In a powerful scene from the 1982 film Gandhi, a young Mahatma Gandhi stands before a tense crowd of British officers and local Indian civilians at a public protest. Following an act of pure linguistic mastery and emotional evocation, the silence is broken by the locals’ loud cheers of encouragement at the words just now spoken by the political and spiritual leader. Faced by a crowd of varied faiths and religious views, Gandhi urges the angry and oppressed voices to abandon retaliation through violence and instead seek unity in peaceful resistance. “They will have my dead body,” he says, “but not my obedience.” To many, he was the epitome of righteousness and the closest degree to godliness that man could possibly achieve. In both India and …show more content…
She first begins with her understanding of what it means to be a moral saint. Wolf states that the life of a moral saint is defined by a complete and perfect commitment to morality such that any action a moral saint is engaged in is an action that is “as morally good as possible.” She continues to expand this definition of the moral saint by targeting more directly the person behind the action and claims that the moral saint himself/herself is as morally-driven and morally-dignified as possible. The basis for the undesirability of sainthood hinges on the elements of the definition that she provides. In a broader sense, Wolf believes that the moral saint is fully invested in the mission of complete self-devotion to morality through the betterment of society and the aid of others and this takes priority over all other aspects of life. The moral saint’s time on earth, therefore, becomes a valuable object that is constantly in short supply; it is a fleeting object that can only be rightly spent on actions along the moral path. This is where Wolf’s reasoning crystallizes into her main argument for the undesirability of sainthood. The moral saint’s life which is “dominated by a commitment to improving the welfare of others or of society as a whole” cannot possibly entertain any creative faculties of human …show more content…
She questions whether or not morality is a “suitable object of passion”; is it reasonable to completely commit oneself and one’s actions to the cause of morality? Wolf finds fault in such a commitment, claiming that the scope of mortality is far too limited to be made into a coveted purpose of life. Wolf claims that morality, in congruence with the core reasoning of her arguments, excludes various human interests. More succinctly, maximal devotion to morality is a misguided life commitment that fails to pay due to the significance of personal human desires. Once again, this argument echoes the central idea behind Wolf’s dissatisfaction with moral sainthood: a moral saint’s lifestyle lacks the drive for important human interests that allow mankind to truly excel and thus Wolf concludes that sainthood is not an attractive lifestyle for anyone to aspire
This demonstrates that although bishops search for honorable qualities in man, an improved system needs to be put in place for the appointment of bishops. Other bishops can provide untrustworthy accounts of candidates, which can lead to an incorrect appointment of bishops. Christianity needs a more fitting structure and Sidonius demonstrates that
St. Thomas concludes this section by reiterating a foundational component of Catholicism, namely, that man’s ultimate happiness is not to be found in an earthly city, but transcends the political community. This prudential doctrine clarifies and concretizes the positive and substantial, albeit limited, aim of the ruler, since “if this end could be attained by the power of human nature, then it would be necessary that the office of a king would have to include the direction of men to it. We are supposing that he is called king, to whom the supreme power of governing in human affairs is entrusted.” Man’s supernatural end is incapable of being fully actualized in this life; it can only be brought about by divine government and the outpouring of grace, which properly belongs to the ministry of the Catholic Church and its priests. In light of this integration and crucial distinction between the intrinsic and extrinsic finality of the polis, articulating the precise content of the common good and man’s ultimate happiness beyond this life, St. Thomas can provide concrete guidance for how the king can inculcate genuine virtue in his subjects.
Woodward, Kenneth L. Making Saints : How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn't, and Why. New York, NY : Simon & Schuster, 1996.
In chapter two, ‘Francis and His Companions,’ Cunningham exposes the considerable growth in Francis of Assisi’s influence, as he recounts his companions that joined him after deciding to live his life. The chapter is significant because it exposes how Francis of Assisi’s gospel is different from the orthodox Catholic practices, which recognized the pope, as the sole Vicar of Christ. (Cunningham 32). This chapter is important in my life because it reinforces my conviction God is the almighty and all-powerful, and all people regardless of the status of the needed to worship
From Thomas’ youth to his untimely death, he was God’s tool. Thomas hoped to keep the Church of England pure from outside influences, and today we strive to keep ourselves pure from the taints of sin. Thomas’ sainthood is an example for each person alive today to cease the day, and be the best version of yourself by presenting God’s love wherever you go. Thomas’ example and sacrifice are one of the thousandths that have and are going to lay down their lives for the Catholic faith. Their sacrifice is an official call for those of the to-day and sacrifice and find themselves within God and his people.
An Analysis of Matt Ridley’s The Origins of Virtue. Inwardly examining his own nature, man would prefer to see himself as a virtuously courageous being designed in the image of a divine supernatural force. Not to say that the true nature of man is a complete beast, he does possess, like many other creatures, admirable traits. As author Matt Ridley examines the nature of man in his work The Origins of Virtue, both the selfish and altruistic sides of man are explored.
