Prosperity and authority

In contrast to the Michael Gershon op-ed of August 6th which extolled the virtue of suffering for others, The Oklahoman has been running several stories lately that lean more toward the so-called "prosperity gospel", which extolls the blessings and rewards that await those who turn off their brains and place themselves completely in God's hands. This whitewashing of Christian morality ultimately leads to the same goal: mindless authoritarianism.

Adherents to the "prosperity gospel" confuse the issue by claiming that their success on earth was achieved by God, not them, regardless of the actual circumstances and the amount of actual effort they made, themselves. They evade the guilt inculcated by altruism by claiming, in effect, "But it's God's will! My own judgement had nothing to do with it!"

The person who has abandoned his own independent judgement has abandoned rationality, which is the human means of survival. Such a person has defaulted on the basic responsibility of being human: the responsibility to think.

Those who give in to unearned guilt by giving God the credit for the results of using their own judgement to achieve success in this life, thereby earn guilt by slandering themselves.