Rev. Cwirla's Blogosphere

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Cor. 1:25)

June 14th, 2007

Cyber-confession

Posted At: 1:37pm by Rev. William M. Cwirla

Mollie Ziegler Hemingway (Don't you think M.Z. Hemingway sounds cool?) has written a great piece for First Things on the proliferation of "confessions" in cyberspace entitled "Desperately Seeking Absolution." Mollie goes straight to the heart of the problem in noting that there is neither genuine confession nor actual absolution happening on the internet, only a virtual form of the self-justifying pseudo-religious transaction the old Adam loves so dearly. Confession becomes a virtue in and of itself.

I particularly love this paragraph:

"With Oprah, Jerry, and online confession forums, we absolve ourselves. The culture views confession as psychologically therapeutic. By contrast, the “therapy” that the Church seeks to offer is the healing of the soul. That cannot happen with one’s computer. If the thousands of confessions dealing with online pornography and adulterous email relationships are any indication, penitents might want to forgo online confession and simply get away from the computer altogether."

This piece is yet another reminder that there is no such thing as an all-purpose tool. Trying to drive a screw with a hammer is both idiotic and destructive. The internet is a fine tool, putting a world of undigested information at one's fingertips (not to mention great shopping and music), but it is no substitute for flesh and blood relationships, genuine confession and absolution, and the actual communion of saints.

For some things, you just have to be there in person. "The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us."

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June 14th, 2007

Cyber-confession