Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Spring 1995

Keywords

Power of confession

Abstract

During my years at the university, I have talked to all kinds of people, from all kinds of lifestyles, backgrounds, and beliefs; in doing so I have made a not-so-surprising discovery: confession is a dying art. Many college students today feel no need to confess; in the search for autonomy they attempt to loosen and throw off the chains of any external dependence. I find this fact quite discouraging, for I believe it is possible, in part, to attribute many of this generation's problems — selfishness, pride, and greed, for example — to the rarity of true confession. I argue that power exists in confession, a force strong enough to change lives. We can begin to understand just how confession can influence our own existence by looking at four distinct arenas: the Bible, the life of Saint Augustine, the institutional Church, and the "secular" realm of recovery groups. Before doing so, however, I will address the issue of the location of a key element of this power; thus I begin with an illustration from the French philosopher Michel Foucault.

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Confession--Social aspects; Conscience, Examination of--Social aspects

Genre/Form

student projects; term papers

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Rights Statement

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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