epicureanism vs christianity

In principle, Epicuruss ethic of pleasure is the exact opposite of the Stoics ethic of duty. When we let our worries and stress take over, we are not being stoic. Some of these may have been called neo-Platonism or Pyrrhonism. Today, the most well-known strain of thought within this school is Epicurean Hedonism. Taking vacations with reliable travel companies and looking after our teeth are judicious choices for, they are a secure way of gaining pleasure and an easy way of avoiding pain. pictorial way of saying life without God the love joy and peace He gives. We can learn to cope with lifes uncertainties by learning to take a step back from everything and then making a decision on what is best for us. They are compatible because they both offer security and peace that leads to happiness. His definition of what is good is pleasure gained through our senses. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'mindbydesign_io-medrectangle-3','ezslot_5',107,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-mindbydesign_io-medrectangle-3-0');Stoicism is a school of philosophy that thrived from approximately 300 BC to 200 AD (though similar philosophies and beliefs existed prior to and after that period). He graduated with a history degree from the University of Cambridge and holds two masters degrees and two doctorates: one from Trinity College and Seminary (USA) for a thesis in Christian philosophy and the other from De Montfort University (UK) for a thesis about the history of the First World War. . Although Epicureanism has much that is morally worthwhile, philosophically it suffers a decisive weakness which is exposed by these questions: who is to tell us what is pleasurable and who is tell us that we are to choose our pleasures judiciously? The collection of essays resulted from a conference of . Epicureanism In contrast to its modern connotations, the goal of Epicureanism is tranquility, which is achieved by moderating our desires, not by indulging them; it teaches us to understand our needs and desires so we can live a happy life. Christian teaching is clear: a life of judicious moral choices prevents people from falling into dangers. As the dead no longer exist, they cannot experience death. When life throws at us a difficult situation that we cannot control, we should not give in to stress. Each human finds toothache painful and so will try to avoid it through good oral hygiene and regular dental checkups if those things are available, and will advise others to do the same so they can avoid this pain. What Christianity offers to those who cling to Jesus as his or her sins atoning sacrifice is not personal extinction of all and the universes heat death, but an everlasting enjoyment of relationship with God and his people. He said worship of the Greek gods and said the afterlife was nonsense. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'mindbydesign_io-leader-3','ezslot_18',130,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-mindbydesign_io-leader-3-0');When comparing the two philosophies together, I find it interesting that both epicureans and stoics are looking to take a step back from the troubles of life. The creation narratives reveal that God intended the world he had created to be one of pleasure. The founder of Epicureanism was, of course, Epicurus, a historical figure about whom we know a good deal. Man is miserable, thought Epicurus (the founder of Epicureanism) because he desires things that he need not desire. Not all things are going to go our way, but if we have hope in our ability to live a better life, we will be much happier. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'mindbydesign_io-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_13',116,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-mindbydesign_io-large-mobile-banner-2-0');We become angry, upset and defensive. Out of the three Abrahamic monotheisms, Judaism is perhaps the most unique. why was I being mocked by my peers, what is this word; gay that they chant at me in cruel tones? This was a loss of cosmic proportions according to Christianity because it is the source of all moral evil and suffering. They have different values, but both teach us how to live a life full of meaning. So sorry that you have arrived at such extreme conclusions about Christianity. He then states that all of the worlds people are damned to an eternity in hell unless they accept his blood sacrifice. The term "Epicureanism" means the philosophy of Epicurus (b. Samos c. 342-341 BCE, d. Athens c. 271-270 BCE) and the school founded by him.Epicurus was one of the most famous Greek philosophers of the Hellenistic period (which traditionally dates from the death of Alexander the Great [323 BCE] to the Battle of Actium [31 BCE]) and its influence on the history of Western . Fundamentally, Epicureans believe people value the natural delights derived from sex, companionship, acceptance, and love. When we learn to do this, we will