Why call the posts dumb? Because I don't claim to be an expert, and I'm just spouting off whatever is in my mind. People want to hear experts, so perhaps that's why they can blow off anything I want to write here. Opinions are like a-holes, everybody has one.
With that out of the way, here's some more spouting off:
This is about the Catholic practice of confessions. I'm not Catholic, by the way. Never did one of those, and not planning to start. Of course, I have an opinion on it. Why not? Perhaps it isn't an opinion. Maybe it is just a thought. Maybe it's just dumb.
Anyway, here goes... There's a saying that you may have heard before, but not so much these days. That is, "confession is good for the soul". Why is that? Before I go off into the weeds about that subject, let's just stick with the pure benefit of it, whatever it may be.
If I may observe something here, is that there is a lot of guilt-giving in this society now. By guilt-giving, I mean to say that if you don't do this or do that, a load of guilt is laid upon your poor head for not being a good person. Nobody really wants to be a bad person. Even a notorious outlaw, like Al Capone, didn't think he was a bad man. Nobody wants to have something grinding them down inside either. If you feel guilty about something, it is better to get it off your chest, right?
What I mean to say is that people want to think well of themselves, and to have others think well of them. By confession of guilt, it is possible to make amends and to keep the peace between folks. But nobody wants to admit failure or wrongdoing. That is especially true if they aren't wrong!
When I was younger, I was guilty of getting into a lot more arguments than these days. Or I'd like to think that I don't get into as many as now. It seems that in the work place, things went a lot smoother when I admitted fault when I did do something wrong. Could it not be the same in the society as a whole? What if everybody admitted their guilt and made a point of doing that? It seems that the Jews DID do that at one time. ( Maybe they still do, but in the old days they sacrificed animals) What they were doing was to get rid of guilt feelings and make amends with anyone that they've wronged. This could be what is meant by "confession is good for the soul."
Maybe confession is good all around. But instead of that, you get a lot of arguments. Peace breaks down, and so on and so forth.
Therefore, the Catholic practice of confession is a good thing and plays the same role as the "sacrificial lamb", as a manner of speaking. By the way, in the days of Kings, a whipping boy was there to take the guilt of the King or Prince. It protects the concept that the "King can do no wrong". That's true even if the King DID do wrong, hence the need for punishing "somebody". What we have these days is the two-tiered practice of justice.
Even though this is a "dumb post", it has some backing to it. Based on my own experiences, and some practices that have gone on for thousands of years, the expiation of guilt is a good practice.
A lot of troubles are in the world. There is also a lot of "giving guilt". Perhaps those who do the guilt-tripping are full of it. It could be a scam. If somebody can get something that they aren't entitled to, one way may be to claim injury when there is none.
How do you tell the difference? It would seem that a way could be found that could be acceptable. Nothing is perfect, but there are good ways to determine the truth or absence of such.
Another dumb thing here is this: It seems that all of this is being abandoned in favor of arbitrary demands. We may well be sinking into chaos because of it. Guilt needs to be expiated, but the main practice seems in giving guilt.
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