* The inescapable consequence of idolatrous faith is existential disappointment.*
- St. Thomas Aquinas
2007-07-18 15:40:07 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Sounds about right, If one puts their faith in something that is temporal, then temporal satisfaction is fleeting at best and ultimately disappointing.
Edit to add: The assertion is apparently false since according to Webster's the word "existential " is from the 1600's and Aquinas died in 1274. Although if he had said it I still would stand by my first answer :)
2007-07-18 15:57:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Der big wordz.
Sorry.
*The inescapable consequence of idolatrous faith is existential disappointment.*
A.K.A. Having so much faith in something that the subject of worship it is put on a pedestal will inevitably result in disappointment of or in the self. Yes yes?
If I'm right . . . and I don't dare say I am, I'd have to agree. This ties in to the idea that organized religion asks the believer to put the deity before the self. As I'm a believer in the self before all others, I think this quotation reflects my stance. Interesting that it comes from Aquinas. I have not read anything by him; however, I've had many a Christian student follow his writings so deeply that God himself would be jealous.
I admit I'm a n00b when it comes to philosophy though. So, this is my stab at it. I'm still working from a level of ignorance, so am I even close with my interpretation?
2007-07-18 23:32:39 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree, but only because I think that the inescapable consequence of thinking is existential disappointment. But that need not be the main reaction we feel to life, it need not be overwhelming, it's just inevitably part of the mix of emotions we feel.
It does not matter what you believe, there is much in life that is inherently disappointing. There is so much pain, so much suffering and this exists everywhere there are people. Even if you think you've got the angle that could cure people of this, such as some sort of Buddhist escape from expectation or Christian fulfillment by the Holy Spirit, you are bound to feel some degree of existential disappointment that life is so full of people who do not recognize your supposed cure for the condition.
We've all felt "is that all there is?" at some point or other (or constantly.) And yes, our ideals set us up for disappointment when reality doesn't live up to them. And I don't think it's possible not to have ideals (even if the ideal is to obtain a state of not having ideals.) I don't think it's even a good thing not to have ideals- a sense of fairness, of beauty, of peace, etc. gives us a standard to try to make the world a better place, to fight against the drain of existential disappointment by trying to improve conditions.
We can recognize and accept our existential disappointment, we don't have to dwell on it or be overwhelmed by it. There is plenty of good to balance it out. I doubt that someone who sees their god represented in a forest or a grotto or a sculpture is more likely to find the world to be less than their ideals would have it be than a person who worships one universal god does.
2007-07-18 23:03:06 · answer #3 · answered by thatguyjoe 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is empty.
Kinda like going to a movie that had great trailers and the movie was just trash.
Same goes for empty religion. At some point people realize a great deal of what they have been told and have followed is just so much fluff.
At some point we find that is between ourselves and God not between ourselves and some religious dogma or doctrine.
Here is a great link:
2007-07-18 23:14:48 · answer #4 · answered by 7to6 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Psalm 115: 4-8--"4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them. "
2007-07-18 22:47:22 · answer #5 · answered by Simon Peter 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Take out the word "idolatrous" and I'll buy it - faith is no virtue, in any form.
2007-07-18 22:44:20 · answer #6 · answered by Brent Y 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Is he referring to Catholics having statutes in their churches and the consequence of breaking the second commandment?
I agree if he is saying that, not playing by their rules.
Again, not sure if I 'translated' that right. Fancy words...
2007-07-18 22:46:58 · answer #7 · answered by take me to your leader 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Old Tom did have a way with words, didn't he?
2007-07-18 22:42:47 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
To paraphrase: Blind faith is ignorance.
2007-07-18 22:48:43 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Too deep for me, man.
2007-07-18 22:42:57 · answer #10 · answered by Wise@ss 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