V for Vendetta-
V- Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. There is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
V for Vendetta
In Nz today V for Vendetta went on general release, the story of a masked 'everyman' - V and his desire to overthrow a fundmentalist tyranical government.
While it has a high level of violenece and soem great comic acting by Hugo Weaving, a really bad English accent from Natalie Portman it is a great story, echoing english history (Guy Fawkes), philosophy (the power of an idea - there bullet proof), and more importantly stories of rebellion in the face of oppression.
As usual fundamentalist Christianity takes a huge kicking from this movie - and i think rightly so. In oppresing the indivduals beliefs, sexuality, and personhood - fundamentalism too easily pushes people to wear masks, to give up their personhood. As a Christian this is soemthing I find a very difficult tension, desiring to see people come to know Christ, but not desiring to squash people inot a mold that is not them - not how they were created, but recognising to the place of sin - in that we are not as we were intended.
At the end of the day V's little rebellion offers nothing, he is the explosive, the firework, the monster, and as he comments to Evie it is up to her and the people to create a better world.
The religious overtones in this movie are in typical Wachowski style (matrix people). V is the type of messiah that I belive Judas would have desired Jesus to be, the world he was to create his understanding of the Kingdom. It is clearly wrong, founded on violence with no place for those who create it due to that violence. On the other hand the Kingdom that the fundamenlists desire is in human oppresing the individual.
Lots to chew over... and very much worth the price of admission
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Use of Video in Church
I am a person who has used video an awful lot in Church and last week decided to start writting a how to guide for our Diocese. First thing I looked at was what we can and can't do legaly...
Needless to say what we can use is not what I thought. Unless we have permission from the production companies in NZ we cannot legaly show any Movie clips - to do so is a breach of copyright under the copyright act of 1984. However should the producers give permission and apparently they often do then a certification needs to be given to the clip from the Film and Video Publications Board. The same rule applies to Movie Traliers in spite of the fact that many are made Public Domain through being put on the internet
Exceptions are made for educational establishments under the same act however the church is not an educational establishment. s.48 of the Copyright Act 1994.
However if you want to show a clip from a TV show that is possible through the purchasing of a license through Screenrights, the Audio-Visual Copyright Society Ltd.
However if you want to show a music video you can do that APRA whose responaibility is music have an industry standard that sees Church use in the context of worship as carrying the same rights as use in a house.
So if you want to show Kylie - that's oK - but Don't think showing Aslan as a modle of attonement is - it isn't - unless it's the BBC version with the stuffed Lion....
Needless to say what we can use is not what I thought. Unless we have permission from the production companies in NZ we cannot legaly show any Movie clips - to do so is a breach of copyright under the copyright act of 1984. However should the producers give permission and apparently they often do then a certification needs to be given to the clip from the Film and Video Publications Board. The same rule applies to Movie Traliers in spite of the fact that many are made Public Domain through being put on the internet
Exceptions are made for educational establishments under the same act however the church is not an educational establishment. s.48 of the Copyright Act 1994.
However if you want to show a clip from a TV show that is possible through the purchasing of a license through Screenrights, the Audio-Visual Copyright Society Ltd.
However if you want to show a music video you can do that APRA whose responaibility is music have an industry standard that sees Church use in the context of worship as carrying the same rights as use in a house.
So if you want to show Kylie - that's oK - but Don't think showing Aslan as a modle of attonement is - it isn't - unless it's the BBC version with the stuffed Lion....
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
The Explorer
The Explorer
The explorer returned to his people, who were eager to know about the Amazon. But how could he ever put into words the feelings that flooded his heart when he saw exotic flowers and heard the night-sounds of the forest; when he sensed the danger of wild beasts or paddled his canoe over treacherous rapids?
He said, "Go and find out for yourselves." To guide them he drew a map of the river. They pounced on the map. They framed it in their town hall. They made copies of it for themselves. And all who had a copy considered themselves experts on the river, for did they not know it's every turn and bend, how broad it was and how deep, where the rapids were and where the falls?
It is said that Buddha obdurately refused to be drawn into talking about God.
