Commit a crime, and the earth is made of glass. There is no such thing as concealment.

I have found (to my regret) that the degrees of shame and disgust which I actually feel at my own sins do not at all correspond to what my reason tells me about their comparative gravity. Just as the degree to which, in daily life, I feel the emotion of fear has little to do with my rational judgement of the danger. I'd sooner have really nasty seas when I'm in an open boat than look down in perfect (actual) safety from the edge of a cliff. Similarly, I have confessed ghastly uncharities with less relucatance than small unmentionables--or those sins which happen to be ungentlemanly as well as unchristian. Our emotional reactions to our own behavior are of limited ethical significance.

To say of an act done, "My conscience is quite clear", sounds smug and satisfactory. It does not by any means follow that the speaker's conscience ought to be clear. It may simply show that [it] is sadly unenlightened.

Satan's primary tool of accusation is the bluff. If he can convince you that he's got a better 'hand' before God than you do (that his accusation will be entertained), he wins. This is a pretty loose approximation and needs to be refined. It's got potential as a skit of a poker game. I get two students to come forth and play a fake game of poker. One wagers everything, and I walk around and peek at his cards. Then I tell the other guy, "He's bluffing." Sort of like God telling us Satan is bluffing--his accusation won't be entertained.

<strong>Judas</strong> Betrayed Jesus Premeditated sin (Luke 22:4-6) Was seized with remorse (Luke 27:3) Felt guilty not after his action, but after the consequences of his action (Luke 27:3) Condemned himself (Matthew 27:5) Experienced death <strong>Peter</strong> Denied Jesus three times Spontaneous sin (Luke 22:33) Wept bitterly (Luke 22:62) Felt guilty after his action (Luke 22:60-62) Received Christ’s forgiveness (John 21:19) Experienced new life

Most Americans worry about personal failure--on school tasks when young, on one's vocation when older. But the emotion that follows failure depends on the interpretation imposed; shame if due to inadequate talent, anger if the product of prejudice, and guilt if the result of insufficient effort.

Noah Was Messed Up

"Noah was the first person to plant vineyards and drink wine and get drunk," [Darren Aronofsky] says admiringly. "It's there in the Bible - it was one of the first things he did when he reached land. There was some real survivor's guilt going on there. He's a dark, complicated character."

Rationalization Is A Clue

Adultery always begins with the adulterer(s) claiming to themselves and to others that the relationship is "harmless" because it hasn't crossed a certain line. The line where it becomes wrong is the line where you start having to rationalize like that.