What exactly is self righteousness

[CRATUS]

Is it not feeling pity for foolish people? Like when people make irrational choices that ruin their lives or cause problems. A lot of issues are quite preventable if people thought their issues and we’re not ruled by their emotions. Like believing stupid people deserve to be taken advantage of. I think people should think through their choices. When does holding people accountable venture into victim blaming?
Or justifying revenge because you believe the other person deserved it.

 

[fhansen]

Human self-righteousness is directly related to pride- an inordinate desire or view of one’s own excellence, an over-estimation of one’s own worth, to roughly quote Aquinas. But from that position all kinds of thoughts and behavior can be justified in our minds, from gossiping to lying to stealing to taking revenge for some perceived wrong, to beheading “infidels”.

To ‘prefer ourselves to God’ (an aspect of Adam’s basic original sin according to the catechism, is to simultaneously prefer the *truth *to be what we like; Adam’s sin of disobedience began with believing a lie over the truth, by believing the serpent over God. This set him apart from and above God for all practical purposes in terms of authority over his own morality-and this is the essence of pride. But while ushering in the New Covenant when the time was ripe in history Jesus reveals that apart from Him (from communion with God), we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Humility is part and parcel of faith, hope, and charity, which is why it’s so highly exalted and takes such a central role in the gospels. It, humility, is what none of us have enough of. Pride opposes humility, and God opposes the proud according to Scripture. And it, humility, is what Jesus demonstrated throughout His life but most especially on the cross: God is, amazingly, humble, while, when we “play God”, we’re generally just the opposite.

Human pride/self-righteousness is an ugly thing which resides behind every sin in one way or another. Humility before God and union with Him is the answer; love blossoms as a result and sin becomes excluded by its nature. “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself.” That’s the goal for all of us, with the purpose of our righteousness being God-based, as it was always meant to be, rather than man-based with self-righteousness being the outcome.

 

[angell1]

Is it not feeling pity for foolish people? Like when people make irrational choices that ruin their lives or cause problems. A lot of issues are quite preventable if people thought their issues and we’re not ruled by their emotions. Like believing stupid people deserve to be taken advantage of. I think people should think through their choices. When does holding people accountable venture into victim blaming?
Or justifying revenge because you believe the other person deserved it.

thinking that we are better than everybody else. yes, people should be held accountable for their actions. but we shouldn’t act like that they are somehow a different class of people and we would never commit those same sins.

we must humbly recognize that we, for the most part, are in the same position as them and if we didn’t commit that particular sin, then it’s by the grace of God. and there are plenty of things we do wrong that others don’t.

we are all in a different place on our journey with God so we shouldn’t compare ourselves with others and point out all the things we think they are doing that are stupid

 

[Mary_Estelle]

“I’m right-your wrong…too bad, so sad”
Everyone makes mistakes. We don’t always have the option of a “do over.” We do have the option of not being judgmental. Not all mistakes or missteps are self inflicted. You will figure this out as time goes on and you become older and wiser. Peace.

 

[CB_Catholic]

Whenever we are tempted to feel self-righteous because of the behavior of others, it is always good to say to oneself “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” That usually provides a good perspective on things.

Any one of us, at any time, can slip into sin and poor behavior. To deny that is foolish and prideful.

 

[friardchips]

Is it not feeling pity for foolish people? Like when people make irrational choices that ruin their lives or cause problems. A lot of issues are quite preventable if people thought their issues and we’re not ruled by their emotions. Like believing stupid people deserve to be taken advantage of. I think people should think through their choices. When does holding people accountable venture into victim blaming?
Or justifying revenge because you believe the other person deserved it.

I think it could be simplified into meaning that one forgets that it is God who made the righteous righteous rather than one’s own superiority; and the consequential traits, therefore.

 

[Roseeurekacross]

saying people are stupid… foolish…saying anyone deserves revenge

 

[pianistclare]

Writing about other people’s faults.
Or rather, perceived faults.

 

[friardchips]

One consequential trait might be when people think they know better than the teachings of the Church and her Saints.

 

[oldgraymare2]

“I’m right-your wrong…too bad, so sad”
Everyone makes mistakes. We don’t always have the option of a “do over.” We do have the option of not being judgmental. **Not all mistakes or missteps are self inflicted. ** You will figure this out as time goes on and you become older and wiser. Peace.

I agree with your post, Mary Estelle.

Nicely said.

I especially think that sometimes things can happen to us as a result of someone else’s sins or mistakes. I’ve experienced that, myself. Then, we have to go through the process of having to deal with that and trying to see if we can try and straighten that situation out for ourselves, if possible.

We don’t always know what someone else may be going through in their lives, and it can hurt to be judged unfairly by someone else.

I am stating this in general, and this is not a comment directed to anyone on this thread.

I am just speaking from my own personal experiences, and what has happened to me in my own life.

 

[oldgraymare2]

Is it not feeling pity for foolish people? Like when people make irrational choices that ruin their lives or cause problems. A lot of issues are quite preventable if people thought their issues and we’re not ruled by their emotions. Like believing stupid people deserve to be taken advantage of. I think people should think through their choices. When does holding people accountable venture into victim blaming?
Or justifying revenge because you believe the other person deserved it.

To act in a self-righteous manner towards another person would be to act in a way that would be superior than them.

A person would be thinking that their thoughts and ways of thinking and doing something are better than the other person’s ways of thinking or doing things.

As fhansen already mentioned, it’s related to pride.

In a way, I personally think that it’s a way of also being smug towards someone, as I think that it can also be seen as a way of thinking or telling someone basically in a way that, “I know better than you do, so I’m going to tell you how to conduct yourself/how to think, since you don’t seem to know how to do it/figure it out.”

I think that it can be seen that way, and can also come across as a form of a condescending attitude towards another person, where one might also hear another person say, “Ohhh, I would never do that kind of behavior, or I would never act like that,” and so on.

 

[CRATUS]

Writing about other people’s faults.
Or rather, perceived faults.

Oh God, true enough.