One thing we discussed in class Wednesday which I found to be particularly thought provoking was the question of whether or not it is selfish to hope for eternal salvation. During our discussion of Augustinian theories and beliefs, Professor Vaught pointed out that the traditional views of “good” or “faithful” Christians suggest that acting selflessly for the benefit of others here on earth is most admirable. He pointed out that a figure of excellent moral standards like Mother Teresa might not even hope for eternal salvation because doing so would be selfish, and this perplexed me. This is a concept I had never considered. I would think that someone like Mother Teresa who so obviously did God’s work selflessly on earth would not only hope for eternal salvation, she would expect it. Aren’t we taught after all that if we adhere to a certain moral code or standard of living that we will be rewarded? If under our God the faithful cannot even hope for eternal life, why should we even serve such a God at all?
The reason that someone like Mother Teresa shouldn't expect eternal salvation in return for decades of selfless service to other people is because simply by expecting it makes her selfless acts into selfish acts. If you expect anything in return for "charity work" then we cant really call it charity then, can we? There is a difference between hope and expectation. Hope is a lot more fluid, it is possible to hope for something that you may never get. Expectation is a lot more ridged, input X output Y. -Thomas N.
ReplyDeleteI am largely inclined to agree with Thomas on this. I would also assume that a prominent religious figure such as Mother Teresa would know that nobody can understand God's ways fully and therefore one cannot simply expect eternal salvation. I stumbled upon a definition of hope in my sophomore writing seminar that I think could contribute to this discussion quite well. In Paradiso, Dante defines Hope as, "...the certain expectation of future glory, springing from heavenly grace and merit we have won." While using the word "expectation" may make it seem like Dante supports the original notion, I believe the key part of the phrase is "...grace and merit that we have won." This seems to suggest that one must genuinely earn this grace and merit and therefore cannot do it selfishly. I know this is not a point of Augustine but I would be curious to hear what everyone else thinks.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both yours and Thomas' points because, as Thomas stated, simply doing something "selflessly" but also for your personal benefit is impossible. An act becomes selfish when you are doing it only to better your own life. But I don't know if i agree with the quote on grace and merit. I believe that this quote is saying that we expect a happy future due to our "grace and merit" that we "won." If we are winning the grace and merit that implies that we are working towards it with the goal of achieving grace and merit in mind. We are acting for a purpose which includes bettering our own lives and therefore, we are acting selfishly.
DeleteI would disagree with the above posts. Technically everything we do is toward our self benefit and preservation. We breathe because it keeps us alive, we study because it keeps us in school, we volunteer to give back to the community. If people don't like to do something, they don't do it. In Mother Theresa's case, she's dedicating her life to others because her goal is to improve the life of others. If that happens, she's a happy camper, simultaneously that could lead her to eternal salvation. This could connect back to the idea of faith preceding reason. Her faith and beliefs about continually trying to push herself to make the world a better place is not mutually exclusive to a mortal end. Reaching the final good is dictated by faith which is an eternal struggle, she combats that struggle by aligning her desires and her faith, which I don't believe is selfish. The waves caused by her good actions she should be able to take advantage of. For example, if you study really hard and get a good grade on your exam, shouldn't you be able to enjoy it?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie in that humans take every action for the benefit of themselves. Whether humanity accepts it or not, I believe that yes it is selfish to want for eternal salvation. In hope to achieve eternal salvation, many religious people create their "morals" and rules they abide by for that end result of wanting this eternal salvation. This then means that they are committing virtuous and socially good deeds not because they want to be a helpful and selfless to others, but it again someone relates to their OWN end result. It is interesting hearing people defend the other side of this argument because that sounds ignorant to me, I think it is plain false to say that one follows God just because. One does this with the foresight that at some point believing in God will benefit them.
DeleteI think that you are able to do something selflessly and for your own personal benefit. When you choose to follow God, you're reason goes out the window. You throw yourself into your religion and do your best to follow what he says. Yes there will be times your reason will come back and make you think twice but for the most part, your job is to follow your religion. I don't think it is selfish to want to the eternal life because it something a lot of people strive for. There is also a difference between expecting the after life and having faith that it exists. If you expect it, you're thinking selfishly and believing that all your hard work on Earth was only to achieve that goal. But doing the good deeds and having faith that it is there when it's you're time to go, shows that you believe in the person above. He is the one who you do the good deeds for. Not just as a ticket out of Hell.
ReplyDeleteIn our current society and culture today, we are in a constant struggle in striving to accomplish the things on our never-ending “To Do List” that we believe will ultimately make us happy or bring us happiness. For example, most people believe that a college degree will bring provide happiness, as a college degree can help one procure a job, and a job will allow the person to take care of his own needs, and when his needs are fully taken care of, he will become happy. This person is happy because he filled his life with activity in order to achieve a “final good.” With Mother Teresa, her final good comprised of giving love and care to the people in need. She prioritized other people, which hopefully made her happy in the end. I agree with Katie and Payal in that everything we do is directed towards our own benefits, whether it is directly or indirectly. Although I do agree that it is selfish to want eternal salvation, it doesn't hurt to hope for it.
ReplyDeleteI would refer to the story where a person goes to church and makes a large donation in expectation of receiving praise for the size of the donation and so does it for his or her "self interest." Then a different person quietly makes a donation of the spare change in his or her pocket, the only remaining money this person has. The story claims that the person who gave the smaller donation but in a selfless way is the one who truly understands charity and could be rewarded in the afterlife. This person simply wanted to express his or her faith and do whatever they could to donate and help others. I believe that true charity is the time when we put away our idea of self preservation in the name of helping those in need. If we do anything with even the slightest hint of anticipation of receiving something in return (eternal happiness or anything else) then it is not genuine. So we don't really know what any Saints thought but I would guess that they are able to put aside their own personal desires in a completely genuine fashion in the name of service.
ReplyDeleteDuring many homilies at Villanova, priests often suggest that we should hope and strive toward eternal salvation. I think this idea of hope implies, not self-interest, but humility. We are hoping to be received in the kingdom of heaven- not guaranteeing that we will enter and be saved. "Hope" implies that there's a level of uncertainty behind our thoughts. This level of uncertainty is soothed through faith. As we discussed in class, hope is a part of faith. If we believe that our good deeds are simply our one way ticket to heaven, then we are missing a very important point to salvation. It's not just our virtuous actions and pursuing a life like Jesus that will save us; it is also belief in God that is necessary. If we view our good deeds as a guarantee to heaven, then I would consider this a selfish notion of faith. Belief in God and another world is something that transcends any level of certainty; thus, we must rely on this hope as it is a large part of our faith.
ReplyDeleteThere is a difference between hoping for something and expecting it. Expecting a certain outcome or reward can lead to the morale and goodness being stripped from any good deed you take part in. However, it is is no way a bad thing to have hope. Hope is a driving factor in nearly all of our lives and without it how does one even move forward? I would think that such a God would want us to have hope in his promises. Also, it is simply a matter of logic and reasoning. If you are told A+B=C, there is nothing wrong in hoping for, borderline expecting, C if you combine A and B.
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