People used to jokingly say "The Devil made me do it!". Though the saying has lost it's popularity the concept behind it lives on in most of American culture.
In almost every church on every Sunday you hear someone preach about how weak humans are tempted by Satan and how they can avoid the consequences of going to Hell by giving their "sins" to Jesus. I suspect, the Sin and Repentance cycle is the main reason churches are still financially profitable.
Sin is unavoidable. The main message of religion seems to be to avoid all experience. This is impossible, unless one is willing to still alone in a cave.
Blaming someone else, especially some unseen supernatural being for your mess and then expecting another supernatural being to get you out of the consequences is foolish and spiritually dangerous. The cycle of making mistakes and then correcting or living with them is how people grow spiritually.
Spiritually passing the buck is not based in reality. Even if you manage to convince yourself you are "saved", the consequences of your behaviors will catch up to you. Reality is that you will pay for your own "sins". You will reap what you have sown. Your mind will not find peace until you accept this.
A mature soul takes responsibility for what they have done. They see their moments of weakness as opportunities to grow. They train themselves to no repeat their mistakes. They learn to think about the consequences before they act. They become the master of and not a slave to earthly desires.
As individuals they learn to forgive themselves and others for their weaknesses. They learn to act out of love and to not react out of fear.
Reacting out of fear is bondage. Being afraid is Hell.
Acting out of love is Jesus' message of hope for us.
This is the Good News.
In almost every church on every Sunday you hear someone preach about how weak humans are tempted by Satan and how they can avoid the consequences of going to Hell by giving their "sins" to Jesus. I suspect, the Sin and Repentance cycle is the main reason churches are still financially profitable.
Sin is unavoidable. The main message of religion seems to be to avoid all experience. This is impossible, unless one is willing to still alone in a cave.
Blaming someone else, especially some unseen supernatural being for your mess and then expecting another supernatural being to get you out of the consequences is foolish and spiritually dangerous. The cycle of making mistakes and then correcting or living with them is how people grow spiritually.
Spiritually passing the buck is not based in reality. Even if you manage to convince yourself you are "saved", the consequences of your behaviors will catch up to you. Reality is that you will pay for your own "sins". You will reap what you have sown. Your mind will not find peace until you accept this.
A mature soul takes responsibility for what they have done. They see their moments of weakness as opportunities to grow. They train themselves to no repeat their mistakes. They learn to think about the consequences before they act. They become the master of and not a slave to earthly desires.
As individuals they learn to forgive themselves and others for their weaknesses. They learn to act out of love and to not react out of fear.
Reacting out of fear is bondage. Being afraid is Hell.
Acting out of love is Jesus' message of hope for us.
This is the Good News.