He was probably familiar with the dangers of drawing maps for armchair explorers.
from "The Song Of The Bird" by Anthony de Mello, SJ
The explorer returned to his people, who were eager to know about the Amazon. But how could he ever put into words the feelings that flooded his heart when he saw exotic flowers and heard the night-sounds of the forest; when he sensed the danger of wild beasts or paddled his canoe over treacherous rapids?
He said, "Go and find out for yourselves." To guide them he drew a map of the river. They pounced on the map. They framed it in their town hall. They made copies of it for themselves. And all who had a copy considered themselves experts on the river, for did they not know it's every turn and bend, how broad it was and how deep, where the rapids were and where the falls?
It is said that Buddha obdurately refused to be drawn into talking about God.
He was probably familiar with the dangers of drawing maps for armchair explorers.
from "The Song Of The Bird" by Anthony de Mello, SJ
When is the truth enough?
While i was in the Uk I bought a stack of books on issues relating to the demise of Christendom and the shape of the Church. A few years back I was considering doing this for a Masters thesis but threw it out the window
Anyway i have been doing a lot of thinking about this and talked about soem of the issues connected with it in a sermon on Sunday - One of my colleagues who heard the message said it had drawn up a few questions in his mind.
One particualr one related to the decline of the Church and all the rearranging refocusing and reimagening that is going on in an attempt to stop the decline. Surely the issue is truth not relevance.
I think he is right the issue in my mind is truth, but that must be followed by a further question what is the truth??? It seems to me that as the Church we can so easily forget what truth is or to put it another what the good news is....
The reimagening, rethinking and refocsuing is not just (I hope) playing with the seats but a genuine attempt to rediscover the truth of the gospel and seperate it from the dying corpse of Christendom.
While Christendom has offered the Church many good things (and bad) the gospel is not totaly wrapped up in it and I think could be removed from that context and allowed to be reimagined in a different context.
Anyway i have been doing a lot of thinking about this and talked about soem of the issues connected with it in a sermon on Sunday - One of my colleagues who heard the message said it had drawn up a few questions in his mind.
One particualr one related to the decline of the Church and all the rearranging refocusing and reimagening that is going on in an attempt to stop the decline. Surely the issue is truth not relevance.
I think he is right the issue in my mind is truth, but that must be followed by a further question what is the truth??? It seems to me that as the Church we can so easily forget what truth is or to put it another what the good news is....
The reimagening, rethinking and refocsuing is not just (I hope) playing with the seats but a genuine attempt to rediscover the truth of the gospel and seperate it from the dying corpse of Christendom.
While Christendom has offered the Church many good things (and bad) the gospel is not totaly wrapped up in it and I think could be removed from that context and allowed to be reimagined in a different context.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
noble....
This is a Goldie painting of my Wife's great, great, great, great Grandfather, Atama Paparangi a Northland Chief. we have a print of it hanging in our lounge at home too.I love the way that he looks down on his mokupuna (grandhcildren) through out the generations.
Make you feel safe, secure and loved....
Thursday, March 16, 2006
God the Father, God the Son and God the Butler???
Article from The Australian.
Life's on-call butler:
how teens view God
Jill Rowbotham, Religious affairs writer 04mar06
TEENAGERS no longer fear the existence of God, believing instead that a higher power is more like a "butler", to be called on whenever they are in strife.Results of a phone poll of 809 young Australians, to be presented at a Salvation Army conference in Sydney today, show the consumerist attitudes of teenagers extend beyond mobile phones and iPods to religion.
"While many are vaguely aware of the demands that religion makes, the dominance of the consumeristic culture in which they live tends to shape the way they approach what they hear," researcher Philip Hughes says.
The Christian Research Association survey revealed an underlying assumption that the young would make up their minds about what to believe and what to practice when they were ready and in a way that suited them.
In his paper on the study, to be published in the association's next quarterly bulletin, Mr Hughes says the teenagers assigned God attributes such as being loving, nice, friendly, forgiving and caring, although in discussions with students at church schools the ideas of God being the creator and of obeying his commands arose more often.
"The idea of God as a 'butler' on call when help is needed fits more readily into the consumeristic framework," he says, borrowing the comparison from the author of a similar study of US teenagers published last year, Christian Smith.
