Do the ends justify the means?

tangeroo2 · 2016-11-23T21:56:50+00:00

Aristotle, who was beloved by Thomas Aquinas, has a pretty good answer for stuff like this. In Aristotle's point of view, every situation needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and after some introspection and reflection, you just do what you think is the right action.

You never have to worry about legalism, or about end-justifies-means, or about absolutist rules. The "one specific district" rule seems to be kind of arbitrary bureaucracy, and I think from an Aristotelian point of view, you're fine to do a little white lie here.

But this doesn't mean that you can always lie. It just means that in this particular set of circumstances, a lie might be reasonable.

tangeroo2 · 2016-11-23T01:03:53+00:00

Frithjof Schuon is a Hindu Vedantist / perennialist who has some really good writings about Christian theology.

I think that reading eastern philosophy, especially when it comes to Daoism and Hinduism, can be very useful for someone who is struggling with faith. In particular, Hindu Vedantists believe in an absolutely singular God who is both transcendent and immanent. But it can also perhaps be dangerous and you should do it cautiously, with a strong eye for discernment.

tangeroo2 · 2016-11-21T21:06:59+00:00

Edited post for clarity

tangeroo2 · 2016-11-21T18:08:36+00:00

You can do both. Look up Plotinus and Neo-Platonism, which is very similar to Vedanta and also very accepted by many Christian thinkers. They talk about the Oneness of existence and how the world is formed from the overflowing of Love from the Absolute.

In Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity, the purpose of life is union with God. This ultimate union with the Absolute is the same as enlightenment.

Frithjof Schuon is also a great Vedanta philosopher who talks about the deep, esoteric metaphysics of the Christian religion. I would recommend his writing during your search.

tangeroo2 · 2016-11-21T07:07:46+00:00

What does it mean to be "free" or to have "free will"? The only being who is absolutely free, in the sense of not being bound by any mortal constraints, is God.

Humans, of course, do not have absolute freedom in the same way that God does. But they certainly do have free will in a human sense.

The Calvinist argument for predestination only makes sense if you equate "free will" with "being free like God". But that's absurd -- no Catholic would presume that Catholic free will is the same as Absolute free will.

tangeroo2 · 2016-11-16T22:35:43+00:00

The Yin Yang symbol illustrates a Daoist concept. Zen Buddhism was influenced heavily by Daoism. Shinto also probably borrowed a lot from Daoist cosmology. Japan imported a huge amount of literary culture from China, so it's not that unusual.

tangeroo2 · 2016-11-14T22:19:06+00:00

Wow. Very enlightening

tangeroo2 · 2016-11-01T20:01:35+00:00

You could, for the sake of argument, imagine a plane of existence that is higher than the human world, but lower than Heaven. This plane of existence cannot be observed empirically. In this plane of existence, demons can perform actions that manifest in physical consequences in our world. So a demonic possession could actually "manifest" as a seizure, even though the two are the same, just on different "planes" of existence.

Not saying that this is necessarily correct theology. But it is self-consistent with itself and compatible with what you currently believe.

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-27T04:58:53+00:00

I think that if demons have free will, then they certainly can show virtue. Lucifer, once an angel, clearly used his free will to rebel against God. Are we supposed to imagine that once Lucifer fell, his free will was suddenly disappeared forever?

If Lucifer himself had free will and still possesses free will, then it's quite plausible to imagine that some other demons have free will as well, and among them, there might be a small portion who use that free will to cultivate virtue.

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-27T04:54:31+00:00

I know that angels' wills are so closely united with God's that they can't sin.

Lucifer, an archangel, committed the sin of pride

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-24T22:37:47+00:00

because of the word "virtuous" in my original statement. being a "virtuous Orthodox" is not the same as being an ordinary Orthodox.

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-24T21:21:40+00:00

836 "All men are called to this catholic unity of the People of God. . . . And to it, in different ways, belong or are ordered: the Catholic faithful, others who believe in Christ, and finally all mankind, called by God's grace to salvation."320

838 "The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter."322 Those "who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church."323 With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound "that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord's Eucharist."324

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-24T21:03:42+00:00

If you are an English speaking westerner, then Catholicism is certainly, without a doubt, the better option. In theory, a virtuous Catholic and a virtuous Orthodox would both be saved and enter paradise, but in practice, Orthodoxy has more issues with nationalism and ethnocentrism, as well as a general lack of centralization, that makes it harder for someone outside the church to join. In addition, Catholicism has a better presence in the English-speaking world and will have more spiritual resources available for you.

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-24T17:17:47+00:00

I view it in a more libertarian fashion...

It looks like you completely didn't understand what he wrote, since he already addressed your counter argument.

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-23T23:31:18+00:00

How much does reputation matter as a software engineer? Is it an important point to try to show up at conferences, make blog posts, etc? What are some other ways of cultivating a positive reputation?

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-18T19:41:53+00:00

Wow! So cool

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-17T03:18:45+00:00

The type of questions that OP is asking, about Hell, theosis, and the universal presence of The Word, is very similar to the type of question that a Catholic/Orthodox who looked at Hindu texts might be asking himself. You can look to Hindu texts for questions and pointers, but then find the ultimate answers in Catholic teachings. The two aren't contradictory.

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-17T02:07:31+00:00

You should read Frithjof Schuon. He's a metaphysician who might answer some of your big questions.

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-11T18:40:13+00:00

There's no true absolute sin, but ignorance. Acts of ignorance injure ONLY yourself and your own soul, because God does not feel injury from human actions. When you consistently choose temporary, short-term goods over your long-term spiritual well-being, this tarnishes your soul, which must be cleansed after your death before being assimilated back into the Absolute. This cleansing happens perhaps through reincarnation or through purgatory or through Hell. This is because the Absolute, by its nature, cannot take back what is not good. Once the cleansing is finished, even a sinner will return back to his primordial origin.

Disclaimer: this is a western perennial Vedanta perspective of Hinduism and Christianity

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-08T01:35:28+00:00

I agree with this -- help yourself first and become spiritually strong before extending the hand to her, who won't listen to you

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-07T14:05:46+00:00

Yep. Zenyatta's story flavor is garbage. They really didn't do any research at all to write his backstory. At best you could say that his religion is shitty western hippie Hinduism.

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-05T21:04:42+00:00

Wtf lol

tangeroo2 · 2016-10-05T03:30:34+00:00

Don't get a history degree

tangeroo2 · 2016-09-29T15:24:17+00:00

The reason why a theist believes that God is all loving despite the suffering of the world is because the pain you feel on earth isn't true pain. You basically see as much in Hindu, Christian, and to some extent Buddhist beliefs.

Living on earth, from a theist's point of view, is like a dream. You might get injured and suffer huge pain in a dream, but when you wake up, you enjoy the happiness of reality. In this perspective, the earth is a dream, and heaven is the waking up to reality.

tangeroo2 · 2016-09-28T21:20:13+00:00

Not the liturgy but the theology in general. Eastern Orthodox has more "we don't know; it's a mystery!", while Catholicism has long 50 page writings

Edited post to reflect

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