Is religious self-flagellation the path of the “ideal” Muslim?

For the metaphorical meaning, see Self-deprecation.

Further information: Flagellation § As a religious practice

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Self-flagellation

It is the disciplinary and religious practice of spanking to use a whip or other instruments that cause pain.[1]

In Catholicism, self-flagellation is practiced within the context of the doctrine of mortification and is seen as a spiritual discipline.[2] Often used as a form of penance and intended to have the scourger participate in the suffering of Jesus by turning his attention to God (cf. Christian prayer

).[3][4][5]

Major religions that practice self-flagellation include: Christianity, Judaism, and Shia Islam. The ritual was practiced among members of several Egyptian and Greco-Roman cults.

Review

Pain and suffering have always been an important part of understanding religion. Pain-inducing practices have been able to transcend many different religions and cultures. Although the methods used to inflict this pain may vary, the reasons for this particular ritual seem very similar. A common purpose for self-flagellation is the desire to imitate a particular prophet. Another main reason for this ritual is the idea that pain causes evil to leave the body. Self-flagellation was often seen as a form of punishment and repentance. Despite the horrific nature of this ritual, many cultures associate it with atonement and purity. Although it originated many centuries ago, it is still a ritual that exists today in many parts of the world.

What to do?

First, make this self-flagellation visible. Write down everything that your inner voice tells you about this. See him from the outside - and object to him from a position of mercy.

Bring God into the system. Sit down and begin to reflect in writing on why, in fact, this is a sin (and whether it is a sin). Why is it important for God that I don’t do this, but act differently. Sometimes at this stage unexpected things become clear, such as dissatisfaction with God, that He did not provide me with the necessary conditions not to sin, and therefore cannot now ask me. And it immediately becomes clear that those conditions largely depend on me. I can grow and develop towards making these conditions appear. This is how the feeling of my strength and ability to influence something returns to me. This means changing your path and bearing worthy fruits of repentance.

Look at sin as an external force, and try to determine not only God’s attitude towards this act, but also your own. Sin wants me to do this and that - but what do I think about it? Do I agree to do this, do I like to do this? How does sin tempt me, in what circumstances? What can I do to counter this?

Christianity

Main article: Mortification of
the Magdarame
(penitents) during Holy Week in the Philippines

Over the years, Christianity has formed a continuing tradition around the doctrine of mortification, self-denial, wearing shirts and chains, fasting and self-flagellation using discipline.[6] Many Christians use passages from the Bible to justify this ritual. For example, some interpreters argue that St. Paul's statement, “I chastise my body,” refers to self-inflicted bodily scourging (1 Corinthians 9:27).[7] There are many prominent Christians who have practiced self-flagellation. Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer, regularly practiced self-flagellation as a means of mortification.[8] Likewise, Congregationalist writer Sarah Osborne also practiced self-flagellation to "remind her of her continued sin, depravity, and abomination in the sight of God."[9] It became "commonplace" for members of the Tractor movement within the Anglican Communion to practice self-flagellation through discipline.[10]

Historically speaking, in the 11th century, Peter Damian, a Benedictine Christian monk in the Roman Catholic tradition taught that spirituality should be manifested in physical discipline; he admonished those who seek to follow Christ to practice self-flagellation for the time it takes to speak forty words. Psalms, increasing the number of flagellations on the feast days of the Christian calendar.[3] According to Damian, only those who shared the sufferings of Christ could be saved.[3] Throughout Christian history, mortification, in which a person renounces physical pleasures, was commonly practiced by members of the clergy, especially in Christian monasteries and nunneries. Self-flagellation was used as a form of punishment as a means of punishing disobedient clergy and laity.[11]

In the 13th century, a group of Catholics known as the Flagellants took this practice to its extreme. For example, it became a way to combat plague by mitigating the effects with the help of the divine. The flagellants were later condemned as a cult by the Roman Catholic Church in the 14th century.

This ritual was also found in the 16th century. Japan. The Japanese of the time, Christianized Jesuit missionaries, were reported to sympathize with the Passion of Christ, and they readily practiced self-flagellation to show their devotion. The earliest records of self-flagellation of Japanese converts appear in 1555 in the Bungo and Hirado regions of Kyushu.[12] These Japanese Christians wore crowns of thorns and crosses on their backs during a procession leading to a place they designated as the Mount of the Cross.[13]

Self-flagellation. Penitentes, Sergipe Brazil, 2002. Photo by Guy Veloso

Christians give various reasons for choosing self-flagellation. One of the main reasons is to imitate the suffering of Christ during his Passion. Because Jesus was lashed before His crucifixion, many believe that lashing is a way to be closer to Jesus and a reminder of that lashing.[14] Many early Christians believed that in order to be closer to God one must literally suffer through the pain of Christ.[15] St. Paul also mentioned inflicting bodily harm to feel closer to God in his letters to the Romans and Colossians.[16]

