Jeanette Sherman I think shame, like pain, can be very useful to...

July 28, 2023 at 2:56 AM  ·  Comment — Archer T. Ships replied to Lydia Laurenson's comment.  ·  View on Facebook  ·  Markdown source

Jeanette Sherman I think shame, like pain, can be very useful to alerting us to circumstances we should avoid. For example, I think it's healthy to feel shame when caught stealing money from other people. But I also think some religions (such as Mormons) use shame to control their members. For example, Mormons are only supposed to have sex inside a "temple marriage". In order to get a temple recommend, you're supposed to pay your tithing, attend church regularly, take on work roles w/in the church, abstain from coffee/alcohol/tobacco, etc. The church also teaches that sexual activity outside of a "temple marriage" is a grave sin. If teens masturbate, they're supposed to confess to their bishop and repent. Imagine a 14 year old boy confessing to a 50+ year old man about the last time he masturbated. It's excruciatingly embarrassing. By persuading members to feel great shame about sex outside the church, and by making guilt-free sex contingent on making large, and ongoing contributions to the church, the church channels the sexual energy of its members into its own propagation.