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Living according to Catholic teachings is doing a heck of a lot. Take a look at Mother Theresa, for example. For most people, it just means trying to make the lives of everyone else around you better, in simple ways, but even then, it’s only nothing if you’re not really trying…
Other than not having sex before marriage and just being a decent person in general I don’t think living by those tenets is a particularly difficult challenge.
You’ve boiled Christianity down to just about nothing, and if you see it that way, it’s no wonder it seems easy. Even simple things, like being friendly with someone who’s a jerk to you, or performing random acts of kindness whenever the opportunity shows itself are easier said than done.
Volunteering in soup kitchens; protesting unjust laws; doing every chore, school assignment, and task at your job to the best of your ability; donating a sizeable amount of what you earn to charity; being cheerful even when your day has been crappy; cleaning the toilets so another family member doesn’t have to do it instead; sacrificing your time to help an acquaintance – or a stranger – with some difficulty; visiting people in the old folks home or the hospital just to cheer them up; taking the time to talk (cheerfully, sympathetically, and patiently) to that person who just won’t leave you alone and feels the desparate need to tell you their life story; or not getting angry at the guy who cuts you off in traffic are just a few of the things that every good Christian should do consistently, so far as they are able. Do I do them all? No. Most of them, yes, but it is very difficult to take time out of your schedule and visit strangers, or to not be irritable when you’re having a bad day, so as not to make it a bad day for other people.
Being kind to someone who wronged you is hard I admit but that depends on the person. Also “easier said than done” does not equate to “difficult”. It’s only difficult if you have little free time but the acts themselves aren’t.
The most difficult part about them is doing it when you don’t want to, which is generally most of the time. Many of those things involve sacrificing one’s free time, which is easy enough to do on occasion, but not all the time.
I don’t think you’ll find that there are many people who do all, or even most, of those things (Catholics included). I do know several people who do, but the one thing they have in common is that they’re all Christian (and almost all Catholic). I have yet to meet a non-religious person, non-practising Christian, or someone from another religion who does even the majority of those things–though that’s not to say there aren’t any (and I can’t say I know a ton of atheists, agnostics, Muslims, etc. either).
I think even doing 2 or 3 good deeds a day is consistent enough to satisfy Yahweh. 2 or 3 isn’t hard at all.
Your ignorance of the Bible is very clear in this statement.
Care to elaborate?
It’s very clear in its condemnation of self-righteousness and relying on good works.
I never condemned self righteousness and doing good deeds; I have merely stated that being a decent person and doing good deeds is easy…that’s all lol
I meant that the Bible is opposed to relying on your ability to do good works.
Well that’s only when it comes to doing nothing but still having your prayer answered…Which is a completely specific circumstance.
