My grandparents ? They took in 5 jewish people during the occupation. They
contribute more than 30 % of their (small) income to charity. And they did
this out of a conviction that their good fortune had to be shared with
those less fortunate and their political/philosophical background was
socialism/communism and not religious. I have to admit that I am biased
towards my grandparents but their actions should speak for themselves.
Gene: could dig up at least 1000 Christians who have exhibited this kind
of self-sacrificing love. Not only that, I think I could explain *why*
they do it. I think the answers would be remarkably similar--because
Jesus loves them, they are grateful for his love and grace and want to
show it to those who don't
have much.
Gene: I can see how the love of Christ can lead to this self-sacrificing
ethic.
Sure, it's no guarantee but I could see why this could happen. But
similarly a love of Mankind could lead to similar behavior.
Gene: And for every great saint, there are lots of little ones, giving
smaller doses of their time and substance to those to whom they feel
called. I read a recent article in Christianity Today that cited a study
that the vast majority of volunteers in America volunteered because they
felt a religious obligation to do so.
How interesting, an obligation which encourages volunteer actions.
Gene: Tell me, what would incline a materialist to give of him or herself
in this manner? What would incline them to put aside the calculation and
the
What entices animals to have such behavior ? Their deep religious
convictions ? What about for instance Marxism as a motivation to help the
needy ?
Gene: career advancement to go serve the downtrodden with no expectation
of reward? I'm not trying to make a rhetorical point here, I really do
want to know. For the Christian, the practice of virtue really is its own
reward: Not only is it the proper response of our Lord to the grace he has
given us, but it is also preparing us for what life will be like in
Heaven. I don't see how a materialist could think that such a practice
could be other than vanity--futility.
Of course one may ask which is a larger sacrifice, to spend one's life in
a self-sacrificing way convinced that one will be rewarded later or to
spend one's life in a self sacrificing manner without having such hopes ?
Is the former even an example of self sacrifice if it is founded on the
belief that it will be rewarded later ? I am still trying to understand
what a materialist's beliefs are though. Perhaps someone could provide
some references to materialist philosophy ?