Most religious systems contain an ethical component, typically one that has been revealed by a divine figure, to which their followers should adhere. Some, however, also include aspects that allow their followers to put aside ethics for certain actions. Religious authorities of the Christian Church often hail Abraham, the Father of Faith, as its perfect paragon, one to whom everybody should aspire to model. Kierkegaard classifies him as one living above the ethical, an inhabitant of the religious sphere who transcends the universal laws of ethics, a knight of faith, which he considers to be the best type of life. In this paper, I will argue that living an ethical life, in which one can still be faithful, is superior to trying to live a religious
Although Christianity has been disbanded from the law the sense of duty that he has to the children of Christ is what drives him to put aside his own eternal sin in order to relieve the suffering of others. As a Priest he has taken it upon himself to guide those in need and fight against the injustice of the world. Even as he was being lead to his capture the Priest is willing to help those who oppose him by hearing their confessions as well. Beneath the tough exterior that he has developed through years on the run from the law the Priest is a man who truly lives to serve those around him through his dedication to Priesthood. One of the most notable aspects of the Priest exists within the fact that even though he is so ridden with guilt over the fact that his soul is unable to be saved, he still finds the courage to comply with the spiritual requests of all those that call upon
Susan Wolf presents two different versions of the Moral Saint in order to show that a perfectly moral person does not live a desirable life. A saint is someone who lives a perfectly moral life according to a given ethical system, and “a necessary condition of moral sainthood would be that one’s life be dominated by a commitment to improving the welfare of others or of society as a whole” (Wolf). Is a Moral Saintliness even a humanly possible? Susan Wolf’s description of a Moral Saint is virtually a fictional being. The requirements, characteristics, and skills she attributes to being a Saint are impossible to obtain without also participating in activities Wolf deems nonmoral or inappropriate for a Saint to engage in. These nonmoral activities are essential building blocks to becoming the Moral Saint that Wolf wishes us to imagine. Human beings have psychological needs that Wolf does not consider or seem to understand. Wolf essentially creates a fallacy and then proceeds to argue against it. When you consider the Moral Saint that Wolf has created, and pair him with the moral dilemma of The Ring of Gyges, you will discover that Wolf’s version of a Moral Saints is not attainable, no matter how innate his moral goodness.
Even court life need not be washed completely of human sin and the natural instincts all animals rely on, for being godly, as Gawain is, should not be viewed as the primary characteristic of being moral. There should be a balance between humanity and godliness, similar to Aristotle's idea of a golden mean, that all these knights seek. By showing that knights should achieve this balance, the author extends his message to the common people, who look to knights as role models of morality. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight challenges the contemporary ideals of morality, presenting instead a golden mean that the common people would not have associated with their knightly role models before.
The Admonitions served as short exhortations to Francis of Assisi’s Franciscan brothers in order to persevere their vocations. By creating Admonitions, Francis revived the significant virtues of obedience, humility, and poverty; while each one is scripturally based, they also address the aspects of living a Christian life. Although the Admonitions contain only minor points, the cumulative effect on the Franciscans is substantial. In the world we live in today moral values and kindness to one’s neighbor are hard to come by. Franciscan or not, there can still be much to learn from the Admonitions.
In addition to recognizing their betrayal of God, they believe that a sacred life is the ultimate victory. The speaker confesses, “Yet dearly I love you and would be loved fain.”(ln.9) The priest also desires to love God above all, “He knew now at the end there was only one thing that counted – to be a saint.”(p.210)
We need a critique of moral values, the value of these values should itself, for once, be examined?. [What if] morality itself were to blame if man, as a species, never reached his highest potential power and splendour? [GM P 6]
Everyman, in its attempt to clearly depict the importance of man’s morality, focuses on a faith based on works, however; this focus is not on good deeds already obtained but on locating said deeds before proceeding to death. It would seem, then, that it is not necessary for Everyman to reflect on good deeds he has performed but that he find a way to acquire them quickly. Unlike the Protestant view, which bases religion on faith alone, Everyman noticeably centers on the Catholic religion that was prevalent during medieval times. Since illiteracy was a vast problem, Catholic religious leaders needed to get their message out to their followers. It was vital that these people become aware of the fate of their souls if they disregarded works. Everyman made it clear to all that saw it that without “good deeds” they had no way to heaven. It did not, however, require that these good deeds be performed over time but that they could be found, through “knowledge”, before death came.
Thomas suggests that this priestly life is metaphorically pictured in two distinct manners, one in the octave, the other in the sestet. Within the octave, Thomas believes that the chivalric terms suggest the first metaphorical picture: a religious man as a knight of Christ. He adds, further, that both the terminology and the picture itself have their source in the Jesuit handbook Spiritual Exercises.... ... middle of paper ...