[Magdalen] Confession of Sin.

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

"We use rightly..."

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 Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 7:20 PM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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.
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>>
>
>