What if there was no such thing as guilt?

[mercuryrising]

I'm posting this in spirituality because I think it has more to do with beliefs than emotions, though if you feel differently moderators (no pun intended)... I won't make you feel guilty for moving it


I think guilt is a tool used to manipulate people. Guilt comes from accepting someone else's judgment of who you are. In their eyes, you are not as perfect as they are. If you believe them, you'll accept an assortment of activities to try and atone for your guilt, hoping that your penance will pay off whatever debt you believe you owe them.

The problem is that day where you will be free from guilt never comes. As soon as you get rid of one spot, another one appears. It's like that myth about the guy who had to push a builder up a hill for eternity. As soon as he got to the top and could relax, the boulder rolled back down and he had to start all over again.

I think keeps a lot of people on the hamster wheel of life... no matter how fast you run, you haven't gone anywhere. And I include myself in that group. And the people doing the judging aren't much better off. They judge out of a certain insecurity about themselves... maybe they're not so perfect, maybe you'll discover it. I've been on that side of the fence too a little, but I don't like to watch people suffer on my account.

So if you can relate to any of this... imagine for a moment a guilt-free life. Maybe your friends with someone, but you really don't like them. They constantly mooch off you through little daggers of guilt. Maybe you are with someone who always makes you feel guilty for one thing after another, now you're impervious to their control. Maybe you follow a belief system that teaches you to be guilty, now you can believe as you choose. No more saying sorry for who you are or for something you've said. What kind of person would you be if there was no guilt?

Just a thought, but I hope it cracks open someone's eggshell

[coLLege kid07]

Guilts happens because "you" choose to make it happen not anyone else. Granted it is most likely not conscious so therefore I wouldn't take it "too" seriously. Just notice whenever it occurs in yourself and observe whatever is going on at the time. Remember to just watch the emotion and allow it to be; don't get mad or frustrated at yourself because remember thats just feeding the negativity. Good luck!
Also remember to cherish the now...it's the only thing you got. Hope that helps

[MrNotebook]

Coming to God obediently, confessing our sins and humbly and asking him to forgive us and cleanse our heart rids us of guilt. From what I learned as a Christian, God does not like or want us to feel guilty. He wants us to learn from our sin and move on to spiritual growth/maturity. Guilt is something that Satan wants us to feel to prevent us from growing in Christ and experiencing true joy and freedom.

Guilt comes from not fully understanding and believing that God readily forgives us for our wrongdoings. In fact, to be more accurate, it comes from believing the thoughts we allow Satan to wisper in our mind of how bad we should feel about whatever it is we feel guilty about. When we fail to confess our sins, guilt stays with us and we tend to beat ourselves up. He uses the same technique with depression.

That is why Jesus says...

John 8:32, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

...and in the book of 1 John...

1 John 1:8-10, If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts

[Plato]

Originally Posted by mercuryrising

What kind of person would you be if there was no guilt?

A darkworker I reckon

[abcZen]

Agree with Plato in a sense, if there was no guilt in people I think the world would be a pretty terrible place.

Although if conscience still existed I don't think people would go crazy and just smash things up as they know they are probably going to jail

[mercuryrising]

Originally Posted by coLLege kid07

Guilts happens because "you" choose to make it happen not anyone else. Granted it is most likely not conscious so therefore I wouldn't take it "too" seriously. Just notice whenever it occurs in yourself and observe whatever is going on at the time. Remember to just watch the emotion and allow it to be; don't get mad or frustrated at yourself because remember thats just feeding the negativity. Good luck!
Also remember to cherish the now...it's the only thing you got. Hope that helps

Exactly... it's often unconscious, which is why I bring it up. Bringing something to awareness changes our perception of it.

[mercuryrising]

Originally Posted by Plato

A darkworker I reckon

If there was no guilt, there would have to be some creativity involved to manipulate others, yes?

[mercuryrising]

Originally Posted by abcZen

Agree with Plato in a sense, if there was no guilt in people I think the world would be a pretty terrible place.

Although if conscience still existed I don't think people would go crazy and just smash things up as they know they are probably going to jail

Do you treat other people with kindness because you would feel guilty if you didn't?

I don't think that is real kindness.

[mercuryrising]

Originally Posted by MrNotebook

Coming to God obediently, confessing our sins and humbly and asking him to forgive us and cleanse our heart rids us of guilt. From what I learned as a Christian, God does not like or want us to feel guilty. He wants us to learn from our sin and move on to spiritual growth/maturity. Guilt is something that Satan wants us to feel to prevent us from growing in Christ and experiencing true joy and freedom.

Guilt comes from not fully understanding and believing that God readily forgives us for our wrongdoings. In fact, to be more accurate, it comes from believing the thoughts we allow Satan to wisper in our mind of how bad we should feel about whatever it is we feel guilty about. When we fail to confess our sins, guilt stays with us and we tend to beat ourselves up. He uses the same technique with depression.

That is why Jesus says...

John 8:32, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

...and in the book of 1 John...

1 John 1:8-10, If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts

What creates guilt is the harboring of sin, right? Without sin there would be nothing to be guilty of and nothing to be forgiven for? It's the idea of sin that keeps you in a continuous cycle of guilt/forgiveness.