ABSTRACT
Religions are often used as a reference point for the sustaining of guilt—regardless of the spiritual practice of the person concerned. Sometimes this reference point is from generations back but is still operating. Sometimes the sense of guilt is enlarged by the holding of a punishing view of God, often alongside an over-high expectation of what a good human should be like. Of course, some parts of the religious community encourage such views—both directly and indirectly. Obviously the nature of the guilt needs to be owned and named. This is, in itself, quite a large step for some people, especially if the cause of the guilt lies many years back in their lives. The environment in which people are most likely to feel safe to express and look at their guilt is one in which someone near to them has created a space in which all are assumed to be vulnerable, failing humans.
