The Logical Conclusion

I've decided that, for my own good, it would probably be better if I wasn't taking Philosophy.

Kidding. A bit.

The fact is that I have already seen how dangerous it is to wield reason, for one's own sake. Truly, logic is a two-edged sword.

Yesterday, it cut backwards.

I was having a not-particularly-serious discussion about going to chapel. The whole campus on Concordia shuts down for half an hour each morning for chapel--which most students don't attend, myself included. My reasoning for going was never really thought out, but basically it came down to a dislike of style of worship. Call me a Catholic elitist, call me picky, or call me whatever... I wasn't going.

Anyway, I was sort of teasing a friend about going to "feel-good chapel", and she (wisely) was ignoring my arguments and telling me I was being too stubborn (which I was). During a lull in the conversation, however, I had a rather painful epiphany.

My reason for criticising, even in jest, those going to chapel is that they went simply because they wanted to. Well, that was a pretty hypocritical attitude to take, I now realised, since I was not going for basically the same reason: I wasn't feeling good about it.

The logical conclusion then, was that I could no longer criticise those going to chapel. Or, if I were to criticise them for going simply because it felt good, I would be morally obliged to go myself, DESPITE not really enjoying it, if I intended to retain the premise that feelings are a poor basis for worship.

I was also quite unable to come up with a difference reason for avoiding chapel. The fact that it's at a Lutheran college gets me nowhere, since it's a nondenominational worship in pretty much every sense, and quite apart from excusing myself from attending on the grounds of being a Catholic seminarian, I am in fact obliged to attend as a practical sign of ecumenism and Christian unity.

The end result? Barring a startling philosophic revelation, I will likely be in chapel tomorrow (today I'm not at Concordia until 12:30, so I'm excused on the grounds of simply not being at school).

I'm sure this is good for my soul. The having to die to self part makes that evidently clear.