According to the association's survey, about 15 per cent of young Australians are enthusiastically involved in religion and the rest are "not deeply concerned".
While 75 per cent agree there is an inner being within each of us that we can discover, only 49 per cent believe in God, 34 per cent are unsure and 17 per cent are atheists. Life after death is a certainty according to 55 per cent, while 21 per cent are unsure and 23 per cent do not believe in it.
According to the Anglican Bishop of North Sydney, Glenn Davies, one reason teenagers might have a relaxed religious attitude is that their view of God reflects their view of and treatment of their parents.
"Their parents were the late baby boomers and were in many ways laissez faire. Now they regard their parents as "on call", like butlers," Dr Davies said. The lax attitudes of their parents also meant teenagers had not necessarily had the opportunity to develop a "moral centre".
"And when you are young, death seems so far away - so when tragedies like the recent deaths of the Mildura teenagers happen it is cataclysmic for them," he said.
But if Christianity is not gripping, neither are the other major religions, the study found. Only small proportions of teenagers have explored other options such as Buddhism (6.1per cent), Islam (5 per cent) and Hinduism (4.3 per cent). Nevertheless, 51 per cent believe in reincarnation or allow for its possibility, and 42 per cent believe definitely or possibly in astrology.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,18342764,00.html
Life's on-call butler:
how teens view God
Jill Rowbotham, Religious affairs writer 04mar06
TEENAGERS no longer fear the existence of God, believing instead that a higher power is more like a "butler", to be called on whenever they are in strife.Results of a phone poll of 809 young Australians, to be presented at a Salvation Army conference in Sydney today, show the consumerist attitudes of teenagers extend beyond mobile phones and iPods to religion.
"While many are vaguely aware of the demands that religion makes, the dominance of the consumeristic culture in which they live tends to shape the way they approach what they hear," researcher Philip Hughes says.
The Christian Research Association survey revealed an underlying assumption that the young would make up their minds about what to believe and what to practice when they were ready and in a way that suited them.
In his paper on the study, to be published in the association's next quarterly bulletin, Mr Hughes says the teenagers assigned God attributes such as being loving, nice, friendly, forgiving and caring, although in discussions with students at church schools the ideas of God being the creator and of obeying his commands arose more often.
"The idea of God as a 'butler' on call when help is needed fits more readily into the consumeristic framework," he says, borrowing the comparison from the author of a similar study of US teenagers published last year, Christian Smith.
According to the association's survey, about 15 per cent of young Australians are enthusiastically involved in religion and the rest are "not deeply concerned".
While 75 per cent agree there is an inner being within each of us that we can discover, only 49 per cent believe in God, 34 per cent are unsure and 17 per cent are atheists. Life after death is a certainty according to 55 per cent, while 21 per cent are unsure and 23 per cent do not believe in it.
According to the Anglican Bishop of North Sydney, Glenn Davies, one reason teenagers might have a relaxed religious attitude is that their view of God reflects their view of and treatment of their parents.
"Their parents were the late baby boomers and were in many ways laissez faire. Now they regard their parents as "on call", like butlers," Dr Davies said. The lax attitudes of their parents also meant teenagers had not necessarily had the opportunity to develop a "moral centre".
"And when you are young, death seems so far away - so when tragedies like the recent deaths of the Mildura teenagers happen it is cataclysmic for them," he said.
But if Christianity is not gripping, neither are the other major religions, the study found. Only small proportions of teenagers have explored other options such as Buddhism (6.1per cent), Islam (5 per cent) and Hinduism (4.3 per cent). Nevertheless, 51 per cent believe in reincarnation or allow for its possibility, and 42 per cent believe definitely or possibly in astrology.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,18342764,00.html
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
What if Jesus had married?
My son after watching the Dan Brown court case on the morning news asked me if Jesus had married. My answer - I don't think so - I suspect if he had it would have been mentioned in the gospels at least once. But if he had married maybe things would be a lot easier for the church, for one - we may have the direct succesor thing, which after he ascended (not to France) would certainly help with forming of denominations.
Well actualy that is not true becuase isn't that argument a huge part of the sunni and sheite argument in Iraq at the moment??
