Recently a relative of mine observed that in many ways I'm a better Christian than a certain other member of the family who makes a great show of religion but isn't nearly as thoughtful, giving, and helpful as I am. My friend Adrian and I talked about a related topic in our most recent Psy-Phi Dialogue, but during our conversation I didn't have the reference, which I can share now: Peter Harrison's 2011 Gifford Lectures on natural theology, published as The Territories of Science and Religion and cited in Clare Carlisle's book Spinoza's Religion. Harrison uncovers the fact that the 16th and 17th centuries witnessed a substantive change from "Christian religion" as meaning how one behaves (equivalent to "Christian virtue") to "the Christian religion" as meaning what one believes (to be contrasted with, for instance, "the Jewish religion"). This change has many implications that I could explore in depth, but I like to keep things short and sweet so I won't bore you with a philosophical and historical disquisition. Suffice it to say that I have long attempted to live by the aphorism that ethics is what you do, not what you profess. This is especially so in the personal world of your relationships with friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues. Back in my ideological youth I used to get worked up about other people's opinions (of which I had plenty myself!), but over time I've mellowed out in that regard while assiduously cultivating higher standards for myself with regard to behavior. I still have a long way to go, but I'm getting there...
(Cross-posted at Beautiful Wisdom.)
FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION