Anyone Else Like Existentialism?

[Kia ora]

[quote name='fides' Jack' timestamp='1336501956' post='2428737']
Existentialism, in my opinion, is an idea started by the devil in order to help people get to hell faster. Anything that places, or seems to place, the source of goodness or truth in ourselves, should be avoided like the plague.
[/quote]

Kierkegaard would say that there is only one source of goodness and truth, which is God. And any goodness that exists in man owes itself to God, one way or another. However, while affirming the existence of a Truth, he thinks that it is only when the individual incorporates that Truth into one's life, so that it becomes his/her truth, that the Truth becomes meaningful, purposeful and life-fulfilling. What does it matter that a Christian believes God exists, if the Christian does not live like he/she believes it? Forget whether that person is saved or not based on 'faith' alone. One's future fate recedes into the background, insomuch as one's present orientation to God is all-important. You can't claim to love God if you don't love God now.

I don't think this is a harmful idea at all. Intellectual assent or belief is easy. Intellectual assent or belief as lived existential experience is harder.

Edited May 9, 2012 by Kia ora

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='Kia ora' timestamp='1336527746' post='2428949']
Kierkegaard would say that there is only one source of goodness and truth, which is God. And any goodness that exists in man owes itself to God, one way or another. However, while affirming the existence of a Truth, he thinks that it is only when the individual incorporates that Truth into one's life, so that it becomes his/her truth, that the Truth becomes meaningful, purposeful and life-fulfilling. What does it matter that a Christian believes God exists, if the Christian does not live like he/she believes it? Forget whether that person is saved or not based on 'faith' alone. One's future fate recedes into the background, insomuch as one's present orientation to God is all-important. You can't claim to love God if you don't love God now.

I don't think this is a harmful idea at all. Intellectual assent or belief is easy. Intellectual assent or belief as lived existential experience is harder.
[/quote]

or as Mikolbe's tags says "[i]Neo[/i][font=arial, sans-serif][size=1], [/size][/font][i]sooner or later you[/i][font=arial, sans-serif][size=1]'[/size][/font][i]re going to realize just as I did that there's a difference between knowing the path[/i][font=arial, sans-serif][size=1] and [/size][/font][i]walking the[/i][font=arial, sans-serif][size=1][i][size=4] path.[/size][/i] "[/size][/font]



[size=4][font=arial, sans-serif]and as in James 2: [/font][/size]15 And if a brother or sister be naked, and want daily food:
16 And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit?
17 So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.
18 But some man will say: Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without works; and I will shew thee, by works, my faith.
19 Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

[Groo the Wanderer]

OOHHHM


OOHHHM


Daylight come and me wan go OOHHHM




couldn;t resist...

[fides' Jack]

[quote name='Kia ora' timestamp='1336527746' post='2428949']
Kierkegaard would say that there is only one source of goodness and truth, which is God. And any goodness that exists in man owes itself to God, one way or another. However, while affirming the existence of a Truth, he thinks that it is only when the individual incorporates that Truth into one's life, so that it becomes his/her truth, that the Truth becomes meaningful, purposeful and life-fulfilling. What does it matter that a Christian believes God exists, if the Christian does not live like he/she believes it? Forget whether that person is saved or not based on 'faith' alone. One's future fate recedes into the background, insomuch as one's present orientation to God is all-important. You can't claim to love God if you don't love God now.

I don't think this is a harmful idea at all. Intellectual assent or belief is easy. Intellectual assent or belief as lived existential experience is harder.
[/quote]

Well, I'm sure you're right. I only know (or thought I knew) the basic idea behind existentialism.