There is no doubt that our society is in some serious trouble. One needs look no further than out the front door to see just how far our society has fallen. What has driven our society to turn so far from God and from good? While all evil—great and small—separates us from God’s love, one in particular evil that has permitted our society to deteriorate is relativism. This philosophy, which centers on the idea that what is true for you may not be true for me, is not only contrary to natural law, but is a sure way to destruction and despair.
It is often said that Satan’s greatest trick is to convince someone that he does not exist. This is exactly what happens when someone falls into the trap of relativism. When one says, “What is true for you is not necessarily true for me,” what he is really saying goes a lot deeper: “What you consider sin is not what I consider sin.” Relativism is thus a direct rejection of the existence of the supernatural world that surrounds us in which evil tempts us. Since temptation does not exist by the standards of relativism, the role of Satan in the world becomes illogical. Consequently, the power of evil is diluted. And, when we as a society dilute the power of Satan, we dilute the power of God.
In the relativistic line of thought each individual person becomes the final judge of right and wrong—each individual becomes an equivalent of God. See how fatal relativism then becomes? At first what starts so seemingly innocent—“What is true for you may not be necessarily true for me”—soon becomes a mortal sin—“I decide what is right and wrong; I am the judge of good and evil.” Relativism is a perverted and convoluted form of rejecting the supremacy of God.
It is for this reason that relativism is in direct conflict with natural law. Each man has it written on his heart what is right and what is wrong. God has graced each man with the same innate sense of good and evil. When one tries to apply his own sense of right and wrong, he rejects the natural law engraved upon his soul. Nothing is more unnatural for man than to attempt to be the judge of right and wrong.
In doing so, man assures his own destruction. Though a man may tell himself countless times that a sin is not really evil, he will still feel the pang of guilt for that sin. This is because sin goes deeper than the flesh, deeper than the mind. Since the mind cannot conquer the soul, it is impossible for a man to feel completely guiltless when he sins, even if in his mind he is convinced that his actions are not sinful. In this manner, relativism causes a tremendous buildup of guilt that leads to destruction of the person. This accumulation of guilt either calluses the soul or it causes a person to indefinitely wallow in their remorse. Both affects create a slippery slope into the eternal despair of hell.
By submitting to the philosophy of relativism one embarks down a dangerous road. What starts as a simple line of thought soon ends in utter destruction and despair. In its completely unnatural ways, relativism rejects the existence of evil in the world. Moreover, it diminishes the power of God as the Supreme Judge. It hardens the hearts of men or causes them to dwell in a state of grief and guilt. The longer that our society continues to deem relativism as an acceptable philosophy the farther into sin we cast ourselves. We need to acknowledge that there is a definite set of morals and ethics that governs our world and we must not hesitate in holding ourselves accountable to these natural laws.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Beyond Flirtation
The pose: Arms crossed, head tilted back, shoulder casually leaning against the wall, one leg over the other in a relaxed position. The expression: Eyes sparkling, smile aglow, eyebrows raised. The conversation: Random discussion about school, extra-curricular activities, friends and family. The train of thought: Wow! This person is amazing! What can I do to get this person to like me?
We have all been there before. We have all been enjoying ourselves at a party or conducting a meeting, trying to stay focused in class or simply hanging out with friends and in walks an attractive person. Before we know it, we find ourselves abandoning logic and coherency, submitting ourselves to the dangers of flirtation.
Flirtation is any and all behavior intended to attract the attention of the opposite sex with intentions other than friendship. That definition will suffice for now and there is nothing inherently wrong with flirtation in this sense. Imagine if no one ever sought to attract the attention of the opposite sex beyond friendship. Humanity would cease to exist since all romantic relationships would never form. In this sense, flirtation is essential.
Regretfully we have lost this pure form of flirtation. Rather, in today’s world there is a lurking danger that all too often masquerades as flirtation. It is that type of behavior described at the beginning of this paper. The most perilous part being those thoughts that flail about our distracted mind: “What can I do to will make this person like me?”
hough this idea is seemingly innocent, nothing can be more to a fatal to any relationship. "The hearts of many are taken captive, and intertwined with one another in vain and foolish affection, having no root but frivolous intercourse…And although these foolish love-passages usually end in carnal pleasures and vile lusts, such is not the original intention of those who practice them, else they would no longer be flirtatious, but manifest impurities." St. Francis de Sales makes a very good observation here. Flirtation begins with innocent, almost noble intentions. None of us explicitly intend to put our relationships in mortal danger when we question what might make us attractive to someone of the opposite sex. Yet, more often than not, we allow our hearts and minds to be poisoned by the obsessive pursuit of making ourselves attractive to the opposite sex. We soon find our relationships rooted in the shallow, rocky soil of self-gratifying indulgence of the flesh.
This form of flirtation is not only wrong, but it violates natural law. At the heart of this violation is the degradation of our intrinsic worth as human beings. When we allow our thoughts to obsess over making ourselves attractive to the opposite sex, we strip ourselves of our priceless nature. We end up marketing ourselves as a desirable product, soliciting ourselves as an enticing, “must-have” good. We spend hours being consumed by our outward appearance, sprucing up our bodies into a marketable package.
