Who are you "better" than?

[Rex]

I see alot of religions base the end of their lives on judgement from a higher being, and you must try to be the "better" person in order to ensure your passing judgement in the end.

And that judgement is made upon how you were as a person as pertains to your "good" book of worship dictates.

Thus if you believe in God and someone else doesn't you think yourself as better than that person, right?

Or am I confused?

 

[jewscout]

i suppose it depends on the faith of the person.

i don't think things are in absolutes, but rather judgement is relative to each person.

 

[Jaymes]

Nobody's better than anyone else. Everyone is just at different stages of spirituality. None of these are more or less important than the other, since they all help teach.

 

[James the Persian]

Actually, I would have said that, in Christanity, if you think you're better than anyone else you're not actually living out your faith properly. Pride is a very un-Christian emotion. That's why (because I do tend to be afflicted by pride, particularly when I'm arguing with others over what look like idiotic points of view) I try to say the Jesus Prayer as often as I can using the wording as it is in the original Greek, rather than the usual English version: 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the (not a) sinner'. Nothing makes you feel humbler than contemplating how you yourself are the worst of all sinners, in my opinion.

James

 

[Master Vigil]

I think some may say that pride is horrible, and one should be humble. But when making themselves humble they in turn are making themselves "better" because they are more humble than others. It's a vicious cycle. This doesn't mean that I discourage anyone from being humble. I believe it is more important to be better than your past self. You will never be better than everyone, but you can be better than you were before. So by all means, better yourself by being more humble!!!!

 

[Melody]

you must try to be the "better" person in order to ensure your passing judgement in the end.

And that judgement is made upon how you were as a person as pertains to your "good" book of worship dictates.

Thus if you believe in God and someone else doesn't you think yourself as better than that person, right?

No. It's not about being "better than someone else". It's about being better than our own human nature.

I would agree with James, that if we think we're better than someone just because we believe in God, then we've already fallen off the path.

 

[James the Persian]

No. It's not about being "better than someone else". It's about being better than our own human nature.

I would agree with James, that if we think we're better than someone just because we believe in God, then we've already fallen off the path.

Absolutely. And I agree with you too, Master Vigil. It is quite easy to make humility into a badge of pride and that is something we should avoid. We should make ourselves truly humble not 'humbler than x', because that is just as dangerous as thinking you are 'better than x.' We should look first and foremost to ourselves and not judge ourselves in respect to others, because that necessarily requires judging others with respect to ourselves.

James

 

[Engyo]

From a Buddhist standpoint, the only person I can/should judge is myself. The only criteria I should use to judge myself against is what I have done in the past. Am I making the same causes I used to? Am I exhibiting as much, more, or less compassion as I once did? Has my understanding, and my level of practice improved, or backslid? Judgements of others, or of myself against others, are unproductive.

 

[michel]

From a Buddhist standpoint, the only person I can/should judge is myself. The only criteria I should use to judge myself against is what I have done in the past. Am I making the same causes I used to? Am I exhibiting as much, more, or less compassion as I once did? Has my understanding, and my level of practice improved, or backslid? Judgements of others, or of myself against others, are unproductive.

I would go along with that judgementalism of myself in Christianity. I can only ever judge myself - not as against anyone else; but what I do measure myself is what I think God expects of me.

 

[Ori]

I don't think of myself better then anyone, each of us has the capacity to be a saint or murderer.

 

[painted wolf]

My faith only asks that I be "better" than myself. To strive for ballance and to walk in respect for creation and all my relations.
Greed, Arrogance and the like are not things that help you live a good life... the trick is learning to deny them.
Granted we have no book 'good' or otherwise, in the end what happins to you is between you and Creator and no one elce.

wa:do

 

[Quiddity]

Very well put James...:clap

The Least in Christ
~Victor

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Hehee, after a lifetime trying to convince myself that no one is "better" than me, I'm not about to turn around and think that I'm better than anyone.

 

[Rex]

Well I think maybe some are missing my point. In the end if you believe you go to heaven or hell, someone could go to hell.

Lets say X goes to heaven and Y goes to hell, then X would be better than Y.

So if your doing everything you can to achieve heaven then you are trying to be "better" than someone else.

 

[Quiddity]

Well I think maybe some are missing my point. In the end if you believe you go to heaven or hell, someone could go to hell.

Lets say X goes to heaven and Y goes to hell, then X would be better than Y.

So if your doing everything you can to achieve heaven then you are trying to be "better" than someone else.

I am personally not trying to be "better than someone else". But only maintaining a relationship as best as I can. In that relatiohship lies conditions for me to fulfill. I'm sure this applies in your life as well (not unless you have no friends) . But yes I do think heaven is better then hell.

~Victor

 

[Master Vigil]

Well I think maybe some are missing my point. In the end if you believe you go to heaven or hell, someone could go to hell.

Lets say X goes to heaven and Y goes to hell, then X would be better than Y.

So if your doing everything you can to achieve heaven then you are trying to be "better" than someone else.

I suppose some did miss the point. But since I don't believe in either heaven or hell, it doesn't affect me. But I can definitely see your point, and can see how some may try to weasle around the contradiction.

 

[Rex]

I am personally not trying to be "better than someone else". But only maintaining a relationship as best as I can. In that relatiohship lies conditions for me to fulfill. I'm sure this applies in your life as well (not unless you have no friends) . But yes I do think heaven is better then hell.

~Victor

In not so many words you answered my question, are you saying that if you go to heaven then you will be "better" than those that go to hell?

 

[Rex]

I suppose some did miss the point. But since I don't believe in either heaven or hell, it doesn't affect me. But I can definitely see your point, and can see how some may try to weasle around the contradiction.

hehe, MV is a smart man!

 

[Scott1]

Well I think maybe some are missing my point. In the end if you believe you go to heaven or hell, someone could go to hell.

Lets say X goes to heaven and Y goes to hell, then X would be better than Y.

So if your doing everything you can to achieve heaven then you are trying to be "better" than someone else.

I guess this would be true for anyone who thinks they "save themselves" by doing good works and being "better" than someone else....

... me? =

I owe my salvation to Christ.... I didn't earn it, and I'm not worthy of it... I am saved by the grace of God. No matter how hard I try to be "good", it is only Christ in me that deserves the glory for anything good in my life..... quite impossible to think I'm better than another... I'm just thankful for my life, and I'll leave judgements about better/worse to others.

 

[James the Persian]

I guess this would be true for anyone who thinks they "save themselves" by doing good works and being "better" than someone else....

... me? =

I owe my salvation to Christ.... I didn't earn it, and I'm not worthy of it... I am saved by the grace of God. No matter how hard I try to be "good", it is only Christ in me that deserves the glory for anything good in my life..... quite impossible to think I'm better than another... I'm just thankful for my life, and I'll leave judgements about better/worse to others.

Absolutely. We strive to better ourselves with God's help but we don't try to be better than others. It is for God to judge us, not for us to judge our fellow man.

James