Monday, June 30, 2008

Readings from Kierkegaard

A quick snippet from The Sickness Unto Death:
God and man are two qualities separated by an infinite qualitative difference. Humanly speaking, any teaching that disregards the difference is demented-divinely understood, it is blasphemy. In paganism, man made god a man (the man-god); in Christianity God makes himself man (the God-man). But in this infinite love of his merciful grace he nevertheless makes one condition: he cannot do otherwise.
When reading Kierkegaard, I'm always impressed that I'm reading a writer who seems to be completely about God. He never takes the simple way out of a dilemma. In The Sickness Unto Death, he argues that God will make you miserable. No prosperity theology here. In Fear and Trembling, he argues that true faith requires belief in God, not a moral canon.

Father John Neuhaus wrote a great article in First Things back in 2004 called "Kierkegaard for Grownups". I recommend you check it out.

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