"Fact is, rape could lead to pregnancy; the truth is
rape has many victims. The mistake I made was in the words I said, not in the
heart I hold. I ask for your forgiveness."
Senator Akin, I acknowledge your
apology. I understand how easy it is to misspeak and put your foot in your
mouth. I also believe that your heart is sincere, but please understand this- there
is no righteousness in sincerity.
Sincerity in and of itself is not a virtue.
Sincerity unbridled can quickly lead an earnest heart down a most dangerous
path. As the proverb says, "the road to hell is paved with good
intentions," and I do believe that the sincere heart is a frequent
traveler on that very path.
It's a funny little thing, that mechanism in our
minds that we use to evaluate and justify what is in our hearts (and don't tell
me that the heart and mind work independent of each other). Do not be fooled,
there is no built in purification system in our hearts, so one's statement
about what is in his or her heart is not enough to convince me that the
contents of said heart are pure and justified.
Remember this, out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and via spoken word we are provided the
blueprints to the hearts of man. Unfortunately, we often refuse to accept that
blueprint (misguided sincerity maybe?). A person will hand us the blueprints to a
shanty and we will say "it's a castle!" No, my dear, it is just a shanty. Maybe that
shanty has castle potential, but it would behoove us all to recognize when the architectural
beauty and soundness of structure of the thing is just not there. Do not place
your valuable possessions inside a shanty, it is simply absurd; and do not be
fooled by the delusional grandeur of the shanty with the flying buttresses
because it is still a shanty…
-Now, back to my originalthought: there is no righteousness in sincerity.
Sincerity needs to be yoked with virtue and this yoking is not an automatic function
of the heart and/or mind. Never attempt to justify your heart by the measure of
your own sincerity.
You'll only find yourself on the road to hell.
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