VERSION|0.5.1|NAME|Dinah|DATE|1357166600|CONTENT|Although Giles seemed to think that forgiveness was the answer to everything it was not clear to me who was supposed to be doing the forgiving or being forgiven.  Forgiveness in any case pre-supposes that we or somebody else has done wrong or fallen short in some way, which can lead to a downward spiral of negativity and far from positive thinking.  I would certainly agree with Giles that it is not possible to become a different person merely by supposing, or being taught to suppose, that a certain religion will somehow transform us or turn our lives around.  A degree of self-awareness, of which many of us are not capable, is needed to do that.  Mostly we get through life by harbouring certain delusions about ourselves, eg, that we are better-looking, kinder, more popular, more important or better lovers than we really are. 
 
The problem with Christianity, and indeed most other religions, is that even if they succeed in freeing us from such notions, they merely replace one set of delusions with another – for example, that we will experience eternal life provided we follow the rules.  Even worse, religions may inflict feelings of inadequacy and of self-disgust by labelling people as ‘sinners’ and imposing standards which are impossible to live up to.  What is really needed is something other than a Bible or a self-help book to give us the confidence to develop the more positive side of our characters, the talents and abilities we really do possess, but which life, disappointment and lack of confidence have so far prevented us from recognising.  
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