Agreed. The problem is most people don't see gossip for what it is and most of us fall prey to it. Gossiping is as part of a human beings' needs as sex is.
The Muslims are actually very skilled in identifying what Christians call sins, and people's weaknesses as well as how to manipulate people via their weaknesses. They have very knowledgable scholars about this, and I am glad I was explained some stuff on "human weaknesses".
The
integrist Catholics are actually very strong in erasing these weaknesses that lead to sins. I have only spent few months really understanding their point of views, so I might not have grabbed all.
Let's start with Gossip first.
Gossip is really called the "sins of the tongue".
The origins lie in the
heart :
* hatred ( that can have various orginis).
* resentment ( believing that someone's else succes should be only to oneself)
* anger ( with one's lot in life , and projecting this anger on someone else)
Basically it reveals a heart that hides a LOT of defilement.
SOME Muslims are very good at identifying people with these types of defilement, and then
using them. Most Muslims would kindly point out the gossiping issues and help the person identify its manifestations and origins.
The
integrist Catholics have ways to deal with that :
* the minimum weekly confessions to the SAME priest
* the Saint Ignacius retreat
help the person puts into perspective what they are doing, and the consequences of these sins.
Remember that Priests do confess people in prison, and on their death beds as well: so they are
aware of the long terms consequences. Every sin actually get punished ( Bouddhists I think call it Karma) , and it is to the sinner to
"expiate", "repare" and so on. The priests, as they know human nature, first "purify" the person,
because as long as a person is defiled they will do everything to hide via
self-destructive behaviour
( "Karma" in play). Self-destructive behaviour as suicides, etc. and as priests explain, these
self-destructive behaviour showing massively in one's offspring, as if "from nowhere" and for "no reasons".
Now the sex : let me get a glass of water , then I'll continue