I'm SERIOUSLY not trying to sound like an asshole just because this is a Christian forum, and although lately I've been here trashing Christianity I truly don't have a problem with it or that people practice it, because people can believe anything they want, it's their right as a living being. But.... Nothing made me feel more guilty in my life than when I was Christian and believed in God/Hell. Hell scared the shit out of me, and God too, because I was so deeply worried that anything I did would put me in hell. That's why I don't believe that religion should be taught to children, and I rarely say something should be held from children because (Not bragging) I was an exceptionally intelligent child, and it made me sick when (and still does when I see it) someone treated a child as an invalid, but knowing what even I went through, I think it shouldn't be put on children untill they're ready to make their own decision completely by themselves. If they unfortunately die before they get to whatever age that is (it'll vary for everyone), there's the whole.. ya know.. they're ignorant to it so God won't hold it against them, I read that somewhere on here and I've known about the idea for a while, I think its' good and should be held for some years later. I think it's horrible to put a child through that, the idea that if they do something wrong right now and die tomorrow they'll go to hell. Anyways, other than that, I think guilt is caused by social stigmas (Not necessarily related to religion) and shame. Like nudity, or masturbation, confused sexual feelings, worrying if a decision you made is the right one because you know someone important in your life wouldn't approve, even if it's right for you... But there's SOME good guilt, the whole "Concience" thing, ya know, feeling bad about doing something you KNOW is wrong like hurting someone (emotionally or physically) and wanting to apologize... Fear also has good and bad. The other day a friend of mine was telling me how sometimes when he smokes a lot of weed over a period of time it start to wear him down and makes him think about things in his life that he'd rather not think about, that don't bother him when he's sober. I explained to him that that fear he has about confronting those things are a sign that he needs to so he can resolve them and stop worrying about being afraid. Then there's irrational fear that can have obvious reasons or no seeming reason at all, like my insane fear of moths that I have no basis for. I'm sorry if I annoyed anyone with the religion thing, but it's true (atleast a fact for me) and it's a Christian forum so I figured it fit.
quilt comes from a breach of moral conduct that we set for ourselves wether we be religious or not. however a lot of people do experience religious guilt. in fact one of irelands most famous poets was desperate for those feelings. he had a strict catholic upbringing but later in life chose not to care for it. however though he tried not to care for it his religious guilt held him back in the ways of experiencing the world and the opposite sex. as for fear....i think the feeling of powerlessness causes fear and the possibility of horrible things happening to you. the loss of a loved on. fear of getting hurt etc. but also it can be equated with religion also. people might fear the coming and final judgement and realise that in fact they will be judged impure. or at least believe they will i think it really goes either way.
For me i feel guilty when i have done something to upset God....i would feel the same way if i had upset any other of my friends. Guilt is the revelation and regret of doing wrong. roly.xxx
Guilt and fear exist inependantly of sin. For those who follow the Judeo-Christian-Islamic deity, these may seem to be connected, but that is because said people suffer from the affliction of original sin. I don't suffer from that affliction, yet I can still feel guilt and fear, strive to do good works and have a strong moral balance. I just don't have to worry about the all those extra silly little sins that plague those poor Christians. You can tell a person who suffers from original sin relatively easily. If you are ashamed of your naked body, then you suffer from original sin. This was the first symptom of that affliction, when one of the deities tricked two people He made into eating fruit from some tree that programed them into accepting His concepts of good and evil (seems to me the serpent was working for Him). I think He must not have liked the other people - had to make His own, well, He is a jealous god, this much has been established. If you have no shame about your nakedness, then you do not suffer from original sin and you need not concern yourselves with the covenant that particular deity made nor with His other concepts of sin. They don't apply to you. You'll still feel guilt and fear, though. That's just a part of being human.
