Avoiding Embarrassment vs Repentance
The disaffection most have with the war, I suspect, has to do with the sense of embarrassment with how the war is being conducted, not with that it was undertaken in the first place.
Guilt vs Conviction
This week I found myself in a quandry. I needed to make a decision and I made it. I sought the Lord first, I prayed, I wrestled with it - and then I acted. After the fact though I felt such a sense of oppression.
Guilt vs Regret
We have something in common. Abby was also at the sitters, and she died on her stomach. That really bothered me for a long time until I began hearing of all the infants that have died on their backs, being held, in a carseat, etc. I felt that I didn't do all that I should have by not "forcing" my sitter to put Abby on her side to sleep, and I truly believed for a short while that I was to blame for her death because of that (I still think my sister believes that's why Abby died). Now I know that there are no guarantees - no matter how "right" you do things, babies still die of SIDS. As long as you know in your heart that you nor your sitter did anything intentional to harm your child, you have to let it go someday. I still wonder about it, but I don't blame myself anymore.
Guilt vs Shame
When the West moved from a predominantly Shame based culture (which is tribal) to a guilt based culture (Judeo-Christian) modernity ensued.
Guilt vs Shame
Last week it was announced that nearly one million toys were recalled due to lead-containing paints used for various Mattel/Fisher Price toys manufactured in China. Yikes - that's a lot of Doras, Diegos and Elmos! :( Scary that such a large US retailer would let unsafe toys be distributed. Don't they test toys for safety issues? I trust that the toy companies are doing what's appropriate to rectify this. I've bought a lot of those Fisher Price toys!
Guilt vs Shame
Guilt works via individualism, privacy, introspection, ownership: I did this. Shame is communal, public, rhetorical, shared: we see that you did this.
Real Guilt vs False Guilt
We are invited by God to know the difference between real guilt and false guilt. Real guilt is simply triggered by our God-given conscience. No one makes you “feel” guilty; it is your conscience that convicts you. Real guilt is a gift from God that results in acknowledging your sin.
Shame vs Guilt/Embarassement
There is no standard distinction between shame and guilt. The cultural anthropologist Ruth Benedict describes shame as a violation of cultural or social values while feelings of guilt arise from violations of internal values. It is possible to feel ashamed of thought or behavior that no one knows about as well as feeling guilty about actions that gain the approval of others.