be much happier. Both philosophies agree that we should do this in order to live a better life. Then, you can really dive into the great Mysteries of the Rosary Amen. It can seem a bit odd to do, to stand back and think, but we are living in a fast-paced world, filled with responsibilities that take up our time and energy. In the ancient world, Epicureans and Christians often clashed because they disagreed on so much. These are just some of the important principles that we need to learn in order to live a better life in a world that is full of hardships and tragedies. We are certainly highly flawed, and Christians have done an excellent job of pointing out that despite our advances in science and technology, we are not necessarily becoming more moral. By pleasure we mean the absence of pain in the body and of trouble in the soul. Its largely a result of our innate sense of guilt. By luck I have found a reference to a book on Epicureanism and early Christianity (it's quite interesting to myself because I am currently reading DeWitt's "St. Paul and Epicurus". The stoics say that if we allow ourselves to react emotionally and negatively to every single situation in life, we are less likely to be successful in life. At 19, he went to Athens to study at the Academy. Epicureanism is a philosophy that is based on the teachings of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. (Born again), Seen Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. For example, the Old Testament makes it clear that the righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern (Proverb 29:7). Epicurus and the ancient Stoics had a lot in common, How to be your authentic self: 11 Strategies to be your true self, How To Move Forward In Life When Everything Feels Hopeless, What It Takes To Be A Hardworking Person: The Characteristics And Traits Of A Winner. Nothing less could be expected from an omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and everlasting God who desires ceaseless relationship with people. What is The Difference Between Leadership and Motivation? This view does not entail necessarily the cosmic panorama of post-mortem existence of Christianity, but it is the beginning of a move towards the proposition that we remain conscious after death as described by Jesus in his parable of Lazarus and the beggar (Luke 16:19-31). U.S. Liberal Catholics are opposed to immigration of Catholic priests. Epicureans are not consumerists because they wish to avoid the pain of environmental destruction, economic inequality, and the exploitation of shop workers that consumerism causes. Particularly when I was young, I wasnt allowed to learn about other religions properly. To resolve the fear of extinction, there are two arguments within Epicurean literature. As time marched forward, however, the main opponent of Epicureanism became Stoicism. So a stoic will study what they can control, and then focus on what happens in their life. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'mindbydesign_io-leader-4','ezslot_19',129,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-mindbydesign_io-leader-4-0');As stoics, we accept that we can never really know what the future is going to bring. The wise man will wish to die when he is weary of life when he has lived his life and achieved his purposes; for there is no greater evil than death, nor any pain that can be compared with it.. ), and was one of the most popular schools of Hellenistic philosophy (together with Platonism and Stoicism).It was founded around 307 B.C.E., when Epicurus began to teach.He proposed that the ultimate goal of human life was happiness, and that the greatest good was to seek modest pleasures in . Certain aspects of Epicurus' thought were revived during the Renaissance and early modern periods, when reaction against scholastic neo-Aristotelianism led thinkers to turn to mechanistic explanations of natural phenomena. If youre interested in reading more about stoicism, you can find out more about it here. 2. 4. Stoicism was established, also in ancient Greece, by Zeno of Citium (334-262 BCE . The belief in blood sacrifice for the redeeming of sin has grave consequences for the modern world. ; as opposed to the layman's understanding of hedonism eat, drink, and be merry. Epicurus employs the atomistic materialism of Democritus, not because he has empirical evidence that it is true but because it fits his ethical goal of freedom from disturbance. And how does the struggle between Epicureanism and Christianity stand today? One of the best ways to attain pleasure is to avoid pain, and the best way to do that is to live an easy life free from the hassles of life: We must therefore not [crave] for anything that is absent, for so we shall be less likely to miss it. The historical and contemporary record of Christianitys humanitarian acts such as establishing hospitals, charities and schools is impressive. Owen, I fully understand your point of view and how you arrived at it. 3. Epicureans