2.10.2013 PRACTICE RIGHTEOUSNESS

in article 'western civilization at the crossroads' by peter kreeft.
what kind of future awaits us?
what are our choices?
kreeft looks at lewis's view of the king of history we are creating..


...if the Enlightenment helped the modern world
discard notions of original sin and moral absolutes,
it also uprooted the foundations of truth and goodness.
unlike the medieval era, all we have left
are vague political and psychological notions of what works efficiently.
technology has replaced religion as our  civilization's summum bonum.
naturalism has replaced supernaturalism.
subjectivism has defined a new age of moral relativity.

'the abolition of Man' contains the most important and enlightening
single statement about our civilization that i have ever read,

'there is something which unites magic and applied science
while separating both from the 'wisdom' of earlier ages:
for the wise men of old the cardinal problem had been
how to conform the soul to reality ,
and the solution had been knowledge, self discipline and virtue;
for magic and applied science alike
the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men
and the solution is a technique.

aristotle listed technique, technical knowledge, know how,
third on the hierarchy of values after
contemplation of truth and practical knowledge or knowledge for acting.
modernity simply turns this ancient hierarchy upside down.

..spiritual and physical destruction both loom large, and only minutes away.
to those concerned with peace in our world,
with survival,
with life,
lewis would give the following advice:

'perhaps the world will turn to God.
perhaps a few abrahams will appear to intercede with God
for our modern sodoms and gomorrahs,
and perhaps God will find enough righteous men in them to spare them.
they almost made it last time-
if there had been only ten good men in them,
God would have spared two cities!
the most important thing for each of us to do to save the world...
is to practice righteousness
to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength
and our neighbor as ourself.
you the individual can make the difference.