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.