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>> In other words, the hallmark of a religious mind is a smaller ego. > Is it? This quote is a bit out of context--it's a summary of William James' position.
by superb-owl 4y ago
>> In other words, the hallmark of a religious mind is a smaller ego.
> Is it?
This quote is a bit out of context--it's a summary of William James' position. Later on I refute and expand on that position, saying that religion also leads to extreme egotism. Which I think coheres with your other points.
- dragontamer 4y agoI've finished reading to the end. I'm not sure if you've got the beginning and end of the blogpost very cohesive, but I can admit that I didn't read the whole post before typing a bit earlier. In any case, I think its an interesting point you bring up, because I think it brings up what I feel are misunderstandings of the Catholic faith and our understanding of holiness. Especially because the Buddhist interpretation of Nirvana seems more popular in pop culture today. I would argue that Jesus's warning against self-centered, egotistical holy men was one of his greatest messages. That holy men will tend to become egotistical like the pharisees. In contrast, Jesus's first Apostles were tax collectors and fishermen, and he preached to the Gentiles (ie: non-Hewbrew / non-holy people). That is to say: the contradiction is a cornerstone of Catholicism. Jesus wants us to become more holy and religious, but also warns us that the pursuit of religion has a corrupting effect upon our soul that we need to watch out for.