Confession

Mon, Oct 09

Confession has multiple and distinct meanings: on the one hand it means to acknowledge wrongdoing, but on the other hand it means to articulate a set of beliefs or a creed. Both of these definitions are contained in the broader sense of confession as an acknowledgment of truth, which comes to us through the word's Latin root, confessare, to acknowledge, own, or avow. Confession is both a rite and a literary genre, and in all its senses it means speaking inner truth within some kind of social context, whether it be a confessional box or on the page.

The idea of confession brings a range of implications to our sense of climate change: a question of guilt and responsibility, an imperative to speak the truth, an expectation of credal avowal. In our readings this week, we see all of these things, and others, expanding and complicating the personal aspects of the narratives we've been reading. The challenge of confession is that it is first and last personal: you cannot confess to another's sins, just like you cannot confess another's beliefs. 

As you read Augustine, Paul Kingsnorth, and Thomas Merton, look back over some of your canvas posts about how climate change has impacted your life, or how you expect to live in 2050. Think about what nature means not just to Emerson and William Cronon, but what nature means to you. Start thinking about your own personal essay or “confession” describing your relationship with nature, reflecting on your own faith, spirituality, or non-faith and considering how that shapes and informs your relationship to nature, which will be due Friday.