The Principles of Choice and Responsibility

Apr 26, 2005 04:09

At the risk of repeating myself, I feel the need to clarify some things.

My interest in this topic goes far beyond the pope, beyond catholicism, beyond the jews and beyond the nazis..... however it is the perfect foreground to illustrate how I feel and exactly what it is I mean by "choice"....

One of my biggest points is the importance of individual responsibility. every person should act in such a way that every act should be as if it is their last. Everyone must be true to themselves. Even if this may go against the crowd, the mainstream. Which means, if supporting an evil empire goes against GOD and the BIBLE and they were AGAINST the nazi party...they should have stood up for the principle in the 1st place. And being as that is the past and this is the present, if he really were an appropriate spiritual leader he would be up there saying " I have sinned against my God, my Jewish neighbors and myself, I was wrong for not standing up against that evil and instead allowed myself to become a tool of it." THAT...would be responsible. But all I keep hearing was "he had no choice" Which, is ironic considering thats one of Gods biggest deals.. the freedom of choice. God does not make you choose nor the devil. We are all responsible for our own choices. young and old. Even if you make those choices out of ignorance....or that you were 12. its not an excuse. No one is to blame but themselves.. everyone who quietly went along with the herd supported hitler... and the deaths of many.
"the devil made me do it."
"I had no choice"

...even not choosing is a choice.

The religious values and morals that his faith preaches are not backed up by his actions or the actions of his father who taught them to him...and are consequently being taught as an example of how to live to millions of people who follow him blindly.

basicly the lesson is... its okay to do the wrong thing if death or torture or uncomfortable living is on the line...even if you are going against your own principles and morals and the morals of God and principles of your religion. Dont think for yourselves. Be a hypocrite. Love thy neighbor unless loving them means your ass.

Jesus would be appauled. Seriously man. Think about it.
Where would the whole religion be in the 1st place if Jesus took the stance they and many other germans did? If he didnt put his money where his mouth was then it came down to, pardon the pun, brass tacks, he would have been labled a fraud and no one would have been saved and no one would have followed his teachings.
fuck...there were only TWELVE of his buddies supporting him...only Judas betrayed him. Jesus could have saved his own ass too ... was it king herod or the other one Pontious pilot who gave him a chance to save his own life by denying he was king of the jews or something. He was handed a free ticket out of there and he didnt take it. Because to deny his own principles and beliefs would be a lie and show a lack of integrity. That would be a sin. (living a lie is the same as telling one) He was there to lead his people. To save their souls.
when jesus confronted judas about his betrayal... or his "choice" did Jesus BLAME judas for what he did? no. even jesus took that responsibility for "choosing" judas in the 1st place. he didnt calk it up to a "mistake" either.
Jesus taught personal responsibility thru and thru.
Everything in our lives is there because of our choices.
A self realized person knows this.

the pope is judas posing as jesus.

Even a priest is supposed to represent jesus and his principles...that goes quadruple for the pope one would think. The pope isnt a spiritual leader... hes a political power.

It amazes me that I'm not even catholic (anymore. stopped being catholic in the 6th grade when I saw it was a religion of hypocricy) and I see this truth as plainly as I see my own reflection in the mirror..but many people who know scripture back to front cant see it.

Jesus had a choice
Judas had a choice
Ratz had a choice
Ratz Sr. had a choice.
WE TOO have a choice.
Support individual responsibility for our choices, decisons, actions and the integrity to stand up for those principles reguarless of the consequenses..... or teach blame, excuses, hypocricy, fear, hate, cowardice, selfishness, greed ..yadda yadda yadda...

Love, Truth and Integrity?
or Fear?

this explains how I feel better than I can articulate it.

"Perhaps the most prominent theme in existentialist writing is that of choice. Humanity's primary distinction, in the view of most existentialists, is the freedom to choose. Existentialists have held that human beings do not have a fixed nature, or essence, as other animals and plants do; each human being makes choices that create his or her own nature. In the formulation of the 20th-century French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre, existence precedes essence. Choice is therefore central to human existence, and it is inescapable; even the refusal to choose is a choice. Freedom of choice entails commitment and responsibility. Because individuals are free to choose their own path, existentialists have argued, they must accept the risk and responsibility of following their commitment wherever it leads. "

"Being responsible means recognizing what we can and can not control.
It means letting go of everything we can not change
and making conscious choices about the things we can.
It means understanding that something inside us creates
our perceptions and experiences of life,
regardless of what happens outside.
It means accepting the consequences of OUR choices.

Sometimes taking responsibility for ourselves means choosing between
two courses of action, both equally attractive or unattractive.
Sometimes it means risking making a mistake or losing someone's approval.
Sometimes it means making apologies and amends.
Sometimes even a carefully thought out decision results in losing something we thought we wanted.

Facing up to our personal responsibility is not punishment;
it is healthy, sane living. It does not mean we have to be perfect.
It just means we have to be honest and accept the realities
of our choices - their causes within us and their consequences for us and others.
The rewards of living this way are freedom from dishonest,
manipulative behavior and liberation from chronic guilt, fear,
and low self-worth. When we accept full responsibility for ourselves,
we can begin living openly, peacefully and happily ONE DAY AT A TIME.

anon"

so...to summarize:

1. "no choice" = cop out

2. age, social climate at the time, even threat of death = irrelevant. Stand up for your morals, ethics and principles or be labled a hypocrite.

3. This is more of a philosophical debate than just me shaking an angry fist at the stupid pope. I believe these principles should apply to everyone. Not just people trying to be a pope or a president... however.. it is IMPERATIVE they do being as they are leaders of mankind both spiritually and politically. It is necessary for our growth and survival as humans on this planet.

4. Teach by example.

5. Am I saying I expect 12 or 13 yr old boys to stand up for whats right? yes. Because I expect responsible adults to teach those children what moral fiber is.
And if they don't and the children dont? That does not make them exempt from the responsibility of those choices.
Lets take Anne Frank as a prime example , she was only 13 or 14 herself...

"How true Daddy's words were when he said: all children must look after their own upbringing. Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands." ....

"I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out." ...

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. "

Do you think she would have joined an organization that was killing off millions of people just to save her own skin?
Even Anne Franks short lived life deserved a holy station as high as the Pope more than ratzinger and his lifetime of catholic service does.
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