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This-essay is a7706233.htm which is available at the web-site www.essayz.com. See more notes at the bottom. Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay By-Months By-Years By-Words Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One ========================================================== %LOVELESS SIN 770623 Thoughtful religious leaders recognize sin to be the condition of alienation and/or estrangement---being excommunicated, cut off from meaningful communication. Alienated people find it difficult to make wise decisions, and so do not act wisely. When their mistakes hurt others we call the mistakes sins---in recognition of the fact that such mistakes generate further alienation, sin. Christianity acknowledges that we are all alienated and make mistakes that hurt others, we are sinners. Among the most alienated are those among us who fear that they must conform to avoid rejection, i.e., to avoid excommunication. Such conformists lose touch with their real selves; they become alienated from themselves. They do not know or decide who they are, and let others dominate their being and doing. Well-intentioned legalists offer rules, regulations, ethical systems and moral codes for such conformists to respect and follow. Such systems rarely facilitate better communication; usually such systems are the basis for deciding who should be excommunicated for nonconformity. Thus, legalists in our churches promote sin, the condition of alienation. By their standards for judgement, self- righteous legalists are the best church members---and so the most alienated, the most sinful. Many self-righteous religious leaders and their followers have demonstrated these truths. They have worked to promote dialogue; i.e., reconciliation. Reconciliation is the top priority of those who walk in the Christ's way. Reconcilers do not promote conformity; they do not reject people because they are "different." (It is not a sin to be yourself, different.) Christ calls us to value dialogue more than conformity---remembering that morality is a form of conformity. Fear motivates self-righteous leaders and their supporters. They fear many whom they do not know. They fear dialogue with those who are different. They do not know themselves, and fear dialogue with their unknown selves---fearing they might discover sympathy within themselves for those unknown different people whom they fear. Fear motivates them to excommunicate nonconformists; i.e., to promote sin. Love casts out fear. Love is the power that promotes dialogue rather than conformity. Through dialogue comes familiarity and knowledge. We rarely fear the familiar, the known. Let us pray that self-righteous leaders and their fearful followers learn to surrender to the power of love. God is love. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================
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Find the following links by clicking on CENTER when CENTER near the top or bottom of a web page of essayz.com 1. Go to HOME PAGE of essayz.com 2. Find brief-essays via keywords 3. Find brief-essay about ADDICTION 4. Search-Helps related to ABOVE-LINK 5. GoTo Action & Information Center 6. Find Regular-Essays via Year/Month 7. Find Regular-Essays via Word-Starts 8. Find Regular-Essay about LOVE

This-essay is a7706233.htm which is available at the web-site www.essayz.com. These 5 lines echo top lines. Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay By-Months By-Years By-Words Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One