If you would amend that to “be careful not to draw TOO MUCH pleasure” I would agree. But I get a lot of pleasure out of nature, music, art and some people. The key is to know that they are existing in a quickly passing world, and are temporal pleasures. But evil pleasures are a different matter entirely.We live in a world of good and evil. We are free to choose where we get our vitality from–from good or from evil. The choice is ours, but discerning which spirit is good and which is evil is not always easy. My advice is to be careful not to draw pleasure from the material things of this passing world!
Note that I said material things.If you would amend that to “be careful not to draw TOO MUCH pleasure” I would agree. But I get a lot of pleasure out of nature, music, art and some people. The key is to know that they are existing in a quickly passing world, and are temporal pleasures. But evil pleasures are a different matter entirely.
These are more of natural things rather than material possessions.If you would amend that to “be careful not to draw TOO MUCH pleasure” I would agree. But I get a lot of pleasure out of nature, music, art and some people. The key is to know that they are existing in a quickly passing world, and are temporal pleasures. But evil pleasures are a different matter entirely.
Nature is material, trees, rocks, animals. He didn’t say material possessions, he said things.These are more of natural things rather than material possessions.
What sort of material things are you talking about? Are you talking about possessions? If so what sort of possessions are evil? I don’t think of things being good or evil.Note that I said material things.
These things are materials but not materialistic. totally different thing.Nature is material, trees, rocks, animals. He didn’t say material possessions, he said things.
I think we all need to think these things out for ourselves, but I see the materialistic world as being highly problematic. However, I too enjoy music and I have a really good audio system that I sometimes wonder if it’s a vice for me. Being single, I also feel that sex is evil for me.These things are materials but not materialistic. totally different thing.
So I shouldn’t take pleasure in sipping my organic fair trade tea? Bummer.We live in a world of good and evil. We are free to choose where we get our vitality from–from good or from evil. The choice is ours, but discerning which spirit is good and which is evil is not always easy. My advice is to be careful not to draw pleasure from the material things of this passing world!
Did you bother to read my post above?So I shouldn’t take pleasure in sipping my organic fair trade tea? Bummer.
Yes Robert, what you are talking about is sex, not materialism. You need to separate sex from material things. I agree that sex can lead to evil things. But music? I doubt it.I think we all need to think these things out for ourselves, but I see the materialistic world as being highly problematic. However, I too enjoy music and I have a really good audio system that I sometimes wonder if it’s a vice for me. Being single, I also feel that sex is evil for me.
I was responding to an earlier post, which I quote, so it should have been obvious that’s what I was addressing (it is also ‘above’ as are several others posts from you).Did you bother to read my post above?
I would not consider it a problem unless somehow it interfered with your gaining higher-ordered values, like your love for God, the way lust or greed could for example.I was responding to an earlier post, which I quote, so it should have been obvious that’s what I was addressing (it is also ‘above’ as are several others posts from you).
Would you consider my enjoyment of tea to be on a lower or higher order? From what you’re saying, it’s ‘lower’ and I should be sipping plain water and only focusing on higher ‘gifts’. . .