Pride: A Virtue Not a Sin

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1) Well, I believe that pride is a virtue and not a sin. Pride is a stage where an individual thinks highly of himself. This individual is happy within his own norms, values, and desires. They are happy about their own characteristics and no one else can do anything to mess that up. A virtue means excellence of pride (according to St. Augustine). Virtue also means something that is right and just. Some religions are cultures of their own. Every culture wants people to follow their way of life over someone else's. Sometimes culture in itself determines truth. Religion says that sin is a category that describes something that is wrong. I grew up in a private fundamentalist school that believes otherwise. Fundamentalism is a social construction that says that our norms and values are an important aspect of society. For years, I believed that pride was a sin; I had to hear the phrase “Pride cometh before a fall” way too many times. How can that be? The story goes that I mindlessly believe what they say and accept that pride was a sin. After years of attending chapels, revivals, and services; I began to feel like complete crap. Why? I believed that all humans were useless because I heard this is all I heard from my friends and church services. No one there wanted to take ownership of their own problems. These individuals believed that some higher power will do everything for us. Not being able to care for myself still has a negative effect on me. Sometimes relaying on a higher power will not always get the job done. I finally had the last straw when I discovered that I had a destroyed self-esteem. I no longer had any confidence or self-worth. The last time I talked to anyone at my high school I nearly lost my sanity. A friend and I wer...

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