Focus Paper #2

September 10, 2007
Focus Paper #2

After re-reading Thomas a Kempis’ piece – The Imitation of Christ – it has now occurred to me just how twisted and distorted his views and opinions are. As I wrote in my last focus paper, Kempis expects that everyone devote themselves entirely to God, and even goes so far as to say that everyone is supposed to live a life of solitude apart from the rest of society. In so doing, one is able to devote themselves to serving God, and living in fear of him: “If you wish to live in holiness, you must live in fear of God” (2). Furthermore, not only should you live in fear of and complete dedication to God, but you should consider yourself and your own life unworthy of God’s comfort and should focus entirely on your relationship to Him and means of serving Him – not on any external mortal relationship or materialistic values.

I can understand where Kempis is coming from with all of this – that God is the most important being – even higher than our view of ourselves in our own lives. However, what he recommends for those interested in achieving a holy life and entrance into Heaven upon death is not realistic or practical for any member of society. It is normal for one to interact with others, to have conversations with them and relationships with them. God set up the world this way when he put Adam and Eve on the earth – if He had wanted Adam to live a life of solitude and utmost devotion to Him, He would not have put Eve in the Garden as Adam’s companion, nor enabled them to reproduce and ultimately create a huge, interacting society; He would have just put Adam on the earth, alone and only with his thoughts, and set Adam up for a life of complete devotion and dedication to Him. Because God did not set up the world as such, there is no reason to believe that we are expected to live in lives of solitude and complete dedication to God, and that if we do not live in this way, that we will be condemned and not allowed to enter Heaven.

Focus Paper #1

Focus Paper #1
September 5, 2007

In The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis discussed the different methods of worship and commitment to God, and had various recommendations on how one should live his or her life. These rules and guidelines, which one would expect to be directed mostly at those choosing a life of complete devotion to God (such as the life of a monk or nun) due to their serious and absolute nature, ultimately depicted a life of servitude to God which should also be followed by everyday Christians. Basically, he writes that it is necessary for someone to devote themselves entirely to God and to worship and study and learn about Him. He even states that a relationship with God is more important than any relationship here on Earth, and that material objects and possessions take a “back seat” to a life of God. A life of serving God in solitude is essential if you want to approach Death and Judgment and achieve positives results – if you do not entirely devote yourself to God, you cannot be guaranteed a deserved spot in Heaven and may be forced into a time of suffering and punishment.

In reading this piece, I could not help but to think about the Lindberg text (pages 53-55) and reflect on the situations of various popes described there. Although there were only a few popes described on these pages, the majority were classified as “bad” and not dedicated to God or to serving Him. Rather, they often focused on violence and deceit as main components of their life and “ruling”. I found this to be somewhat ironic – that those supposedly committed to serving God were perhaps doing the most evil and disservice to Him. In reading these descriptions and reflecting on Kempis’ interpretation of how religious people / every Christian should live their lives with complete dedication to God, it has become more clear to me just exactly how the Reformation was able to begin – perhaps as a rebellion against the wrongdoings