Confession is effective because it instantly eradicates self-deception, halting the endless succession of consequences that would surely follow from it. It effectively makes a fresh start possible, free from the pernicious tendencies that, in order to manifest themselves again, would require a new decision. Verbalizing the fault solidifies the acknowledgment and the desire for amendment; the act of expressing it outwardly literally brings it out into the open and thus undeniably achieves its intended purpose. All of this is something the intellect can already perceive even before the experience.
Tag: religion
Both Christian and Eastern Traditions…
Both Christian and Eastern traditions know very well that error weighs much less heavily on the layman than on the knower. That is why it is often said that one should reflect carefully before embarking on the path of renunciation: once the vow is made, the fall is certainly more severe, and often irreversible. So it is with matters of the spirit. Woe to those who, aware of the world, propose to renounce it. From that moment on, temptations will seem endless, camouflaged ever more subtly, always lurking in anticipation of the slightest assent, which seems like nothing, but which consummates betrayal forever. From then on, one falls and falls very deep without realizing it, one begins to make simple mistakes, long since overcome, and when the mind remembers, in a fortuitous flash, the old vow, the previous state of mind that no longer exists, it wants both, but can no longer have them, and perhaps never will again.
Perhaps the Main Reason for Modern Atheism…
Perhaps the main reason for modern atheism is that man today spends his life in a controlled environment, feeding a false sense of security, which takes the place of what he lacks most: the experience of extreme helplessness, of total dependence on his condition. It would not be difficult to cure him of his disbelief: it would suffice to put him in a small boat, on the open sea, in the middle of a storm, or alone, at night, in a dense forest, and he would certainly make peace with religion and return from the experience transformed, reciting a handful of prayers from memory.
The Term “Religions” Is One of the Most Misleading
The term “religions” is one of the most misleading, and makes those fanatics, who know only one of them and set out to proclaim their opinions, look ridiculously foolish. A little reading is enough to show that so-called religions have their own vocabulary and talk about different things. While translations may sometimes convey a different image, no translation can betray the ostensibly original whole. Hence, in order to see a direct conflict between them, it is almost always necessary to fabricate a straw man, something that can only reveal the ignorance of its maker. But it is useless: it takes a tremendous effort to prevent vanity from manifesting itself.