QC

Recently, I keep noticing ways in which a theological model of guilt/forgiveness/worth/etc would be extremely handy for solving an otherwise-unsolvable-feeling psychological predicament. Ex: I often carry "I'm bad for doing X" in a way that feels physical, like a heavy stone 1/https://twitter.com/LeahLibresco/status/1141027412404256769 …

At times I feel like, so long as I hold this stone so fiercely, I'm really hindered from authentic connections & true aliveness. But I also feel, from a sense of justice, I *cannot* just drop it - the bad deed was done; the stone that marks it must be carried by *someone*. 2/

Then I notice that, if I believed there was a non-physical person who could take the stone off my hands, the predicament would unravel. Having grown up without any proper religious concepts, I find these realizations exciting - "aha! *that's* what that concept might be for!" 3/

Another example: Last year, I read some of Bonds That Make Us Free. It points out how, when you blame others, often *you* are the one responsible, *you're* mistreating others. This seemed right, but I also found it tough to sit with. "Does this mean I'm actually bad?" 4/