Motives

[Suz21]

I don’t know if this has been covered before… but here’s something that has been bothering me recently.

Have u heard the saying- ‘There’s no such thing as an unselfish good deed’? Because you are really doing the good deed in order to get the satisfaction of knowing you’ve done something good. So it’s for you, not the other person.

Similarly, I’ve read a theory that says following Christianity (or any religion for that matter) is really a selfish act, because the real motivation is a selfish one- I want eternal pece, I want to get to heaven, I want the first place (therefore I will be a servant to all), I want peace… so my Christian love is really pretty self-centred in the end.

This theory says that loving ANYONE is generally selfish- like I love my family, because I want them to love me, or I get a good feeling from knowing I am doing something good.

Even the lines we use to draw people to God are generally- ‘this is the only place you will be truly happy’ or ‘you will get more than you give’ or ‘all your needs will be met’… atc.

Any thoughts?

 

[Nickkname]

Read the Pope’s encyclical Deus Est Cartias. It will help you better understand Christianity and love.

Deus Est Caritas: vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html

 

[Suz21]

Just a P.S. I KNOW there’s a hole in this argument… I just don’t get it. Yet.

To the P.P.- My question is WHY do we love God and our neighbour?

 

[Nickkname]

Because God commanded us to.

 

[fhansen]

I don’t know if this has been covered before… but here’s something that has been bothering me recently.

Have u heard the saying- ‘There’s no such thing as an unselfish good deed’? Because you are really doing the good deed in order to get the satisfaction of knowing you’ve done something good. So it’s for you, not the other person.

Similarly, I’ve read a theory that says following Christianity (or any religion for that matter) is really a selfish act, because the real motivation is a selfish one- I want eternal pece, I want to get to heaven, I want the first place (therefore I will be a servant to all), I want peace… so my Christian love is really pretty self-centred in the end.

This theory says that loving ANYONE is generally selfish- like I love my family, because I want them to love me, or I get a good feeling from knowing I am doing something good.

Even the lines we use to draw people to God are generally- ‘this is the only place you will be truly happy’ or ‘you will get more than you give’ or ‘all your needs will be met’… atc.

Any thoughts?

Our motives range from selfish to altruistic. God would have us be perfect in every way including to be perfect in love as He is, which means to be completely self-giving/self-denying. But, due to the fall, we fall short in that most important virtue.

The CCC says:
**In that sin [original sin] man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. **

I think it could be said that in the act of original sin man chose ego-or pride-over love. In any case, our faith teaches us the way back to God and love. This way back, initiated and made possible by Jesus’ life and death, involves the recognition of our imperfections and our cooperation with the grace of God to overcome them. It’s a process of conversion and transformation which takes place over time. Love is real and not always motivated by selfishness but most of us have far to go to be in complete obedience to the greatest commandment.

 

[Dragoro]

I don’t know if this has been covered before… but here’s something that has been bothering me recently.

Have u heard the saying- ‘There’s no such thing as an unselfish good deed’? Because you are really doing the good deed in order to get the satisfaction of knowing you’ve done something good. So it’s for you, not the other person.

Similarly, I’ve read a theory that says following Christianity (or any religion for that matter) is really a selfish act, because the real motivation is a selfish one- I want eternal pece, I want to get to heaven, I want the first place (therefore I will be a servant to all), I want peace… so my Christian love is really pretty self-centred in the end.

This theory says that loving ANYONE is generally selfish- like I love my family, because I want them to love me, or I get a good feeling from knowing I am doing something good.

Even the lines we use to draw people to God are generally- ‘this is the only place you will be truly happy’ or ‘you will get more than you give’ or ‘all your needs will be met’… atc.

Any thoughts?

Tell that to Mother Theresa (sp).

 

[Matt_Collins]

People who think like that know nothing of love.

I’ve heard that argument before, and invariably it’s been from someone who is bitter and curmudgeonly. We can’t know why any particular person is like that, but I suspect in almost all cases it’s because they’ve never felt truly loved by anyone. It is sad.

So the only argument against their thinking is the only argument there could be: to love them unconditionally and trust in God’s ability to slap some sense into them.

And as my signature suggests, taking them out for a good brew is a good start.

 

[nobeerinheaven]

I wish you were in the ethics class I just taught. We covered this view of “psychological egoism” and its arguments in great detail. Needless to say, the arguments for the view are not very good and as the view is unmotivated, there is good reason to reject it in favor of more intuitive understandings of human motivation.

 

[fhansen]

I wish you were in the ethics class I just taught. We covered this view of “psychological egoism” and its arguments in great detail. Needless to say, the arguments for the view are not very good and as the view is unmotivated, there is good reason to reject it in favor of more intuitive understandings of human motivation.

I’m curious. What is psychological egoism?