4 ms·

I think it is more simple than that, and would be more in line with the legal definition of guilt. From Wikipedia "In criminal law, guilt is the state of being

by GuB-42 4y ago

I think it is more simple than that, and would be more in line with the legal definition of guilt. From Wikipedia "In criminal law, guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense", it implies a sense of responsibility. In law, it is usually followed by a sentence, which is a concrete action you have to take. After you have served your sentence, your name is clear and you are no longer considered a criminal. So that's it: guilt means you feel responsible for something wrong, and that through you actions, you have to right that wrong. You Christian story doesn't sound like guilt to me, unless you are talking about survivor guilt, which is a weird way to frame it since it is a condition we generally try to avoid (it is also called "survivor disorder"). I would rather frame it as "I am the last man standing, I have to take over what the others died for", which is a strong sense of duty but I wouldn't call it guilt because no crime is committed.

HenriTEL 4y ago
Your definition seems to restrict to "something you did wrong" but to me the term refers more generally to "something that is wrong". You can feel guilty of not acting in a given situation even if you're not causing it in first instance, just because you know you could change that situation.
TremendousJudge 4y ago
>After you have served your sentence, your name is clear and you are no longer considered a criminal. I don't think this is true. In reality it's more like "After you have served your sentence, you are an ex-convict and will face discrimination for the rest of your life. Also moving forward you will get examined extra close by law enforcement".
anonymouse008 4y ago
This is interesting. There is a correlate to legal realm called 'Confession' and 'Penance' - the former a sacrament (a judgement) and the latter the atonement (a sentence) for the sin, in the religious context introduced - which I believe does play a role. The context I tried to speak to is for those who have these stories engrained as world view shaping, which begets how one even goes about finding the proper judgment and atonement.

by GuB-42 4y ago

HenriTEL 4y ago

Your definition seems to restrict to "something you did wrong" but to me the term refers more generally to "something that is wrong". You can feel guilty of not acting in a given situation even if you're not causing it in first instance, just because you know you could change that situation.

TremendousJudge 4y ago

>After you have served your sentence, your name is clear and you are no longer considered a criminal. I don't think this is true. In reality it's more like "After you have served your sentence, you are an ex-convict and will face discrimination for the rest of your life. Also moving forward you will get examined extra close by law enforcement".

anonymouse008 4y ago

This is interesting. There is a correlate to legal realm called 'Confession' and 'Penance' - the former a sacrament (a judgement) and the latter the atonement (a sentence) for the sin, in the religious context introduced - which I believe does play a role. The context I tried to speak to is for those who have these stories engrained as world view shaping, which begets how one even goes about finding the proper judgment and atonement.