Traditionally, it has been believed by Christians (and I think the same correlation can be seen in pop psychology as well) that when it comes to growth in character, theology (i.e., correct belief) leads to holiness (i.e., correct behavior). Indeed, historically those who have placed too much weight on godly conduct are often accused of the heresy of legalism. It is usually thought and taught that proper faith issues in proper living, that to focus on faith in Christs work on the believers behalf inevitably produces godly character. The same basic concept is usually held regarding secular character development as well. It is typical for people to assert that proper teaching/knowledge and a proper attitude will result in changed behavior. As Plato said, To know the good is to do the good. But this way of seeing character development is faulty. Human growth is just as likely to occur in the reverse way; i.e., proper conduct can result in creating/strengthening the sought after changes in attitude, disposition, and belief. This is good news for those who cant seem to believe or feel those emotions or articles of faith/belief thought to underpin character growth. For those who cant seem to get their head right and be mentally positive and convinced of the right things, they can simply perform the actions that correlate with these mental states and the actions themselves will, or a least often do, lead to the desired change in thoughts and mental/emotional orientation. In other words, correct behavior can result in correct belief and attitude.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 06:32:31 +0000
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