Exaggeration of Pessimism -> Rejection of Optimism:

Exaggeration of pessimism leads to fatalism and despair, in the belief that we have no control over what happens in life:

  • God alone causes all things to happen (determinism)
  • Work is futile (see Ecclesiastes)
  • suffering is normative and merely to be accepted with passive resignation
  • All our aspirations will ultimately be frustrated, so the best strategy is to renounce them now (Buddha)

    • In Christ, these fatalistic beliefs are conquered:

    "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

    I Corinthians 15:55-58 NIV


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