Eat your vegetables

Parent's tell their kids to eat their vegetables because they know it is what is best for them even if the kids don't know it yet.  I've heard of indulgences being the Catholic church's way of essentially telling the "lukewarm" of how to live a more holier life: praying, fasting, charity, etc.  This certainly seems better than the indulgences of old that (among other disagreements) ultimately caused Luther to post his 95 thesis in an effort to reform the church.  Back in the 1500's when the Reformation took place, the Catholic church was using indulgences as a way to raise money - through telling folks that they could purchase these indulgences granting their dead loved ones passage out of purgatory.

As I mentioned, it seems like the Catholic Church has definitely made forward progress in their use of indulgences (among other things), however I am still not convinced that it is the best way.  As a first step yes, we must tell our children what to do, but then very quickly we must explain to them the why so that they will not grow to be resentful but rather have the correct posture - desiring to do these "good works" as an outpouring of the love that we have already recieved from God as a free gift in the form of His son.  

It is my opinion that largely the Catholic Church has fallen down in it's attempts to ensure the correct posture but rather has primarily resorted to "scare tactics" to ensure that it's members do the right thing.  It is my opinion that we can do the right thing, for the wrong reason.  We do not actually benefit from the "good works" that we do unless done with the correct posture - and that is not that we would desire any reward here on Earth (like the prideful Pharasees) but rather seek that which is eternal.