The Catholic church would certainly struggle to maintain its emphasis on single male priests which might not be a bad thing
The over associtaion between sex and sin would probably not be as extreme as it is.
in fact there are probably a few good reasons to say that Jesus would have married, the only problem is that despite all the digging around in dirt that soem writers have done they ain't exactly come up with much of a case to state it as a fact.
Which leads me to the conclusion that - he didn't marry - but would it have been a bad thing if he had?
Well actualy that is not true becuase isn't that argument a huge part of the sunni and sheite argument in Iraq at the moment??
The Catholic church would certainly struggle to maintain its emphasis on single male priests which might not be a bad thing
The over associtaion between sex and sin would probably not be as extreme as it is.
in fact there are probably a few good reasons to say that Jesus would have married, the only problem is that despite all the digging around in dirt that soem writers have done they ain't exactly come up with much of a case to state it as a fact.
Which leads me to the conclusion that - he didn't marry - but would it have been a bad thing if he had?
Monday, March 13, 2006
holysocks
For the last few years I have had a rather odd hobby - collecting Christian kitsch, Tacky attempts at evangelism. Though it's only a small collection it does help to ground me
So far I have:
A plastic Moses figurine - complete with commandments
A roller Jesus
I did have a crucifixtion play set but my son pinched it to play with his Star Wars figures
A Jesus loves you frisbee - great for evangelism at the beach... (not really)
and on Friday my Holy Socks arrived from the UK - Hideous piece of clothing that claims to bless your feet - tacky - http://www.holysocks.co.uk/home1.html
I also want an evangecube -http://www.evangecube.org/index2.html which I think are extremely stupid, but then i do have afriend who was a missionary in eastern europe that used to use them reguarly to communicate with non english speaking people - maybe they are not so stupid after all...
http://www.evangecube.org/movies/evangecube.htm
A funny weekend
Just read a story on http://gregplaysguitar.blogspot.com/2006/02/life-lesson.html blog, that reminded me of an incident over my weekend and how two different understanding of the gospel can influence our actions.
A few weeks back a young friend died of cancer, to bless the family a few people (well actualy it ended out about 50) got together to paint his parents house over the weekend. Lets just say that in itself was amazing the way that people drawn to a cause were willing to go out of their way. I would love to say that they were all Chrisitans - but they weren't and many of them the only time they had been in church was for the young guys funeral.
Anyway one of the guys I was talking too had jsut ran into some immaculatly dressed christians on the way to the house, they stopped him an dinsisted on telling him all about the joy of the Lord, and how he needed to know it. His reply, "I'll tell you what I know anout the joy of the Lord, come and stick some overalls on and join us up the hill painting." to whihc he went on to expalin what and why we were doing. I would love to say they joined us - but they didn't....
Kind of reminds me about St Francis, preach the word at all times and if neccesary use words.
Well this weekend me and my family did just that we preached the word with paint brushes, and were joined by 50 other people in doing that, people that who may not know Jesus but somehow deep on the inside know the second greatest commadment to love your neighbour as yourself.
A few weeks back a young friend died of cancer, to bless the family a few people (well actualy it ended out about 50) got together to paint his parents house over the weekend. Lets just say that in itself was amazing the way that people drawn to a cause were willing to go out of their way. I would love to say that they were all Chrisitans - but they weren't and many of them the only time they had been in church was for the young guys funeral.
Anyway one of the guys I was talking too had jsut ran into some immaculatly dressed christians on the way to the house, they stopped him an dinsisted on telling him all about the joy of the Lord, and how he needed to know it. His reply, "I'll tell you what I know anout the joy of the Lord, come and stick some overalls on and join us up the hill painting." to whihc he went on to expalin what and why we were doing. I would love to say they joined us - but they didn't....
Kind of reminds me about St Francis, preach the word at all times and if neccesary use words.
