new church life: march/april 2017
drugs and malnourishment, which can
factor into personal responsibility.
Cultural influences (such as violent
video games) and parenting can also
influence conscience – in negative or
positive ways.
Such questions come into play in
determining whether a person charged
with a crime is mentally competent.
Soni cited the recent case of Dylan
Roof, accused of killing several people
at a Bible study class in Charlestown,
South Carolina, who expressed no
regrets or remorse, and was found
guilty and sentenced to death.
Soni
offered
the
hopeful
perspective that there is a tiny place in
each of us that we can’t ruin, and this is
where God works. We may give up on
some people, but God does not.
She infills her teaching about the
dark side with New Church teachings:
that there is a God, an afterlife and
providence; spirits in the other
world go through a process of self-
examination before finding their place
in heaven or hell; we all have freedom
according to reason; the rational mind can be temporarily turned off; and we
are to judge others civilly and morally but never spiritually.
Parents and caregivers have a tremendous responsibility to love, protect
and guide children – and keep them from turning to crime. She emphasized
the importance of face-to-face communication with children when correcting
them – looking them in the eye and speaking calmly and clearly about your
expectations. This develops a high degree of self-regulation, with children
knowing the rules and that they are loved. They also develop an ability to read
the moods of others and develop empathy, whereas bullies don’t decode their
victims’ feelings.
The use of gentle, loving discipline helps to develop empathy and
conscience – and to keep young people from becoming calloused adults.
Once unhealthy behavior starts the issue becomes how to intervene
effectively. The Ten Commandments are a good place to start. And watch for
Soni worked in a
maximum security
prison for five years. In
addition to mentoring
women now she is
also an advocate for
foster children and a
mediator with people
needing help. To do this
effectively, she studies
what is known about the
minds of criminals and
how the Writings shed
light on relevant issues
– such as regeneration
and conscience.
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