We
continue our 12-part series on shame, based on Brene′ Brown’s book, Daring Greatly.
Publication
days: Monday – Wednesday - Friday
Each
week we are introducing each blog with this quote from Brene′.
“People
often want to believe that shame is reserved for people who have survived an
unspeakable trauma, but this is not true.
Shame is something we all experience.
And while it feels as if shame hides in our darkest corners, it actually
tends to lurk in all of the familiar places.
Today’s
Topic …
Religion and Shame
We
have just opened a huge can of worms with this topic. Having grown up in the conservative south in
a fundamental evangelical church I saw shame used extensively as a weapon to
corral the sinner, correct the wayward and attempt to bring change in the worst
of mankind.
In
my opinion, much of it was man’s agenda to control and possess. It missed the mark of the God in the Bible
that I have come to understand.
One
of the tools in the arsenal of power mongers is to control the masses. The best way to accomplish this is through
shame, and especially if you are prompted to confess your sins in an unsafe environment
full of people with whom you don’t have a personal connection.
Shame
is a form of mind control and a huge weapon often used to control
followers. Once an individual gives
his/her mind and decision making ability over to another or a group, trouble gains
an entrance. That usually is the first
sign of a cult at work, and that cult wants you to bow and scrape before them,
give them total, unyielding allegiance, and never again think for
yourself.
Religions
in a variety of stripes are very effective and also the worst offenders in
using this weapon. Their mantra runs
something like this: “Don’t you dare step out of line, and if you
do, there will be hell to pay. You will
do penance, you will tell your sins to the world and we will stigmatize you for
the rest of your life if you dare cross that line of “sin” whatever that sin
may be.”
I
recently watched The Scarlet Letter. Hester’s shame was that she had to wear the scarlet
letter “A” on her person at all times, and for a period of time she had a drummer
boy follow her everywhere she went in the public market place to call attention
to her “shame”.
I
can’t think of one single instance in the scriptures in which God uses shame as
a punishment. I do see examples of grace
and mercy being extended.
The Woman Caught in Adultery
Christ’s
words were “Neither do I condemn you. Go
and sin no more.
The Prodigal Son
The
father ran to him, with hugs and kisses, the best robe, and a banquet. That doesn’t sound like shaming to me.
Zacchaeus, the Crooked Tax Collector
After
his encounter with Jesus, he gave back what he had taken illegally. Sometimes he doubled the amount.
Shame
and God just do not go together when I consider the many encounters we read
about between the Christ and a “sinner”.
Christ, the son of God, continually offered grace and redemption, not
shame, and certainly not rejection.
Are
you burdened down with shame over some religious experience from your
past? Listen very carefully. There is help for you. It begins with reconstructing your image of
God and the kind of relationship He wants to have with you. You are His child, made in His image. He knows your name, and your
proclivities. This God stands ready to
walk with you in every circumstance, through every trial and around every bend
in the road.
I’m
including two links to some insightful articles you might like, and also, if
there is one book that I could offer you, it is
Does
that sound like a God who is out to shame you?
Shame? No.
Great
love? YES!
P Michael Biggs
Offering
Hope
Encouragement
Inspiration
One Word
at a Time
Two on-line links for further reading
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