Well this weekend me and my family did just that we preached the word with paint brushes, and were joined by 50 other people in doing that, people that who may not know Jesus but somehow deep on the inside know the second greatest commadment to love your neighbour as yourself.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Doesn't remind me
I had a long drive to Kaikoura today, a time think, meditate, pray and sing really loudly
- song for today was this little Audioslave number
"Doesn't Remind Me"
I walk the streets of Japan till I get lost
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
With a graveyard tan carrying a cross
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like studying faces in a parking lot
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like driving backwards in the fog
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
[Chorus]The things that I've loved the things that I've lost
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
I like gypsy moths and radio talk
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like gospel music and canned applause
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like colorful clothing in the sun
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like hammering nails and speaking in tongues
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
[Chorus]The things that I've loved the things that I've lost
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need
Bend and shape me
I love the way you are
Slow and sweetly
Like never before
Calm and sleeping
We won't stir up the past
So descretely
We won't look back
[Chorus]The things that I've loved the things that I've lost
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need
I like throwing my voice and breaking guitars
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like playing in the sand what's mine is ours
If it doesn't remind me of anything
- song for today was this little Audioslave number
"Doesn't Remind Me"
I walk the streets of Japan till I get lost
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
With a graveyard tan carrying a cross
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like studying faces in a parking lot
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like driving backwards in the fog
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
[Chorus]The things that I've loved the things that I've lost
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
I like gypsy moths and radio talk
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like gospel music and canned applause
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like colorful clothing in the sun
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like hammering nails and speaking in tongues
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
[Chorus]The things that I've loved the things that I've lost
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need
Bend and shape me
I love the way you are
Slow and sweetly
Like never before
Calm and sleeping
We won't stir up the past
So descretely
We won't look back
[Chorus]The things that I've loved the things that I've lost
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need
I like throwing my voice and breaking guitars
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like playing in the sand what's mine is ours
If it doesn't remind me of anything
Rolling Stones......
Last week I joined the mad throng of Visa users and purchased tickets to see the rolling stones, actualy I have never been a huge fan of the stones, but they do have some great songs - Ruby Tuesday and Jigsaw Puzzle ( which Flesh for Lulu covered (see Links)) are probably my favs. So anyway the plan was to take my two kids - 9 and 5 to see them too. I know my 5 year old would love thme , but Aidan is a different story.
"what do i want to see the old grannies for??"
I guess he does not appreciate the scale of the event.
Incidently the gig is Easter weekend, that reminds me of a Graceway easter service we dii way back in ancient history, I think it was called The Original Rolling Stone - Steve will probably correct me on that.
But what was really strange was the thoughts about the passage of tiem between these two events, though the Stones don't look any older (hahahaha who am I kidding) a lot has happened in the lives of those who were involved in that service, and I guess in the life of Graceway. So I'll use the opportunity of the Easter Weekend concert to not only remember the original rolling stone, but to pause is prayer for those who were a part of the early history of Graceway and the community that is now Graceway - I wonder what they would think of soem of the worship service ideas we had in the beginning???? Theologicaly fun is how I reflect back on them. Now I really must find my RED SOCKS in time for easter (private joke).
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
exorcism
A few weeks back i posted on cultural exorcism, well today i have been sick with a cold and not at work, so i headed down to the video shop and rented the exorcsim of Emily Rose, based on the true story of Anneliese Michel. Well i knew form the director Scott Derrickson that this was going to have a good spiritual content - i guess the subject matter was a dead give away for that too.
Well inspirt of the fact that it is very scary it's also a great story, one where the reality of spirituality is addressed. I guess the question mark that is left at the end of the movie is what makes this truly great. Like a good sermon it allows the recipient to make up there own mind, but present the truth.
While the writers have played with the original story, Scott remains true to his goal I think which he puts in the mouth of the preist via, Emily's letter, "People think that God is dead, but how can they think that when I show them the Devil."
Ethan Thomas: I'm looking at your list of published articles doctor. You've been quite busy, prolific. So, based on your time spent with holy rollers, snake handlers, Voodoo priestesses and Indians tripping on peyote buds, based on observing these bizarre individuals you've concluded that possession is a basic typical human experience?
Dr. Adani: I must say counselor, that's quite a laundry list of disdain and one that thoroughly mischaracterizes my research.
Well inspirt of the fact that it is very scary it's also a great story, one where the reality of spirituality is addressed. I guess the question mark that is left at the end of the movie is what makes this truly great. Like a good sermon it allows the recipient to make up there own mind, but present the truth.
