I've been thinking a lot on the Catholic perspectives on happiness and suffering lately but I am not completely certain they align with the dogma. Take this post with a grain of salt, as the Catholic faith in general expects us to be more than human, and indeed their utopia is not possible on this earth, at least until the second coming when most of us are done away with. I have compiled this thought process from all I have taken in through growing up in a strict Catholic environment.
It starts with this basic thought, one that most non-sadistic people in the world have had, that "everyone would be happy and not suffering." Sounds great right? Wow, I have compassion and feelings, I don't want others to be in pain! Whoopdidoo. Its a great feeling and belief, and I hope everyone has it, but there is another ingredient that is often forgotten or unknown, and without acknowledging it, one may actually be missing an important facet of understanding existence itself according to Christianity.
Basically, God wants us to be in Heaven.... yet, we must suffer to get there! Why?.. because otherwise we wouldn't have achieved anything or have anything to appreciate. If bliss was all we knew, it would not be bliss... it would be normal. If we began as gods, we would not be gods. You may be confused. I agree, this is not an easy matter to understand.
Since humans must suffer to reach Heaven, then should we desire them to suffer? No... but we should acknowledge it is an essential step in one's spiritual journey and pray for them. Through only suffering can one become greater than before. There are many lessons to be learned through suffering, and very few through happiness.
To desire happiness is a basic human instinct. To escape suffering is also a basic human instinct. Yet, humans are animals. God wants us to be more than animals. We must deny our instincts, we must take the path of greatest resistance, we must defy nature itself. This lesson applies to many sins, and a great example would be controlling the natural sexual urge. We must be more than bonobos, as fun as being a bonobo sounds. Get it?
I feel like this is pretty spot on teaching of the Catholic faith. But I fail as a human according to these standards. Even though I understand the aforementioned teachings, as well as the laws of morality, I cannot get myself to practice them to the extent necessary to achieve eternal life according to the Christian standard. I am just a human, an animal, nothing more, and perhaps I may never be.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
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This is exactly the problem with catholic school. You've had it engrained in your head that you are a sub-par human being, an abomination in the world that God created for you. This kind of thinking is enough to cause a slow deterioration of anyone's mental stability, although I think that's what the church was going for, because then people are too terrified to break away. The catholic "utopia" isn't a utopia at all; it's a brainless void where mental retardation is encouraged and anyone with a spine is crushed under the fist of a domineering authority.
ReplyDeleteWhat have I learned from the catholic faith? That God is "loving" and "forgiving", but if you screw up you will not be loved or forgiven. It seems there is no such thing as forgiveness in the catholic church. Who says suffering is what gets you into Heaven? There are plently of suffering people who, according to the church, are going to Hell for even more suffering. So what's the point? What was the point of ever being conceived and ever being born? My understanding of the catholic teaching is that we were created with the sole purpose of suffering, dying, and then spending an eterinity in misery to pay for the things we never understood while we were on earth because all the guidance we ever had was corrupt.
But you know, you're probably right. And I guess that puts you in a good position, since the catholic church has clearly made you suffer far more than it has ever made you happy.
>>Even though I understand the aforementioned teachings, as well as the laws of morality, I cannot get myself to practice them to the extent necessary to achieve eternal life according to the Christian standard. <<
ReplyDeleteThis echoes strongly of St. Augustine; he famously prayed "Grant me chastity, but not yet". You may have read his "Confessions"?
The only missing aspect I see in yr post is this: joy and suffering are supposed to comingle in Christianity. The "suffering servant" in Isaiah points to the Christ, who Christians see as the ultimate example of heavenly bliss as well as earthly torment. A modern day example is Mother Teresa, who in any interview would seem more joyful than you or I, though she suffered extreme workloads and emotional dread daily. Some call this the Paradox of the Cross, and it is this very concept that would cause many to not accept Christianity.
The utopia does not exist on earth; this should appeal to us seeing a planet and friends and lives as messed up as we have. We do not, and should not try to create it here...
I agree that many churches and schools have taught that freedom and exploration damn you, or that you should simply endure on earth to receive a heavenly reward. Both are wrong. We must continue to strive to better each other and our world without control and without forgetting that there is a better home after death.
True Christianity emphasizes the positive rather than the negative. It’s unfortunate that many of us have been exposed to people who teach otherwise. However, it’s true that there are negative and unfortunate things in our lives, such as suffering; that is part of the human condition. The Church recognizes that fact and also the fact that no one is perfect and that no one will ever be perfect in this life; accordingly, it gives us the tools to better ourselves. It recognizes that we need forgiveness and emphasizes forgiveness, as did Jesus. That’s why it has elevated forgiveness to a sacrament, the only religion that I know of to have done so. We try, we fail, we are sorry, we are forgiven. We try again, we fail again, we are sorry again, and we are forgiven again. This can go on and on, but sooner or later we should have positive results. The old saying “Saints are sinners that keep on trying,” sometimes attributed to Mother Teresa, is likely true. However, it is important to not dwell too much on the process of trying, but instead to focus on loving God and loving other people in our lives, being good to other people (and to animals too); that is the essence of Christianity. In doing so we hopefully dwell on the positive rather than on our difficulties, our failures, and our sufferings. The Church is trying to bring people up, not to beat people down!
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