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                            %RELIGIOUS DOUBLE BINDS 790113

     Religious  leaders have  traditionally  assumed  that
the  key  human problem was to know what  constituted  the
right action in each situation,  and to take  that action.
They  have  assumed that each  situation  called  for  one
unique correct action.    Often it has  been  assumed that
conscience  unambiguously made clear what the  one  unique
correct action was;  that the only problem had to do  with
obeying conscience.   Those who failed to obey  conscience
were  to be punished,  those who consistently and  without
fail obeyed conscience were to be rewarded---later, if not
now.   The religious  leader's  duty  was  to announce the
correct  actions,   the  punishments,   and  the  rewards.
Excessive clarity was to be avoided,  lest the  weaknesses
of the religious system be exposed.

     Real living  involves  many situations in which there
is a wide variety of loving responses; not one of which is
more "correct" than another.  The assumption that there is
only  one  "correct"   response to a  situation  does  not
correspond  to  real life.   We make many choices  on  the
basis  of desire or whim,  rather than on the basis of any
definition  of  "correctness".   There is no one "correct"
friend  to cultivate.   There is not  just  one  "correct"
profession to train for.   There is not just one "correct"
house to buy,  one "correct"  college to attend.  Yet each
decision opens and closes many very important doors.

     Real  living  involves  many  situation in which  one
definition  of "correct"   threatens  excommunication if a
contemplated   action  is  done,   another  definition  of
"correct"  threatens  excommunication  if the contemplated
action is NOT done.  Both definitions of correct are often
of  a  religious nature,  maybe even from within the  same
faith and church.  Few  religious  leaders acknowledge the
existence of such  double  binds, much less that they help
create them.  Rarely do religious leaders seek to publicly
deal with how we should regard people who are  trapped  in
double  binds with respect to our diverse  definitions  of
"correct".

Religious leaders may be judged by their fruits;  do
they promote or help transcend  alienation,  estrangement,
excommunication?  Do  they encourage lovers to minister to
the needs of those trapped  in  double binds? Do they seek
to  reconcile  those  who have been  violated  because  of
double binds?
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
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