God as Supreme Being QUESTION from George Massart September 7, 2000 My sister-in-law (a convert to Roman Catholicism) does not understand why God wants and requires complete submission to Him. She thinks he is arrogant. How can I properly respond to this statement?
George
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, O.L.S.M. on November 20, 2000 Dear George:
I'm not sure one can respond to such a completely arrogant and blasphemous statement as that. Your sister-in-law needs to resign as goddess of the world and understand she is but a creature.
I suppose it might help to understand what the word arrogant means. In this age where 70-80% of the adults in American are what I call practically illiterate most people use the word arrogant improperly. Many will call a person arrogant because they tell the truth, a truth, the person doesn't want to hear.
Arrogance is to take upon oneself more than what is due, to consider oneself more important that one is. Since God is ALL POWERFUL, ALL KNOWING and EVERYWHERE by His nature, how can He be arrogant? Is He claiming more than His due? I think not.
Especially if this arrogance is part of a larger picture such as narcissism, I would advise your sister-in-law to see a counselor. She certainly has a dysfunctional perception of herself to think she can judge God.
I don't know what to say to her, other than to talk about how God is God and by definition cannot be arrogant.
Or maybe making an analogy to the family. God is our Father and He wants the best for us. He KNOWS the best for us because He is our Creator. Thus what He requests of us is in our best interest. When we don't wish to do what is best for us, we are like little children complaining about our parents. Is a human father arrogant to insist that his child not put her finger into a light socket?
I would also pray for her, because what she is doing is blasphemous and she is risking her soul to hell.
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