While the writers have played with the original story, Scott remains true to his goal I think which he puts in the mouth of the preist via, Emily's letter, "People think that God is dead, but how can they think that when I show them the Devil."
Ethan Thomas: I'm looking at your list of published articles doctor. You've been quite busy, prolific. So, based on your time spent with holy rollers, snake handlers, Voodoo priestesses and Indians tripping on peyote buds, based on observing these bizarre individuals you've concluded that possession is a basic typical human experience?
Dr. Adani: I must say counselor, that's quite a laundry list of disdain and one that thoroughly mischaracterizes my research.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
blond moments and stomach bugs
yesterday I was supposed to catch a plane to Palmerston North for the day to attend a seminar by Brian Mclaren, the problem being that I arrived at the airport - early as I thought, only to see my plane fly out.... Needless to say I was rather annoyed.
So I went to complain to the nice people behind the counter, thinking they had got the flight wrong, well if I had looked at the departure time rather than the arrival time then I may have got the plane.
So I stormed o f home very angry with my self, and then it hit, the most painful stomach cramps and the other stuff that goes with them.....
Needles to stay there may have been divine providence in me missing the flight, because i certainly would not want to be in an air plane with diarrhea.....
Well it all seems to have cleared up now, a 24 hr bug probably.
As for Brian well maybe next year....
So I went to complain to the nice people behind the counter, thinking they had got the flight wrong, well if I had looked at the departure time rather than the arrival time then I may have got the plane.
So I stormed o f home very angry with my self, and then it hit, the most painful stomach cramps and the other stuff that goes with them.....
Needles to stay there may have been divine providence in me missing the flight, because i certainly would not want to be in an air plane with diarrhea.....
Well it all seems to have cleared up now, a 24 hr bug probably.
As for Brian well maybe next year....
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Guilt... some words
Guilt is the thud in the gut feeling that occurs when a great gulf sperate who we are and who we think we ought to be:
Three typical forms
1 Self punishment – I deserve a good swift kick
2 Self rejection – nobody loves me. Especially God
3 Self shame – I feel worthless
While some guilt in the face of wrong doing is natural, with teens it can often be irrational in teens with no substance behind it leading to the development of negative personality traits or a predisposition towards guilt, such guilt is irrational and present a young people with what can often seem like a in a maze of self condemnation.
How to Help:
Most teens will suffering silence about their guilt, when it is spoken about it is necessary to come to a n understanding as to whether it is rational or irrational guilt they are feeling. The important thing when dealing with true guilt is to remind people that God WANTS to forgive, and so confession, forgiveness and in some cases restitution are needed. The following question may help identify the type of guilt
1 is what you feel guilty about a result of real sin?
2 If you had to ask forgiveness for some though or action, what would it be?
3 If you had to ask forgiveness of a person, who would it be?
The suggestion is that if a person cannot answer these questions then it is probably false or irrational guilt.
True Guilt: A word on Confession -
Sincere confession that makes a lasting difference involves repentance and an admission of a persons’ inability to meet God’s Holy Standards without his help, it also involves a recognition of the futility of trying to earn God’s acceptance. Without it many teens may slip into a guilt confession cycle where by they use confession as an attempt to manipulate God and avoid the consequences of sin, confession then may serve as a means of ‘getting God of their backs.’
Coping with False guilt
In young people it will tend to be caused by one or a number of the following factors
Unrealistic Expectations, perfectionism is a disease of the 21st Century where self worth is measured through accomplishment and productivity. The danger being through the narrow thread of fulfilment that seldom satisfies – In dealing with this type of guilt the young person needs to be reminded that nothing and no one is perfect ours is a fallen world, they need permission to make mistakes
Legalism that takes rights and wrongs to an extreme and seeks absolute consistency, while many teens are attracted to its simplicity the down side is that many if not all are incapable of keeping up with rigidity of legalism. The simplicity of legalism can be over powering for teens but legalism is not the way of Jesus, allowing the teen to talk through possible moral scenarios where clear cut legalistic answers are not possible may help them refocus on Jesus who brings GRACE and Truth
Performance, many teens feel a sense of being on-stage, as if all of there inner feeling are exposed to the outside world teens are often too aware of their own short comings, this coupled with social pressure can produce immense feeling of guilt. There is a definite need to focus on being rather than doing with a teen who finds themselves in this category. Have them focus on friends who accept them for who they are – warts and all. It should be noted that expectations of parents on the young person should also be examined.