Self-flagellation was also seen as a form of purification, purifying the soul as penance for any worldly indulgences. Self-flagellation is also used as punishment on earth to avoid punishment in the next life.[17] Self-flagellation was also seen as a way to control the body to focus only on God. By challenging yourself, you can take your mind off worldly pleasures and focus entirely on worshiping God.[18] Self-flagellation is also used to thank God for answering prayer or driving a car. evil spirits from the body (cf. Exorcism in Christianity

).[19]
The popularity of self-flagellation has declined, and some devout Christians have chosen to practice mortification through acts such as fasting or abstaining from pleasure (cf. Lenten sacrifice
).[20]

There is debate within the Christian tradition about whether self-flagellation has spiritual benefits, with some religious leaders condemning the practice and others, such as Pope John Paul II, having practiced self-flagellation.[21] People who self-flagellate believe that they need to spiritually share in Jesus' suffering and continue this practice both publicly and privately.[22]

Self-flagellation and repentance - what's the difference?

Gospel of Matthew, chapter three
1 In those days John the Baptist comes and preaches in the wilderness of Judea 2 and says: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For he is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah said: the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 John himself had a robe of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around Jordan came out to him, 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him to be baptized, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!” who inspired you to flee from future wrath? 8 Produce fruit worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think of saying to yourself, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 10 Even the ax lies at the root of the trees: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to carry His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire; 12 His fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, and He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. 13 Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. 14 But John restrained Him and said: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, Leave it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he admits Him. 16 And having been baptized, Jesus immediately came out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and descending upon Him. 17 And behold, a voice from heaven said: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Judaism

Another religion that engages in self-flagellation is Judaism. The Jewish community practices self-flagellation as a way to set high moral standards.[23] Many religions believe that pain and suffering lead to salvation and purity. In time for Middle Ages, Jewish men practiced self-flagellation on the eve of Yom Kippur. Passages such as “this will be a sacred meeting for you; and destroy your souls” (Leviticus 23:27) were used to justify these actions. They used whips on their backs 39 times.[24] To put this in context, Norman Toby Simms explained: “Understanding what this kind of collective bloodshed means and how it operates at the center of a civilized society is one thing - the study of cultural anthropology, the history of religion, the deep psychological analysis of troubled souls; seeing how it can be used on many levels of conscious and unconscious simulation/simulation by various groups of people seeking to deny, defer, define and redefine their place in history is another - exploration like this for aesthetic, dramatic and witty purposes" .[25]

Joy is a resource for confession

— What resources are we talking about?

— A resource is strength, time, attention, health, joy, the desire to change something.

- Joy? Usually repentance is associated more with crying...

— Joy is the energy that the Lord gave to the soul in abundance. This is the energy that is inexhaustible in the soul. The living soul continuously feeds the personality with this joy.

As soon as the sun shines in the morning, we are already happy. As soon as the birds start singing, the first leaves unfurl in a burst bud, as soon as we see flowers, the smiles of dear and beloved people - and now joy awakens in the soul, unless we “tread on its throat.”

Therefore, the soul in a normal state strives for joy continuously and constantly and radiates this joy.

Joy is the light of the soul, it flows from it by definition, since God created it that way. God is Himself - love and goodness, therefore His godlike creation - man - is joyful by nature. It is his spiritual nature to rejoice.

But we don’t allow ourselves to rejoice. Children allow themselves to do this, but we, adults, do not allow ourselves to do this, so for us to be happy is already a task. Return to joy.

Photo: Alexander Nesterenko

— How does joy contribute specifically to repentance and change?

“It gives the soul a feeling of fullness of life, wholeness, and this is precisely the necessary condition in order to descend into the depths...

When a person is swimming and is about to dive, he must first raise his head higher, take a deep breath, take in some air, and then dive. In the same way, in order to dive into the depths of your sin, you need to raise your head a little, look at the sun, rejoice and - there.

And crying is necessary, but as a consequence of the fact that I see my sin with bitterness. But I won’t be able to see my sin as black on black; I definitely need a white background for this.

What is this white background? My inner feeling of my God-given nature, my inner light. And against the background of this inner light, that divine grace that was given to my soul initially, as well as by His grace, I can already see my actions and evaluate them in this light.

Shia Islam

Zanjeerzani in Iran
Most of the Shilling Shia Islamic community tries to imitate Imam Hussein through self-flagellation in the same way that Christians tried to imitate Jesus Christ. This is demonstrated through the public performance of swear words. The Shiite equivalent of the Christian flagelant was called matamdar. This matam ritual is intended to affirm faith and relationships by creating a strong bond between the participants through their shared religious devotion. Despite the violent nature of this ritual, the love and vulnerability associated with it make it an fundamentally positive and affirming ritual act.[26] Many Shia communities around the world hold massive parades every year on the Day of Ashura, during the mourning period of Muharram, to commemorate the Battle of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. During these parades, devotees beat their chests or cut themselves with blades on chains called zanjerzani. Although rare, some Shia communities hit their backs with chains and sharp objects such as knives. It occurs in many countries, including India, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, the United States,[27] and Australia.

