[Magdalen] Confession of Sin.

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

If it is a confession of sin, then I ought not to see it at all.

Confessions of sin involve the individual.  This person cannot possibly
know what another person needs to confess. Since he's talking about  "us" I
claim the right to clarify his impaired view.  He is fully within his
rights to express his opinion, but I wish fewer people had such a toxic
view of themselves. It really does not help them or anyone else to go on
about "how awful I am." It's actually a form of bragging.


Here is the truth:
"We abuse, we betray, we are cruel.
We use righty, we are loyal, we reach out to heal the hurt.

"We destroy, we embitter, we  falsify.
We build up, we restore the sense of God's inherent goodness in all of us,
and we tell the truth even when it does not benefit us.

"We gossip, we hate, we insult.
We network to help others, we love, we strive to avoid hurting others.

"We jeer, we kill, we lie.
We cheer others on, we restore life as much as lies in us, we tell the
truth, even when it does not benefit us.

"We mock, we neglect, we oppress.
We uphold others, we pay close attention to the needs of others -- and not
merely those less fortunate than us, we loose the bonds of the oppressed.

"We pervert, we quarrel, we  rebel.
We restore the path of the right use for which a thing was purposed, we
mediate settlements between adversaries, we remain steadfast.

"We steal, we transgress, we are unkind.
We restore to all that which was taken from them, we respect boundaries, we
are kind.

"We are violent, we are  wicked,
        we are xenophobic.
We are gentle, we are good, we welcome the sojourner.

"We yield to evil, we are zealots for bad causes.
We yield to good, we are zealots for good causes."


There, that's a bit better.  Just off the top of my head.

Humankind gets a bad rap because of that "Fall" nonsense. We have gotten
into the rather ugly habit of proclaiming how evil and awful we are,
forgetting the truth -- that we all are capable of immense goodness as
well.  So, in a real sense, I view the man's comments as a lie -- a lie of
ommission, but a lie nevertheless.

Your mileage may vary...


James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
​(...
 but I wish it didn't.
​)​
​
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy

On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 4:59 PM, Ann Markle <ann.markle at aya.yale.edu> wrote:

> It would not, IMO, be appropriate to add your thoughts, Jim, to a
> confession of sin.  This is not a full theology of the human being, but a
> confession of sin.
>
> Ann
>
> The Rev. Ann Markle
> Buffalo, NY
> ann.markle at aya.yale.edu
> blog:  www.onewildandpreciouslife.typepad.com
>
> On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 12:31 AM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
> oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I guess this gentleman will see the glass as half-empty.
> >
> > Since he was a rabbi, I'm a bit surprised he didn't end, "and, in all
> > cases, at times, just the opposite."
> >
> > Humans are capable of depravity, but I'll only concede that as long as we
> > all add that humans are also just as capable of the most sublime
> > gentleness, sacrifice and loving care.  Because that statement by itself
> is
> > not accurate.
> >
> > And, no, I don't agree that we are mostly evil, nor do I agree that we
> tend
> > mostly toward evil.
> >
> > To each his or her own, of course, but I fear that letting such attitudes
> > loose leads to excess:
> >
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4q6eaLn2mY
> >
> > James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> > *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
> > except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
> >
> > On Wed, Dec 30, 2015 at 11:17 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
> > magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > This is a confession of sin from the Jewish Yom Kippur Liturgy
> > > by Rabbi Abram in 860AD.
> > >
> > > It was printed in English translation in the bimonthly "Worship"
> > > publication of the Benedictines of Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville,
> MN.
> > >
> > > It covers the subject eloquently and succinctly, and could serve  well
> > > as a Lenten litany:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > We abuse, we betray, we are cruel.  We destroy, we embitter, we
> falsify.
> > > We gossip, we hate, we insult.  We jeer, we kill, we lie.
> > > We mock, we neglect, we oppress.  We pervert, we quarrel, we  rebel.
> > > We steal, we transgress, we are unkind.  We are violent, we are
> wicked,
> > >         we are xenophobic.
> > > We yield to evil, we are zealots for bad causes.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > David Strang.
> > >
> > >
> >
>