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%PUNISH SELF OTHER UNDESCRIBABLE CRIMES NONSENSE 990515
It makes no sense for us to punish our selves or each
other for presumed "crimes" when we are unable to describe
to ourselves or to others in just what way such "crimes"
threaten our personal/communal integrity --- or contribute
to our personal/communal disintegration.
It is idolatrous to make any presumed "crime" be of
such an ultimate concern and/or focus of fear --- that we
feel that we must judge, condemn and punish anybody who
commits the presumed "crime" --- even though we are unable
to describe to ourselves or to others in just what way
such "crimes" threaten our personal/communal integrity
--- or contribute to our personal/communal disintegration.
In religious terms:
Only God Herself/Himself merits such an ultimate
level of concern and/or sense of awe and wonder --- and we
will do well and be well in being aware of the risks in
lifting other than God Himself/Herself to such a high
level of concern and/or sense of awe and wonder.
To treat any other "object", "reality", "spirit",
"calling", "demand", "command", "prescription",
"proscription", "taboo", "technology", "technique", or
"thing" with such an ultimate level of concern and/or
sense of awe and wonder --- is to worship a false god of
our own conception and construction.
Worshipping false gods leads to personal and communal
disintegration through:
1. Playing collusive games of mutual self deception.
2. Attempting to control what we cannot control.
3. Arrogance in attempting to be self-righteous.
4. Seeking to achieve salvation for
ourselves/others.
5. Pretending to be what we are not and cannot be.
6. Pretending that we can be: eternal,
omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, or ultimately
wise/successful.
We make fools of ourselves and those whom we
ultimately respect/admire --- when we lift ourselves
and/or them up as being --- ultimately "better",
"superior" or more perfect --- to the extent that we
regard it as proper for us to sacrifice other "lesser",
"inferior", and/or "imperfect" persons.
In such instances we cannot recognize our own folly,
for it is against the rules of our hidden games of mutual
self deception to recognize our own folly.
In the light of the above considerations it can be
reasonable to entertain the thought that people might
sacrifice their personal and communal integrity and the
personal and communal integrity of those nearest and
dearest to them --- in the service of:
1. Commandments which are treated as gods.
2. Rituals which are treated as gods.
3. Confessional statements that are treated as gods.
4. Scriptural statements that are treated as gods.
5. Religious laws which are treated as gods.
6. Communal traditions which are treated as gods.
7. Taboos which are treated as gods.
8. Images of God which are treated as gods.
9. Theological statements which are treated as gods.
10. Conflicts which are treated as gods.
(c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in
www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty
(On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)
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