Summary of text [comment] pages 65 and 66
[What happens when I make myself into “a slave to my attitude of moral superiority and to my spiritual and material pleasures”?
Freedom turns into “the very opposite of freedom”.
“The very opposite of freedom” is “to enslave oneself to a thinkgroup in order to indulge oneself”.]
[In both these cases, Person A sees ‘himself’ as ‘his’ own possession.
Person A is free. Person A is free to sell out ‘his’ own freedom. Person A is willing to become a slave (or perhaps, a master) of a thinkgroup in order to be “holier than thou” with respect to Person B (and others). ‘
And that comes with a bonus: It turns ‘him’ on.
Consciencelacking indirectly unmoors the dispositions.
Consciencelacking indirectly turns responsibility and freedom into words and bondage.
Does this not call to mind the term “self destruction”?
The elegant sophistries and the addicting perversities of sin testify to the fact that each person realizes ‘his’ freedom in individual ways.
Unearned moral superiority carries the pleasures of high status.]
[Let me take this one step further.
If Person A were disposed to other, more kinky options, ‘he’ could see Person B as “a perverted instrument of a higher power”.
In this case, Person B may be portrayed as “a bad one”. This carries the implication is that B’s (apparent) haughtiness is driven by pleasure, in particular, the pleasure of victimizing others.
Is Person A addicted to ‘his’ habituated emotions concerning ‘his’ rightfulness?
Does Person A project ‘his’ own addiction onto Person B?
If so, Person A accuses Person B of precisely “what Person A longs to do” but cannot publicize it. Person A wants to take pleasure in hurting a bad one.
By making an innocent suggestion, Person B has targeted ‘himself’.
Person A has identified Person B as a bad one.]
[Consider this scenario:
Person A privately tells you that Person B acts “holier than thou”.
What should you think?
Obviously, if you did not witness the event that A claims to have occurred, then the answer must be a guess.
What if Person B said something judgmental, but in the humble way of suggestion?
What does A’s comment imply?
Well, Person A may be projecting ‘his’ own attitude of moral superiority onto Person B, interpreting B’s humility as haughtiness. Person A feels anger and imagines it to be an expression of B.
To A, B has acted how A would act, if given the opportunity.
In this case, A projects ‘his’ own character onto B.]
[Consider the surface appeal of thinkgroup.
Thinkgroup indirectly appeals to certain dispositions, as much as conscience. The “holier than thou” attitude, which marks a true believer in a thinkgroup, habituates ‘his’ dispositions and reveals a conscience lacking in freedom.
This “holier than thou” attitude may belong to the conscience, but it rewards the dispositions. The “holier than thou” attitude stimulates anger, resentment, loathing, fear, and camaraderie. It resonates with a “moral equivalent of war” feeling. Some people revel in these emotions.]
Summary of text [comment] pages 65 and 66
Schoonenberg next took up a traditional theological argument.
Sin strives towards self-destruction.
Perhaps, that statement is not sufficient. Sin renders its denial of God in positive action. Sin expresses a self-affirmation. Sin posits one’s own freedom to destroy oneself.
Summary of text [comment] page 65
[Schoonenberg’s questions are revealing.
Schoonenberg needed the categorical structure of the nested form.
Why?
He did not have a model for relating values and sinful action. For example:
Thinkgroup3V(sin2V (consciencelacking1V))
This nested form claims that “values put human actions into a normal context”.
Sin (as action) situates “a potential, a conscience, that is the true locus of the damage rendered by bad values”.
“The conscience” is where “values are used as guides for human action”.]
Summary of text [comment] page 65
Sins do uncounted harm. Are we bent on destroying ourselves? Is the deepest damage the demise of values?
Sins are actions that damage people and things. Do they also damage values?
What is the difference between act and value?
What is the nature of sin? How does it operate?
How do death, loneliness, and anxiety follow the turning away from God?
Does the sinner lose himself because ‘he’ loses God?
Does ‘he’ destroy ‘himself’ because ‘he’ turns from God?
Summary of text [comment] page 64
[That is enough about indulgences. The wordplay has been fun.]
The punishment of sin coincides with the sin. Even though the person is not defined by the sin, the punishment imprisons ‘him’ and brings about ‘his’ death.
[This coincides with the habituation of thinkgroup3V(sin2V (consciencelacking1V)).]
Summary of text [comment] page 64
[How about the following idea for hope and change?
Let us replace our Progressive, manipulative, disempowering and variable income tax for a 20% mandatory tithe (to whoever the tithe payer chooses to give, restricted to secular and religious institutions meeting local (state, not national) approval, and published for all to see,), plus 5% for federal government’s basic mandates of military defense, plus criminal and civil judiciaries.
Let the people vote with their own dollars.]