refuse to believe in gods and an afterlife. Epicurean ethics boil down to a few simple dictums: avoid harming others and therefore making enemies, form agreements with others for mutual aid and seek the highest good which is friendship. Epicureanism went into decline with the rise of Christianity. Her conclusion is that we must throw off the deeply ingrained influence of such thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, the early church fathers, and Kant who have demonized pleasure and instead be guided by Epicurean principles. To quickly address #3, a natural life completely exempt from evil, mishap, or tragedy is not part of any religious or non-religious belief system. Learn how your comment data is processed. Christianity offers as much as Epicureanism and more when it comes to pleasure and suffering. B.C. In popular parlance, Epicureanism thus means devotion to pleasure, comfort, and high living, with a certain nicety of style. For that to happen, God would have to work an act of grace inside the psychopath. Christianity kept me afraid and anxious for many years. Being extinct may not be a problem to the inexistent one, but it is the anticipation of being inexistent that is so painful to the existent one. The first confrontation I had on my Spiritual journey, was being faced with my own lack of goodness. The philosopher Catherine Wood, in her recent article for the New Statesman called Why Epicureanism, not Stoicism, is the philosophy we need now, asks a similar question to that of the Romans: what is the best belief system to deal with the crises in our institutions and in our relations with the natural world and each other? Or do I claim either that; firstly I need no help , or secondly perhaps I can help myself. Stoics [N] [S] a sect of Greek philosophers at Athens, so called from the Greek word stoa i.e., a "porch" or "portico," where they have been called "the Pharisees of Greek paganism." The founder of the Stoics was Zeno, who flourished about B.C. For I reflected on this word, I enquired what it meant. Tomorrow is the big event on Stoicism for Everyday Life in London, at which Mark Vernon and I will be discussing the relationship between Stoicism and Christianity. Third, if epiphenomenalism is true and consciousness is a by-product of material processes, it is hard to see what biological role it would play and therefore it would be inexplicable on naturalistic terms. Even at A level, my mum was sceptical of me taking a philosophy course because it may cause me to turn away from God. Christianity has the Enemy, angels, demons and the Trinity whereas Stoicism has the one logos. At the moment he is training to be a lay preacher with the Anglican Church. it is sober reasoning . Gods exist, but now dwell apart from the world; they did not create the world, so . Lastly, why does He help? The number of works produced by Epicurus and his disciples reveals an impressive theoretical activity. Sources I couldnt love my self knowing how imperfect I was, but I could love the perfect God. Jimmy might enjoy listening to heavy metal music in the early hours, but he wears headphones so as not to cause his housemates and neighbors the pain of disturbed sleep. Other conspiracies, like 9/11 being a hoax, or the Federal Reserve being owned by the Rothschilds, are disproportionately common amongst the Christian community. No judgement was passed by him, only love and forgiveness. We should be strong in our ability to live a stoic life and fight through any difficulties we may encounter. Again, Epicureans are atheists and so would not accept these assertions, but because of these assertions, Epicureans cannot describe Christianity as less concerned with pleasure than they are. Christianity, on the other hand, presents humans as intrinsically valuable because humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), a maximal being who possesses maximum value. All of the above is conditional upon Christianity being true, of course, but the arguments for Christianity are arguments for another time and one which I should heartily recommend the unbelieving reader to investigate. Youre trying to open your mind to other ways of thought as perhaps the Evangelical church nailed it into you too hard. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Yet when I sore all around me the imperfect others, my family and what not, I could now love them also for God, taking mercy on me, I too took mercy on them. The Epicureans began as a school of philosophers in the Hellenistic period of Ancient Greece. I may not agree with her metaphysics, epistemology or ethics, but I can certainly appreciate the difference she made to the lives of those around her. One is the Epicurean, the other is the Christian, and between them the differences go all the way down. He is married to Hasina and has been blessed with two children, Joel and Chloe. Which philosophy is better is up to each individual person to decide.

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