Question 28.
What’s really the harm in emphasizing "the pursuit of pleasure"?
Answer 28.
Whenever an extra-biblical doctrine is created and taught broadly this question must be addressed: "What is the possible harm?"
As is pointed out in
FAQ 17 there may not be any harm at all depending on what the Christian believes the new doctrine teaches, or, in how the Christian acts upon what he hears. On the other hand, there are also many possible unhappy outcomes when embracing an extra-biblical doctrine.
First and foremost is the temptation to make the new extra-biblical doctrine obligatory and bidning on all. This is called legalism. It is most easily identified by seeing things stated as if they were commandments from the Word that must be obeyed, yet, oddly, these commandments are not actually found in the Word. Examples of such legalistic statements might be:
- "unless a man is born again into a Christian Hedonist he cannot see the Kingdom of God"
- "we should pursue happiness with all our might"
- worship is only authentic if the worshipper is "transported (perhaps only for seconds) above the reasoning work of the mind and we experience feeling without reference to logical or practical implications."
Secondly the danger can come from lust, or as C.S. Lewis called it, greed. C.S. Lewis wrote to Malcolm a deadly serious warning regarding the temptation to desire "lawful" pleasure. Lewis called this temptation greed.
"Greed. Instead of saying, ‘This also is Thou,’ one may say the fatal word Encore
."
Greed. The pursuit of pleasure for oneself. Demanding of God that we again and again get pleasure from Him or His world.
Thirdly we face the pitfall of pride. Again, C.S. Lewis wrote to Malcolm about focusing too intently on pleasure in order to find God within that experience. Lewis thought that this practice could lead to pride since not everyone experiences the same emotions or sees the same relevance in similar events. And when a person begins to believe that "seeing God" in a pleasurable event is more desirous than, for example, seeing a warning or seeing a sober teaching then he is in danger of proudly judging others as being inferior. Lewis wrote:
"There is also conceit: the dangerous reflection that not everyone can find God in a plain slice of bread and butter, or that others would condemn as simply ‘grey’ the sky in which I am delightedly observing such delicacies of pearl and dove and silver."
Not everyone will respond the same way to any given circumstance, and when this happens, the tendency of man, including the hedonist, will be to assume oneself to be superior over another who sees not a pleasure in an experience, but perhaps some other equally valid but unpleasant message (e.g. a rebuke for sin committed, a memory of a lost one resurfaced, a foreshadowing of an impending doom that escapes the notice of the one consumed with pleasure).
What harms are possible? There are many more potential dangers beyond legalism, greed, and pride. A more in depth exploration can be found by reading What Harm a Little Hedonism?