Faulty Conscience, in Walt Disney’s Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket encouraged Pinocchio to Let his conscience be his guide. A food sense of what is right and wrong is not a given but developed as we grow. Without Christ our conscience is fallen and therefore defective or un developed, while WWJD may be a nice slogan it also speaks of the need of us all to develop a Christian conscience and act in a manner that is Christ like, this can only come through the spiritual disciplines and should be encouraged
Evil, one of the major weapons of Satan in the lives of teenagers is an ability to create guilt, through accusation (job 1:6-11) and temptation; we are called to take our stand against Satan in the Knowledge that Jesus offers forgiveness.
Three typical forms
1 Self punishment – I deserve a good swift kick
2 Self rejection – nobody loves me. Especially God
3 Self shame – I feel worthless
While some guilt in the face of wrong doing is natural, with teens it can often be irrational in teens with no substance behind it leading to the development of negative personality traits or a predisposition towards guilt, such guilt is irrational and present a young people with what can often seem like a in a maze of self condemnation.
How to Help:
Most teens will suffering silence about their guilt, when it is spoken about it is necessary to come to a n understanding as to whether it is rational or irrational guilt they are feeling. The important thing when dealing with true guilt is to remind people that God WANTS to forgive, and so confession, forgiveness and in some cases restitution are needed. The following question may help identify the type of guilt
1 is what you feel guilty about a result of real sin?
2 If you had to ask forgiveness for some though or action, what would it be?
3 If you had to ask forgiveness of a person, who would it be?
The suggestion is that if a person cannot answer these questions then it is probably false or irrational guilt.
True Guilt: A word on Confession -
Sincere confession that makes a lasting difference involves repentance and an admission of a persons’ inability to meet God’s Holy Standards without his help, it also involves a recognition of the futility of trying to earn God’s acceptance. Without it many teens may slip into a guilt confession cycle where by they use confession as an attempt to manipulate God and avoid the consequences of sin, confession then may serve as a means of ‘getting God of their backs.’
Coping with False guilt
In young people it will tend to be caused by one or a number of the following factors
Unrealistic Expectations, perfectionism is a disease of the 21st Century where self worth is measured through accomplishment and productivity. The danger being through the narrow thread of fulfilment that seldom satisfies – In dealing with this type of guilt the young person needs to be reminded that nothing and no one is perfect ours is a fallen world, they need permission to make mistakes
Legalism that takes rights and wrongs to an extreme and seeks absolute consistency, while many teens are attracted to its simplicity the down side is that many if not all are incapable of keeping up with rigidity of legalism. The simplicity of legalism can be over powering for teens but legalism is not the way of Jesus, allowing the teen to talk through possible moral scenarios where clear cut legalistic answers are not possible may help them refocus on Jesus who brings GRACE and Truth
Performance, many teens feel a sense of being on-stage, as if all of there inner feeling are exposed to the outside world teens are often too aware of their own short comings, this coupled with social pressure can produce immense feeling of guilt. There is a definite need to focus on being rather than doing with a teen who finds themselves in this category. Have them focus on friends who accept them for who they are – warts and all. It should be noted that expectations of parents on the young person should also be examined.
Faulty Conscience, in Walt Disney’s Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket encouraged Pinocchio to Let his conscience be his guide. A food sense of what is right and wrong is not a given but developed as we grow. Without Christ our conscience is fallen and therefore defective or un developed, while WWJD may be a nice slogan it also speaks of the need of us all to develop a Christian conscience and act in a manner that is Christ like, this can only come through the spiritual disciplines and should be encouraged
Evil, one of the major weapons of Satan in the lives of teenagers is an ability to create guilt, through accusation (job 1:6-11) and temptation; we are called to take our stand against Satan in the Knowledge that Jesus offers forgiveness.
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