Not if we are convinced of the truth of the Beatitudes and, above all, of God’s love for everyone so clearly demonstrated by Our Lord. Then we see evil in its true perspective.Isn’t this enough to cause people to become genuinely angry, and incapable of true happiness?
Speaking for myself, I feel outrage! Not sure how people repress this anger, except turning a blind eye to these atrocities.Not if we are convinced of the truth of the Beatitudes and, above all, of God’s love for everyone so clearly demonstrated by Our Lord. Then we see evil in its true perspective.
I guess it is because we see things and respond differently.Speaking for myself, I feel outrage! Not sure how people repress this anger, except turning a blind eye to these atrocities.
There is no point in losing our temper if we can do nothing to prevent atrocities. Jesus wasn’t just enraged by the exploitation of the poor He condemned the Pharisees and drove the traders out of the Temple. Yet when He was helpless on the Cross He forgave His enemies and prayed for them. We too have to act according to the circumstances instead of wasting our energy continually lamenting the horrific reality of evil. There is a time and a place for everything. We should do what we can and leave the rest to Providence.Speaking for myself, I feel outrage! Not sure how people repress this anger, except turning a blind eye to these atrocities.
Perhaps if more people felt outrage something might be done to prevent this starvation. To remain calm and cool is to shrug these atrocities off and have them persist as they have been.There is no point in losing our temper if we can do nothing to prevent atrocities. Jesus wasn’t just enraged by the exploitation of the poor He condemned the Pharisees and drove the traders out of the Temple. Yet when He was helpless on the Cross He forgave His enemies and prayed for them. We too have to act according to the circumstances instead of wasting our energy continually lamenting the horrific reality of evil. There is a time and a place for everything. We should do what we can and leave the rest to Providence.
You have not addressed my points, Robert. We should do what we can and leave the rest to Providence. There is a limit to what we can do to help starving children but there are others we can help in less dramatic ways. We have to be realistic and do something practical instead of wondering whether it is right to be happy living in a world where is so much suffering. Actions speak louder than words.There is no point in losing our temper if we can do nothing to prevent atrocities. Jesus wasn’t just enraged by the exploitation of the poor He condemned the Pharisees and drove the traders out of the Temple. Yet when He was helpless on the Cross He forgave His enemies and prayed for them. We too have to act according to the circumstances instead of wasting our energy continually lamenting the horrific reality of evil. There is a time and a place for everything. We should do what we can and leave the rest to Providence.
How much good can we do if we are miserable like Puritans?
How can knowing about 9,500 children dying of starvation each day not evoke a sense of outrage!?! Are these onlookers not human!?! Is this the type of world you can feel happy in!?!You have not addressed my points, Robert. We should do what we can and leave the rest to Providence. There is a limit to what we can do to help starving children but there are others we can help in less dramatic ways. We have to be realistic and do something practical instead of wondering whether it is right to be happy living in a world where is so much suffering. Actions speak louder than words.
How much good can we do if we are miserable like Puritans?
There is a difference between being outraged and being miserable, i.e. having a negative attitude to life. We should do what we can and leave the rest to Providence. There is a limit to what we can do to help starving children but there are others we can help in less dramatic ways. We have to be realistic and do something practical instead of wondering whether it is right to be happy living in a world where is so much suffering. Actions speak louder than words.How can knowing about 9,500 children dying of starvation each day not evoke a sense of outrage!?! Are these onlookers not human!?! Is this the type of world you can feel happy in!?!
I NEVER implied that we should be miserable. Indeed, I mentioned in several posts that we should be joyful as Christians in focusing our attention on the Hereafter. It’s perfectly possible to feel great sadness towards the awful plight of others while maintaining this joy within our hearts.There is a difference between being outraged and being miserable, i.e. having a negative attitude to life. We should do what we can and leave the rest to Providence. There is a limit to what we can do to help starving children but there are others we can help in less dramatic ways. We have to be realistic and do something practical instead of wondering whether it is right to be happy living in a world where is so much suffering. Actions speak louder than words.
How much good can we do if we are like Puritans?
What exactly did I decide? All I did was quote two sources and ask a few questions.That is not for you to decide
If we focus most of our attention on the Hereafter we neglect the plight of those in the here and now…I NEVER implied that we should be miserable. Indeed, I mentioned in several posts that we should be joyful as Christians in focusing our attention on the Hereafter. It’s perfectly possible to feel great sadness towards the awful plight of others while maintaining this joy within our hearts.
No. Just speaking for myself, I feel a great sadness when it comes to the starvation of innocent children, but great joy when I think about the Hereafter. It may be true that you are not able to feel sadness and joy simultaneously (something I think I can do), but there’s plenty enough time in the day to give each their fill.If we focus most of our attention on the Hereafter we neglect the plight of those in the here and now…
Our lives should consist of actions as well as emotions. Writing, signing petitions and joining pressure groups are practical ways of helping to reduce the misery in the world.No. Just speaking for myself, I feel a great sadness when it comes to the starvation of innocent children, but great joy when I think about the Hereafter. It may be true that you are not able to feel sadness and joy simultaneously (something I think I can do), but there’s plenty enough time in the day to give each their fill.
(The evidence for our being able to feel mixed negative and positive emotions is mixed. Here’s one study that suggests it’s possible: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21707144)