]
] God's Will?
] [http://www.hackunix.org/~derekm/gods_will.txt]
] by Derek P. Moore
] July 3, 2000
]

God's will?

Look at every instance of someone you know who is trying to do God's will.
If you look deeply and carefully, you will see that every one of them is
doing their own will.  Even the ones doing something seemingly selfless
are doing it for self-esteem, to assuage guilt, to play martyr, to turn on
God's "Automatic Blessing Machine," or simply because it helps them feel
good about themselves.

People who have truly and thoroughly extinguished every vestige of
self-interest and do good purely for the benefit of humankind are
nonexistent.

All of our actions, no matter how selfless they appear, are motivated by
our own selfishness:  "Look at me, I'm such a model Christian."  "Ah, I'm
such a good person, shining the light of the Lord upon the world."  "I
want to do what God would want me to do:  I'm doing God's work."

Attaching God's will to your actions only discounts your efforts.  You're
not doing them because they're truly good, you're doing them because
that's what this "god" would have you do.  You're admitting your own
self-deceit; you're admitting your own self-centeredness; you're admitting
your own inability to think and act for yourself; you're admitting your
own inability to be sincere with yourself and those around you.

Selfishness doesn't discount our efforts; it illuminates them because we
are being honest with ourselves in admitting the selfishness of our
actions.

Good is good because it is good, not because a deity has sanctioned it.

It's no big deal though.  We all have to operate according to what's best
for each of us.  If people claim they're doing God's will, no harm is
done.  But only when they, or you, are truly honest then will the
underlying motive be revealed.

We can do good things, we can do selfless things (although, if we look
deep enough, selfless actions are always rooted in rational selfishness),
and for very good reasons.  But when we attach God's will to our good,
we're only deceiving ourselves.  Whether we like it or not, we do /our/
will, not the will of a deity.  "God's will" is but a cop out, an
insurance policy if things don't work out for the best.

In the days of ancient Greece did people do Zeus' will?