From: Thomas D. Pearson (pearson@panam.edu)
Date: Thu Jul 10 2003 - 14:38:04 EDT
Sondra Brasile <sbrasile@hotmail.com> wrote:
Think to yourself "what is my vice; my natural inclination?" we all have
them, we're all born with them, can we "help" them? Sometimes we can hardly
stop ourselves, right? Maybe it's true that 90% of the time people can't
help themselves or even 50% of the time, but does that mean that we should
change all laws and moral codes to allow for these inborn vices? For some
reason you people think if you can prove it's a genetic predetermination
then it's allowed, God somehow forgot to mention that when he was writing
the Book that he says is his complete word (many of you don't believe this
and my mind boggles at why you identify yourself, then by the "Christian"
faith, you should start your own religion and stop dragging ours through the
mud).
I think we should be cautious in using the phrase "natural
inclinations." For Thomas Aquinas, to pick just one example, our
"natural inclinations" are wholly good; they direct us to the
authentic human goods, chief among which is love of God. You
apparently mean to refer, Sondra, to "desires," or "personal
preferences," or perhaps even "tendencies to sin." But confusing
these with "natural inclinations" winds up suggesting that our
created being is oriented away from God, and this will make hash out
of any notion of the imago dei, among other things.
I also think we should be cautious in associating traditional
Christianity ("mere Christianity," to some folks) with a program for
moral improvement. The Christian doctrine of sin should alert us to
the fact that any such program of moral improvement is doomed to be
very short-lived.
Tom Pearson
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Thomas D. Pearson
Department of History & Philosophy
The University of Texas-Pan American
Edinburg, Texas
e-mail: pearson@panam.edu
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