[ SECRET POST #4175 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4175 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 48 secrets from Secret Submission Post #598.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

My only religious family member was my paternal grandma, who was Catholic. Technically my mom’s parent’s and dad’s dad were Catholic too, but they didn’t seem to be believers, it was more a cultural thing. And I’ve never been to a church except for a couple funerals or to look at the archetecture.

But I thought that Catholics are big into holy works, but there’s entire sects of Christianity where doing good stuff for other people doesn’t count for shit in a religious context, the only thing that matters is faith in Jesus as the son of God, or that you were preselected in some kind of celestial raffle, or reading the Bible a lot, or converting other people. Are there other branches of Christianity where Christ-like behavior is a big deal?

[(Anonymous)]

It's... complicated. Doing good stuff for other people is obviously a good thing, but the idea that you can in any way earn or merit salvation turns out to be wildly theologically problematic. Even with Catholics - yes, Catholics place more theological emphasis on good works than many Protestant sects do, but Catholics still would generally not come out and say that good works get you into heaven.

At the same time, most divisions of Christianity - at least in theory - would say that good works are a crucial and central part of Christianity, and that faith without works is empty and meaningless ("What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works... faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead"). And, again, Catholicism does place slightly more doctrinal emphasis on this idea than many other Christian sects. But at the same time, all Christian sects are human institutions and go a long way from fulfilling that ideal. And Catholics have built plenty of astonishingly beautiful and luxurious churches and cathedrals and monuments for the greater glory of God.

So, again - complicated.

[feotakahari]

I’ve heard it argued from the opposite angle. It’s not that God rewards you for good deeds. It’s that the kind of people God rewards happen to be genuinely selfless people who would do good deeds even if they didn’t benefit. (I think this is what Calvinists believe.)

[(Anonymous)]

That may be the case; I'm not really familiar enough with the details of Calvinist soteriology to say for sure, but it does sound like it's in the same ballpark as the whole predestination dealio.

[(Anonymous)]

Yep, that's Calvinism. If you're a good person you just naturally want to do all these good things - your deeds reveal what kind of person you are. You can't earn salvation or improve your soul by good deeds. If you do bad things (or just don't do good things) obviously that shows what kind of person you are, too.

[(Anonymous)]

this is very balanced and well put. Thank you

[(Anonymous)]

Most of them at least pay lip service to the concept, because how will anyone know that you won the celestial raffle if you're not Christlike in your behavior?

But, with the caveat that the religious and secular definitions of good deeds don't always line up exactly, the Catholics, the Mormons, the Episcopalians, and the Congregationalists all have "do charitable works" as part of what you have to do to be a member in good standing.