples of kindness and helpfulness but still there are those selfish things that pop up randomly. And, to further complicate matters, we can, of course, do “kind” things for selfish reasons. The bottom line is that I need to keep planning those intentional acts of kindness to keep growing and rooting out the bad stuff and keep it from taking over while working on a slow renewing of the mind.

There is an advantage to those memories of selfishness. They help stifle pride when I think of a good education, a successful career, a wonderful family, and a happy retirement, or when people talk about good stuff I do from time to time. Those acts remind me that I need confession and forgiveness and that my approach to Heaven will not be with pride saying, “Here am I, the good guy you have been waiting for. Open the gates!” but on my knees praying, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” (The Jesus Prayer)

And speaking of pride, which happens to be one of the seven deadly sins and is being actively promoted in American culture today, check out the posting below.

We Should Be Ashamed of Ourselves…For Being So Proud

OK, I’m a grouch, but I just don’t like the general idea of pride. It is so self-focused. It seems to me that a much more desirable response to good things is thankfulness.

It’s related to that self esteem movement that has become so popular, and I don’t like self esteem either. (Since the implication of the verb "esteem" is positive, I'm thinking "low self esteem" qualifies as an oxymoron.) The fact is that self esteem, even in the case of super achievers, is unjustified and that we would all be much better citizens if we would just be thankful for all we have and seek self respect and self confidence instead. We don’t need to be thinking highly of ourselves. We need to be behaving ourselves and learning and building skills so that we can be helpful and make a real contribution to society and thereby earn a living if we need to do so.  If an education system is teaching skills and developing talents at a satisfactory rate, the result will be students with self respect and self confidence.  If it is failing to do so, I guess the only thing left is to go directly to emphasis on pride and self esteem.

Of course self respect and self confidence have to be properly informed. A person may have both for being the best bank robber or the biggest con or having the most sexual exploits. (Check out Frank Abagnale for a good example.) I suggest there’s no better non-threatening (avoiding theological stuff here) starting point for such informing than the Boy Scout Law. A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. The toughest ones for me are cheerful and brave.

What called the subject of pride to my attention was a recent letter writer’s comment in The State newspaper, “I am proud of my Confederate heritage.” I guess that means it is something he likes to talk about and reflect on but it is certainly nothing he personally had anything to do with. It probably also means he likes seeing the Confederate flag flying on the SC State House grounds. So, it seems that perhaps what he meant to say is that he is thankful for his Confederate heritage. I think that would be fine. There is certainly no reason anybody should be ashamed of his or her Confederate heritage either because, once again, it is nothing the person had anything at all to do with.

In the present tense, I am often tempted to express pride in some project I have just completed if it turned out well or to be ashamed of it if not. But thankfulness for the skills, talents, tools, resources, and assistance that were required to complete the project seems to me to be a more appropriate emotion in case of success. I think it is generally true that success depends a lot on things we may influence but have no direct control over while we are perfectly capable of failing all by ourselves. And that may be cause for shame when it happens.

Or I might be proud of the South Carolina Gamecocks who recently won the College Baseball World Series. But I didn’t have anything to do with that. And the team will be better off in the long run if they focus on being thankful and on being good role models rather than on being proud. I’m thankful for the win primarily because it provides some opportunity for positive commentary on South Carolina after all the recent bad publicity surrounding our local politicians. I’m not ashamed of even them, however, because, once again, I had nothing to do with their words or actions.  I don't believe the NYT or the WSJ mentioned the Gamecock victory.

We have an anti-litter organization in South Carolina called Palmetto Pride. I’d rather think of keeping my litter in the car until I get home and can appropriately trash it as personal responsibility rather than having anything to do with pride. Certainly anybody tossing their trash out along the road should be ashamed, but they probably don’t have a clue.

Speaking of shame as an opposite to pride, I believe that is where the idea of “Gay Pride” came from… a reaction to tendency of many in society to cast shame on gays…but it seems to me that if gayness is just a normal variant in human sexuality, neither pride nor shame is appropriate. Now behavior is an entirely different thing. Clearly many of us, gay and straight, should be ashamed of our sexual behavior. Well, it’s clear to me anyway. There’s really nothing in that Scout Law about sex except as possibly covered by trustworthy and loyal. Well, maybe reverent, for those of us who believe that we are created by God. I’m pretty sure that if I were gay, I would be ashamed of “gay pride.” But I’m not proud of that.

I was Googling “pride” and found a website, Custom-Essays.org, which offers custom essays for $9.95 a page. The sample essay they provide at their web site to entice students to cheat by doing business with them is entitled Definition of Pride Essay. It includes such literary gems as:

“This is my pride is family.”
“A good job is a big accomplishment nowadays because a lot of forces are put into it.”
“Having a job implies having more possibilities in life and showing true professionalism that is why pride is job.”
“Pride is a lot of things at the same time.”

Somebody should be truly ashamed of that!

Proverbs 16:18: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

The Government Is Not My Shepherd

I love the image of Jesus as shepherd and his followers as sheep. Believing that Jesus is God and that He cares for me and that I am dependent on Him for spiritual life is comforting. I am repulsed, however, by the idea of the United States Government being my shepherd.

A recent trip to Doctor’s Care for diagnosis of and an antibiotic prescription for a UTI brings the whole thing home to me in practical terms. I saw a nurse practitioner who agreed with my diagnosis and promptly provided the prescription and dismissed me with no charges saying, “You are all taken care of.” I didn’t actually feel better until the drugs kicked in.

After a few weeks and some paperwork passing through the hands of some government employees or contractors, I will receive notices from Medicare and from Mutual of Omaha, my Medicare supplement provider, about what was done with the claim filed by Doctor’s Care. And the government will borrow a little money from China to pay the bill. It will probably be $100 or so. And the national debt will rise a bit.

Where in the world did the idea come from that just because we reach a certain age, fellow tax payers should be taking responsibility for all our medical bills? Am I the only guy who understands that this is what is driving up the costs of health care? Am I the only guy who understands that, without such a government imposed Medicare price control system, doctors and other health care providers would be scrambling for cash paying customers and cutting prices and improving efficiency and advertising in order to serve as many patients as possible and collect from them when services are rendered? And I suspect most of them would be very generous in their treatment of those less able to pay.

You may say, “Well Darryl, if that is the way you feel why don’t you just turn down the Medicare benefits and insist on paying cash?” Because there is no Medicare benefit. It is just the return of a small fraction of the several tens of thousands of dollars of Medicare taxes I paid over my working life and the approximately $3,500 a year I am now paying for Medicare. I’m not getting anything for nothing.

But it is a terrible system, pumping in money and displacing private investment and preventing competition and creating non-productive jobs and, eventually, out of necessity, rationing care. And I will never get comfortable with the idea of government as shepherd, not even for physical life.