Új erkölcsi imperatívusz: Ne szégyenkezz… és senkit meg ne szégyeníts! A szégyen teológiai értelmezése és szociáletikai relevanciája

Abstract

A New Moral Imperative: Do Not Be Ashamed… and Do Not Shame Anyone! The Social Relevance of the Theological Interpretation of Shame .

To preserve our sovereignty and integrity in the context of our personal and social relationships is essential for our human dignity. The term “shame” describes the absence of this integrity and the associated feelings of guilt and vulnerability. The standards/principles of behavior of the antique Hellenistic societies and the philosophical dualism of Plato’s thinking, and later the virtues promulgated by christian asceticism simplified the concept of shame and almost exclusively limited it to its sexual aspects. This process of oversimplification led to the distortion and alienation of the original biblical view of shame and restricted the positive theological interpretation of the concept. This article will argue that the biblical-theological interpretation of shame also refers to the fundamental determination of the human condition that one lives in relationships: with God, with others, and with himself. In addition to the phenomenological and social psychological interpretation of shame as “moral emotion” and “moral knowledge”, this study seeks not only to reveal its original biblical and theological meanings but also attempts to reveal the positive role that shame can fulfill in preserving human dignity. At the same time, we will not deny that individual and collective shame can lead to aggression and systematical-political sin. Finally, we will endeavor to examine the role of shame in repentance and as a deference against sin.