Not only is this detrimental to the body (which soon becomes so stressed and fatigued with this constant strain that it begins to fail in its essential functions), but it completely ignores the spiritual aspect of our humanity. Pretty wrapping paper and a big, beautiful bow mean nothing on a present if all they decorate is a sludgy, stained gift.
In flirting, we must be more concerned about our souls as we are about our bodies. As much time as we spend in front of the mirror making ourselves outwardly attractive we must spend several times more in front of the Blessed Sacrament preparing our souls to be at point where we might even consider pursuing a deeper relationship with a member of the opposite sex.
This is not only desirable, but essential. God intended relationships between man and woman to be conducive to His love. Flirtatious behavior is naturally meant to be an exploration of mutual love with another person—not separate from God’s love but in complete union with God who is love. In its purest sense, flirting is a great gift used to discern a vocation to the grandeur of God’s love through shared love with another. When we reduce ourselves to creatures comprised solely of body and mind it becomes impossible to unite ourselves to God. It is in first seeking God with our entire being—mind, body, and soul—that we are able to come to a point where we can entrust ourselves with another’s soul.
That is essentially what romantic love is. The two become one and that one soul must find a way to heaven. In love, we take on the responsibility of ensuring that both parts of the one soul attain eternal life. So even the original definition this paper offers is wrong. Flirting is not simply about drawing the attention of the opposite sex with the intention of a relationship beyond friendship. It is about the discernment of a relationship with the potential of eternal and absolute unity of body and soul. Flirting must from the start seek and keep at its heart God who is love. With this solid foundation love can freely develop into a complete submission to God’s will, climaxing in the union of three—a man, a woman, and God.
We have all been there before. We have all been enjoying ourselves at a party or conducting a meeting, trying to stay focused in class or simply hanging out with friends and in walks an attractive person. Before we know it, we find ourselves abandoning logic and coherency, submitting ourselves to the dangers of flirtation.
Flirtation is any and all behavior intended to attract the attention of the opposite sex with intentions other than friendship. That definition will suffice for now and there is nothing inherently wrong with flirtation in this sense. Imagine if no one ever sought to attract the attention of the opposite sex beyond friendship. Humanity would cease to exist since all romantic relationships would never form. In this sense, flirtation is essential.
Regretfully we have lost this pure form of flirtation. Rather, in today’s world there is a lurking danger that all too often masquerades as flirtation. It is that type of behavior described at the beginning of this paper. The most perilous part being those thoughts that flail about our distracted mind: “What can I do to will make this person like me?”
hough this idea is seemingly innocent, nothing can be more to a fatal to any relationship. "The hearts of many are taken captive, and intertwined with one another in vain and foolish affection, having no root but frivolous intercourse…And although these foolish love-passages usually end in carnal pleasures and vile lusts, such is not the original intention of those who practice them, else they would no longer be flirtatious, but manifest impurities." St. Francis de Sales makes a very good observation here. Flirtation begins with innocent, almost noble intentions. None of us explicitly intend to put our relationships in mortal danger when we question what might make us attractive to someone of the opposite sex. Yet, more often than not, we allow our hearts and minds to be poisoned by the obsessive pursuit of making ourselves attractive to the opposite sex. We soon find our relationships rooted in the shallow, rocky soil of self-gratifying indulgence of the flesh.
This form of flirtation is not only wrong, but it violates natural law. At the heart of this violation is the degradation of our intrinsic worth as human beings. When we allow our thoughts to obsess over making ourselves attractive to the opposite sex, we strip ourselves of our priceless nature. We end up marketing ourselves as a desirable product, soliciting ourselves as an enticing, “must-have” good. We spend hours being consumed by our outward appearance, sprucing up our bodies into a marketable package.
Not only is this detrimental to the body (which soon becomes so stressed and fatigued with this constant strain that it begins to fail in its essential functions), but it completely ignores the spiritual aspect of our humanity. Pretty wrapping paper and a big, beautiful bow mean nothing on a present if all they decorate is a sludgy, stained gift.
In flirting, we must be more concerned about our souls as we are about our bodies. As much time as we spend in front of the mirror making ourselves outwardly attractive we must spend several times more in front of the Blessed Sacrament preparing our souls to be at point where we might even consider pursuing a deeper relationship with a member of the opposite sex.
This is not only desirable, but essential. God intended relationships between man and woman to be conducive to His love. Flirtatious behavior is naturally meant to be an exploration of mutual love with another person—not separate from God’s love but in complete union with God who is love. In its purest sense, flirting is a great gift used to discern a vocation to the grandeur of God’s love through shared love with another. When we reduce ourselves to creatures comprised solely of body and mind it becomes impossible to unite ourselves to God. It is in first seeking God with our entire being—mind, body, and soul—that we are able to come to a point where we can entrust ourselves with another’s soul.
That is essentially what romantic love is. The two become one and that one soul must find a way to heaven. In love, we take on the responsibility of ensuring that both parts of the one soul attain eternal life. So even the original definition this paper offers is wrong. Flirting is not simply about drawing the attention of the opposite sex with the intention of a relationship beyond friendship. It is about the discernment of a relationship with the potential of eternal and absolute unity of body and soul. Flirting must from the start seek and keep at its heart God who is love. With this solid foundation love can freely develop into a complete submission to God’s will, climaxing in the union of three—a man, a woman, and God.
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