Supercilious Hypocrites, Unite!
Confessions are strange elements of communications of trust. It would appear that when one confesses it becomes an act of humbling contrition. And as such exonerates the sinner from his/her acts of commission. The very act of confessing, the admission that one has done wrong, is aware that wrong has been done, was aware when the act was being committed lends an air of respectability to the individual who having sinned, now cleanses his soul.And with it, his reputation. Wiping the slate clean. Starting all over again. As though past indiscretions simply did not occur. A confession loosens one from the obligation of guilt. That person to whom the confession takes place intercedes in a strange, almost religiously-motivated manner to take it upon himself as the sounding-board to clear the conscience of the other.
What a peculiar act of self-rescue. What an unbelievable measure leading to self-forgiveness. One can only wonder does the individual against whom the transgression occurred automatically concur, even without their knowledge of the confession? Might the transgressor be given a clean slate of forgiveness from his victim through this process - but not bloody likely, given the egregious nature of some malicious behaviours.
Still, former United States House Speaker Newt Gingrich feels exonerated, and perhaps also somewhat exalted by his on-air public confession to James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Mr. Gingrich's idea of self as an arbiter of public morals stands up rather poorly given his record as a womanizer of note whose private morals are truly abhorrent, someone who gave such little regard to the focus on his own family as to be laughable.
While his first wife was recovering in hospital from cancer, he had an affair and served divorce papers at the most opportune time - exactly while his wife was in hospital. He asked his second wife for a divorce while he was having an affair with another woman and that request came over the telephone while his then-wife was attending her mother's 84th birthday celebration.
But things turned out all right, since he then re-married for the third time - to the woman with whom he was having the affair during his second marriage. Trouble was, that second marriage and his pursuit of extramarital bliss took place at the very same time that he sought impeachment of then-president Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
"I believe deeply that people fall short and that people have to recognize they have to turn to God for forgiveness and to seek mercy," Mr. Gingrich told Mr. Dobson. Furthermore, he appears to believe he is deserving of forgiveness and Mr. Clinton is not, because Mr. Clinton denied he was having an affair, and so he had no moral qualms about prosecuting Mr. Clinton at the very same time he was enjoying his own extramarital affair.
Convoluted logic? "There were times when I was praying, and when I felt I was doing things that were wrong. But I was still doing them", said Mr. Gingrich, while admitting he had "fallen short of God's standards". He now humbly asserts "I look back at those as periods of weakness".
Mr. Gingrich is preparing himself for a run at the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. It's interesting to note that a competitor, Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of New York with his own chequered extramarital past, has experienced a great deal of difficulty in persuading leaders of the religious right to support him. Mr. Dobson has stated he would "never vote" for Mr. Giuliani because of his support of gay marriage and abortion.
While on the other hand Mr. Dobson calls Mr. Gingrich a "professing Christian", and praises him as one of the country's most influential conservative leaders.
May God have mercy on their souls.
Labels: Political Realities
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, March 10, 2007
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