Is God necessary for a Stoic ethics?

Over at the Stoic forum, Nigel Glassborow captures very nicely the essence of Stoicism.

"So we start to get an inkling as to why the Living Cosmos is essential to Stoic philosophy and ethics. The conclusions arrived at from the knowledge they put together convinced the Stoics of old that to live life well meant living life virtuously, in full recognition that the individual is just a spark of the whole, and so the selfish longing to live life well required that one lives life selflessly. One has to live for the whole Self rather than the Self contained in one’s mortal body. And the whole Self is the living Cosmos."

The Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God

Keith Seddon is, as far as I know, the leading Stoic in the world. He is the co-moderator of the International Stoic Forum and has recently resumed regular posting there upon finishing a book on Epictetus which will be out this fall. What Keith has to say can benefit all. A very recent post:

"Here is one argument for the existence of God, the Cosmological Argument, which I wheel out on this Forum roughly once a year. (It is saved in the Files section of the Forum.) I have not seen an attempt to refute it (tho I think one or two people have offered what they take to be a refutation), and I have not seen a refutation that urges me to abandon my acceptance of the argument.

"The Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God, as far as I know, was not known by the ancient Stoics, who refer to only the Argument from Design.

"The following is a slightly amended version from Tom Morris's PHILOSOPHY FOR DUMMIES (p. 248):"

Sin, Pride, and Self-Acceptance

"Pride and self-hate belong inseparably together; they are two expressions of one process." - Karen Horney

Updated link!