Aquinas and Happiness

Well I'm back. Back in the Grove, sitting on the second floor of the SAC marking papers with a blue highlighter trying to encourage myself to actually do some schoolwork, when all I really want to do is something other than schoolwork.

I'm working on a paper for Civilization, one of those great Humanities classes that GCC makes everyone take in order for them to have a well-rounded education. In talking to others and hearing about their papers it sounds like mine may be one of the harder ones that is required to be written. I have to take a reading from some great philosopher/theologian of old and analyze it searching for his answers to two of James Sire's seven questions that every worldview must answer.

At least by now its going better than it was the other day riding back from good old Massachusetts. I was sitting in the backseat of Uriah's car trying in vain to understand what I was reading. I had determined that perhaps I would do Aristotle's musing on the human soul as my reading to analyze, but wait, all Aristotle answered was one of the worldview questions. Sigh...well maybe Thomas Aquinas then. Nope, not him either. It was at that point I gave up for the day.

Of course as I sit here now I am actually highlighting Aquinas' work as when I read it later with a clearer mind I discovered he does, in fact, answer two of the worldview questions!! HOORAY!! Can you feel the sarcasm seeping through?

However, more importantly this reading points to the fact that the ultimate happiness of man consists in the contemplation and understanding of God. And you know what I don't believe that as much as I should. I mean I do believe it, but I put it on the backburner so often, especially over break trying to see all my friends, which is by no means a bad thing, and can be very spiritually uplifting. But what about all these times at college where I'll play Guitar Hero for another hour instead of seeking God and His truth, the only thing that can really bring happiness. I need to stop settling for anything other than the ultimate happiness of knowing God...because I certainly do more times than not.

Truth Elitism

Truth. What is it? Why are people so obsessed with finding it, or in many cases avoiding it? Why is the pursuit of truth and knowledge so central to mankind’s purpose on this earth? Truth is one of those words that when uttered can bring together or immediately tear apart. The funny thing is that often those people or organizations most interested in finding the truth also have the biggest divides internally because of battles over the so-called truth. Real truth should unite, yet it tears apart so often. However, this does not mean that truth does not exist as some would promote.

However, it is understandable how some people may prefer to believe there is no truth, when those who promote absolute values are at times incredibly arrogant about their intellectual superiority in finding truth. Truth does not give one a license to hold it over other’s heads in an elitism that can only be described as pompous and pedantic. Unfortunately, as I can attest this mentality so often seeps into life, especially it seems in the life of a Christian.

I know I’ve held my knowledge of the truth and my personal “piety” over others before. I’ve used it as a license to call myself better than the unchurched. But this mindset is not only damaging but blatantly un-Biblical. Jesus condemns those who hold their knowledge over people. In fact, he tells the Pharisees that they are hypocrites, and are filled with rotting flesh inside. Yet on the outside the Pharisees were the ones that knew everything, but the knowledge of their minds did not translate to their hearts and their treatment of other people.

Why is this truth elitism such a prominent outlook in Christian circles? Sometimes it seems so ingrained in the foundations of modern day church people fall into it and don’t even think about it. It isn’t even always related just to those who aren’t Christians, but also other denominations. Every denomination believes everything they hold as doctrine is 100% right and will fight to the death with the others for the right to call their opinions supreme. Why do we feel the need to know we possess all the truth? Why is it so hard to accept that possibly someone may believe something different and it is ok?

In America we are very prideful, and whether people like it, or want to admit it, this pride influences our entire outlook on life and religion to the point where we feel the need to be better than other countries and to show our superiority. Why do you think America so often meddles in other countries affairs? We think that we know everything and want everyone to conform to our political systems and beliefs, when we don’t even know anything about their culture. I feel like the church, especially the fundamentalists of yesterday, feels this same way. We try to reach people from our white-middle class perspective instead of caring about their struggles and their sub-culture and reaching them through that.

It all comes back to the belief that once we think we’ve found the black and white on sometimes obviously gray issues, we inscribe these beliefs in stone, like our own personal 500 Commandments, and if someone wants to follow Jesus they must meet these criteria. Jesus never did this, he ate with the tax collectors and prostitutes something the church always preaches about but rarely does in any capacity. The bible says in John 8:32, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” The truth has set us free, but why do we use it to capture people in our own dogmatic views? Before we were set free we were no better off than those that we now think we are better than.

People are intrinsically equal. God did not create some people better than others, in fact, it is quite the opposite. It says in the Bible that God is no respecter of persons, meaning he doesn’t care if know everything about the Bible and do nothing with it or if one person knows a lone verse of scripture and with that verse does great things. Who will God said has done more with what they’ve been given?

So clearly this truth elitism is something that is not only dangerous to the Christian’s view of the lost world, but also between other Christians who may not hold exactly the same views. How many times has one denomination refused to work with another one simply over things such as predestination and eternal security? What’s the point of that? News flash: we are all Christians and we should be united. Sadly this is not often the case.

So how do we remove this truth elitism from our lives? The simple answer is to recognize it and attempt to stop doing it. Some people don’t notice it and even if they do they enjoy the elevated feeling it creates over others. This view is damaging as well as not in keeping with the Christian walk. Everyone is equal and has the same chance to find the truth, so let’s start acting like it.