Eudaimonist said:
Socrates strikes me as heroic in both his rationality and his integrity. He is one of my greatest moral heroes, and far, far superior to Jesus as a role model due to his dedication to reason and self-examination.
Hmm... I must confess that I don't agree with you at all.
First let me try and define "ration"
My best-friend dictionary.com says. "Having or excercsing the ability to reason"
Now Socrates was a genius, no doubt about it. He caused a paradigm shift in philosophical culture of his day and shaped Western philosophy of ours. Also I am sure he is a very moral person, which is good for other people. Because he basically wants to do "good." Hey I'm all for doing good.
Eph 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Jesus Christ for good works..."
Titus 3:14 "And let our people also learn to maintain good works,..."
Not only are we to do them we should be ZEALOUS to do them.
Titus 2:14 "[He] gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."
But back to point. Socrates is not a better role-model that Jesus:
1) Role model for what? Sure Socrates may model particular behavioral or social role. But I ask you what good is that role? How sad is it to think of great, nice, wonderful, tax paying, PTO going, girl scout cookie buying people who model after a man of morality and reason and ration. Because when they die and God pours out His perfect wrath on them, their morality and ration and reason will get them no where.
2) Christ is a better role model anyways. You are comparing an apple to fruit here. Christ was perfect in His reason and His self-examination because He was never wrong. He understand that His (and mans) reason (basis for motive and action) was to glorify God. Whatever Socrates ration showed him was not perfection.
3) Sin. I think a story will help describe this.
Back in the 1400's there were competitions amoung soldiers and mercenaries. It was to see who the best fighter was in their class, such as swords, bows, lance, etc. . And the winner of the competition was usually hired by the king to fight for him. Well during the archery competition there are 85 archers from around the country. Best in their area. The first round they are 10 yards out and are allowed one shot. Everyone who misses the center of the bullseye is out. So 50 percent miss the very center. Then they move to 20 yards. Out of the remaining archers only 3 move on. Then they move to 50 yards. ! archer hits the middle and the other 2 hit just outside the bullyeye. While these archers are good they lose. Then for show the winning archer moves back to 100, 150, 200, 300 yards! Everytime hitting the dead center of the bullseye. Which archer would you want in your army? Of course the best archer. The one that never missed the mark.
The old term for measuring the distance from the bullseye to where the arrow was, was called sin. Sin meaning missing the mark. And while some archers are good and come closeto the center, they always have sin, amount they missed the mark by. But Jesus was that perfect archer. He didnt miss the mark. he was without sin, sinless.
So while Socrates may have been a good "archer" he missed the mark and therefore had sin. And I don't know about you but I much rather put my hope and my faith in someone who didn't miss the mark.
Oh yeah, the downside of missing the mark is severe. But I have claimed the perfect archers record. I am, as one without sin in God's eyes. Are you wiling to risk eternity on Socrates? I will be praying for you
Love Chris,
Sorry about the novel
