Quotes by J. Budziszewski
J. Budziszewski (b. 1952) — Philosoph, Apologet und Universitätsprofessor · römisch-katholisch · USA
J. Budziszewski (* 1952) ist ein US-amerikanischer Philosoph und Politikwissenschaftler, der seit 1981 als Professor an der University of Texas at Austin lehrt. Der römisch-katholische Denker ist vor allem für seine Erneuerung der thomistischen Naturrechtslehre bekannt und vertritt die These, dass grundlegende moralische Wahrheiten unauslöschlich im menschlichen Gewissen verankert sind. Für Bibelleser bietet er philosophische Begründungen für eine objektive biblische Ethik, wenngleich seine traditionellen gesellschaftspolitischen Positionen im säkularen Diskurs umstritten sind.
Era: Today
Recurring topics: Temptation & Struggle, Wisdom & Understanding, Relationships & Family, God, Jesus & the Holy Spirit, Doubt & Hard Questions, Ethical Questions, Humility & Pride, Love
Quotes by J. Budziszewski
We don’t fear God because He’s bad. We stand in utter awe before Him because He’s so good it’s scary.
J. Budziszewski
If results are the only things that matter, then a false religion that has the desired results would be just as good as a true one. Not only that, but if results are the only things that matter, then if you could find a way to produce these results without religion, you wouldn’t need religion after all. Most important of all, if results are the only things that matter, you aren’t really worshiping God – you’re worshiping results.
J. Budziszewski
True compassion is when you are the one who bears the burden and pays the price.
J. Budziszewski
Violent persecution focuses the mind on the fact that the kingdom of this world is an enemy to the kingdom of God. When there hasn’t been any persecution for a long time – as in our part of the world – many Christians start expecting the world to be a friend. They slip into seeking the world’s approval instead of God’s.
J. Budziszewski
Feelings change. You can’t promise to have a feeling. So if love is a feeling, the marriage vow makes no sense at all. But the vow does make sense because love is not a feeling. What is it, then? Love is a commitment of the will to the true good of another person. Of course, people who love each other usually do have strong feelings too, but you can have those feelings without having love. Love, let me repeat, is a commitment of the will to the true good of another person.
J. Budziszewski
God is distinct from His creation. He isn’t a part of it; it isn’t a part of Him. He didn’t “arise” from it; it didn’t’ “arise” from Him. He spoke, and where nothing was before, it was.
J. Budziszewski
Arrogance doesn’t come from having convictions about the truth; it comes from having the wrong convictions about how to treat people who don’t share it with you. Humility doesn’t come from not having any convictions; it comes from having the right convictions about the importance of gentleness and respect [see 1 Pet. 3:15-16].
J. Budziszewski
According to research, the more hours a man and woman spend alone together, even if they begin with a firm intention of chastity, the further they tend to go and the more likely they are to lose control completely. Hearing this, most Christian young people have the good sense to see that couples who really want to remain chaste need to limit their time alone. That’s realism. Unfortunately, the more time they’ve been spending alone, the less obvious such realism will be to them. The solution is that they need to set their limits firmly at the beginning of their relationship, while their heads are still clear and realism is easier to achieve.
J. Budziszewski
If it were really true that living together is a trial of marriage, then divorces would be more common among couples who hadn’t first lived together than among couples who had. Actually, just the opposite is true: Divorces are more common among couples who have lived together first than among couples who haven’t. The reason isn’t hard to find. The very essence of marriage is having a binding commitment. The very essence of living together is having no binding commitment. That’s why living together can’t be a trial for marriage, because in everything that matters, the two conditions are opposites. And that’s why not having a binding commitment is less like training for marriage than like training for divorce.
J. Budziszewski
What naturalists call “science” isn’t really science – at least not if science means following the evidence! Naturalists like to think of themselves as brave defenders of clear reasoning against irrational superstition, but actually naturalism itself is the superstition. It isn’t supported by reasoning but by blind hostility to the evidence of God.
J. Budziszewski
[Discernment is] a mental sense of smell that helps you notice when “something smells fishy”…How can you sharpen this mental sense of smell? How can you develop discernment? First, you need to have a spirit of obedience to Jesus Christ. If your spirit is in rebellion, your nose will be in rebellion too. Second, you need to study the Word of God and other Christian literature. We’re talking about a mental, not physical, sense of smell. In order to develop it you have to use your mind. Third, you need to practice smelling. Smell everything. Your power of discernment is like a muscle. Use it or lose it. Fourth, you need to be accountable to other believers in a healthy Christian fellowship. If you try to learn to smell by yourself, your mental sense of smell will be eccentric. You’ll be like someone who takes a deep whiff of dung and says, “Ah, roses!”
J. Budziszewski
Where does [evil] come from, then? The only way to get a bad thing is to take a good thing and spoil it. For example, darkness isn’t made up from nothing; you get it by blocking the light. Disease isn’t made up from nothing; you get it by ruining health. Notice that this doesn’t work the other way around – you can’t get light by blocking darkness or health by ruining disease. So God created only good things, but some of them have been spoiled.
J. Budziszewski
One little lie leads to another, and pretty soon you’re telling whoppers. To soothe your sense of guilt, you lie to yourself too. Maybe you tell yourself you’re not really lying but just “repackaging the facts.” Maybe you take up the motto “You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.” Maybe you repeat false philosophies you’ve heard in the classroom, like “Acts must be judged by their consequences.” Or maybe you just make excuses: “I know the end doesn’t usually justify the means, but my case is special.” Before long you’ve told so many lies that you can’t even remember the truth. Worse yet, people who forget the truth usually go on the forget the Truth – and I think you know Who I mean!
J. Budziszewski
Listen, God invented sexual arousal. But for what purpose? To prepare your bodies for sex. Leading to sex is what sexual arousal is for. Don’t say, “We’ll do things that sexually arouse us, but we won’t let them lead to sex.” That’s like turning on powerful rocket motors but saying, “Don’t life off.” The solution? Avoid the things that arouse you! If sex is only for marriage, sexual arousal must be too.
J. Budziszewski
Satan can use your nonChristian friends in [many] ways to get to you. God wants you to rub off on them, but the Enemy wants them to rub off on you. So remember: You can have friends outside the faith, but for your deepest comrades you should look to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Hang out with the holy. Get in with the godly. Spend time with the saved. Know who your real family is – the one where the Father is God.
J. Budziszewski
Sources: wikipedia.org, firstthings.com, catholicculture.org
All quotes · lumen.bible