Religious Views on Excellence PDF

DISCLAIMER This presentation, including examples, images and references are provided for information and educational purposes only. Credits shall be given to the images taken open- sources & will not be used for promotional activities of Emilio Aguinaldo College-Cavi...

DISCLAIMER This presentation, including examples, images and references are provided for information and educational purposes only. Credits shall be given to the images taken open- sources & will not be used for promotional activities of Emilio Aguinaldo College-Cavite.  RELIGIOUS VIEWS ON EXCELLENCE Religion is summed up as our relationship with the transcendent One, the Summum Bonum (Supreme Good), and the Almighty One.  Point 1: Transcendence Excellence belongs to the transcendent. It is something we cannot easily grasp for it belongs to the faculty of the metaphysical. “This term indicates the property of man by which he constantly goes beyond himself in all that he thinks, will, and in all that he realizes.”  Excellence is the human person’s self- transcendence. For in being excellent the human person is bound to surpass his limitations, to cross the boundaries of shortcomings, and to improve himself or herself. This rather spiritual dimension of excellence has been buried by modern and post- modern ideologies.  As C.S. Lewis’ critique of this in his work, Screwtape Letters, he said, “What I want to fix your attention on is the vast, overall movement towards the discrediting, and finally the elimination, of every kind of human excellence – moral, cultural, social, or intellectual…”  With this, even at the time of Lewis, there has been a major backlog in excellence and outpouring mediocrity all because of the abandonment of the religious, of the spiritual, and its replacement of the material, and the perishable.  Point 2: Religion and Excellence Religion comes from the Latin word, Relegere or simply to relate with the Divine. Religion is summed up as our relationship with the transcendent One, the Summum Bonum (Supreme Good), and the Almighty One. Since all attributes belong to the One, excellence in all aspects as pointed out by Lewis finds its origin in man’s search for that which is beyond himself/ herself.  Every religion has their concept of virtue and excellence as manifested from the divine, that they share most of the time. The model and origin, the cause, and the principle behind virtue, including excellence (Arete), is the Divine. Excellence and Virtue (arete), therefore is easier to practice because of the systems of World Religions.  According to Dr. Peter Kreeft, author and philosopher, there are at least 3 reasons why 1. Religion gives you a clearer, more complete map of [virtue and excellence]. 2. Religion gives you God’s mind, not just your own. 3. Religion gives you the reality of contingency. We are dependent to the One who is eternally Noncontingent Being. 4. Religion gives you higher ideals, which are more interesting, more beautiful, and more inspiring than worldly ideals. Application (On the materiality and immateriality of the Human Person): According to Dr. Peter Kreeft (2008), “Your soul is everything in you that’s not made of atoms and molecules, everything that’s not material and visible. From your soul come your thoughts, your choices, your desires, your willing, and your feelings. In each of these, your body plays a part too; it is your soul’s instrument… your mind is spiritual; your brain is physical.”  It is religion, in the general sense brings forth this connection for science in its very nature concerns itself with the material, of the matter, not the spiritual. Excellence and Religion in Different Aspects:  1. Moral Excellence the primary sense of arete is understood to be moral excellence. God is holy. He’s perfectly pure and just and good. He’s supremely compassionate and kind. Hence those who belong to Him are to exhibit these traits in increasing measure as well. In effect, the fruit of the Spirit exemplifies various facets of moral excellence that God is growing in the lives of believers.  2. Cultural Excellence This cultural mandate extends to all individuals in every sphere of endeavor – arts, sciences, medicine, government, labor, education, parenting. When performed with excellence – whether by believers or non- believers – these activities mirror something of the creativity, goodness, and beauty of the Summum Bonum. 3. Intellectual Excellence It also implies a vital life of the intellect, a developed capacity for critical thought, a love of truth wherever it’s found, a desire to explore and understand the world God has made. In a word, it’s to use our minds to the full potential for which God created them.  4. Social Excellence Social ethics, social responsibilities, good social action, is a necessary and important… because it is a necessary and important part of human life. REFERENCES: Lewis, C.S. (1961). The Screwtape Letters (new edition, 2015). HarperOne, New York. Kreeft, P. (2008). Because God is Real. Ignatius Press, San Francisco. https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/content/excellence-a-neglected-and- misunderstood-virtue