Self-flagellation is as controversial in Islam as it is in Christianity. There was a case in Manchester, UK, where a Shia family forced their children to self-flagellate, leading to condemnation of the entire practice. Muslims responded that forcing their children to do this is wrong, but the practice, when done by a consenting adult, should not be condemned as it is important to their faith.[28] However, many Shia leaders understand that this practice, although only performed during Ashura, is another thing that can create a bad image of Muslims. Some leaders recommended donating blood instead of self-flagellation to shed blood in memory of Hussein's sacrifice.[29]

Repentance, confession, self-criticism - what's the difference?

If a living organism does not develop, it begins to degrade. If the room is not cleaned, it will become dusty. If you do not bring order to your thoughts, uncontrollable chaos will arise. The Lord rewarded us not only with talents, but also with all the necessary tools in order to grow spiritually and personally. And this is where the ability to repent and the opportunity to participate in church sacraments come to our aid.

The rector of the Institute of Christian Psychology, priest Andrei Lorgus, answers questions about repentance and confession.

— Tell me, please, what is the fundamental difference between the concepts of “repentance” and “confession”?

Priest Andrey Lorgus

— Confession is a sacrament, and its result is the liberation of the human soul from sin, but repentance both precedes Confession and accompanies it. This is a process that takes place in the soul over a long period of time.

Confession is the crown of repentance, and this is only a part of it, very short-term in time, but very important in significance, Mysterious. And if we can talk about confession as a sacrament, then we must talk about repentance as a spiritual, psychological process, event, activity.

Not all repentance includes Confession, but without Confession we cannot talk about the liberation of the soul from sin in the mystical and spiritual sense.

Recommendations

1. Abbott, Geoffrey. "Flagellation." Encyclopædia Britannica. Last modified December 6, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/flagellation.
2. Lasky, Jack. "Flagellation." In Salem Press Encyclopedia. Salem Press, 2022. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? Direct = true & AuthType = ip, sso & db = ers & AN = 87322148 & site = eds-live & custid = s8421408.
3. ^ a b c
   Fudge, Thomas A. (October 20, 2016).
   Medieval Religion and Its Anxieties: History and Mystery in Other Middle Ages
   . Springer. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-137-56610-2. As a justification for mortification, Peter Damian argued that only those who shared in the sufferings of Christ could be partakers of the promise that the faithful would one day inherit the kingdom of God and thereby join Christ in glory.
4. Jeremiah, Ken (10 January 2014). Christian Mummification: An Interpretive History of the Preservation of Saints, Martyrs and Others
   . McFarland. paragraph 92. ISBN 978-0-7864-8979-4.
5. Abbott, Flagellation.
6. "Religion and Its Humiliating History of Self-Inflicted Pain." Times, The (United Kingdom). Accessed March 5, 2022. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=nfh&AN=7EH4162453671&site=eds-live&custid=s8421408.
7. Tierney, John. "Flagellation." Catholic Encyclopedia. Last modified September 1, 1909. Accessed March 5, 2022. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06092a.htm.
8. Wall, James T. Boundless Frontiers: America from Christopher Columbus to Abraham Lincoln
   . University Press of America. p. 103. Although he did not go to the same goals as Luther, including even self-flagellation, the methods of ritual observance, self-denial and good deeds were not satisfactory.
9. Rubin, Julius H. (1994). Religious Melancholy and the Protestant Experience in America
   . Oxford University Press. clause 115. ISBN 9780195083019. In many letters to her correspondents Fish, Anthony, Hopkins, and Noyes, Osborne explored the state of her soul, sought spiritual guidance in the midst of her predicaments, and created a written forum for her ongoing self-examination. She cultivated a strong and persistent spirit of evangelical humiliation—self-flagellation and self-torture to remind her of her continued sin, debauchery, and meanness in the eyes of God.
10. Yates, Nigel (1999). Anglican ritualism in Victorian Britain, 1830-1910.
    . Oxford University Press. paragraph 60. ISBN 9780198269892. Self-flagellation through the little scourge known as discipline became quite common in Tractarian circles and was practiced by Gladstone among others.
11. Right there.
12. Junhyun, Michael Sheen. "Passion and Flagellation in Sixteenth-Century Japan." Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Reforme 36, no. 2 (Spring 2013): 5. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=edo&AN=91750807&site=eds-live&custid=s8421408.
13. Right there.
14. “Why do some Catholics flagellate themselves?” BBC News, BBC, 24 November 2009, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8375174.stm.
15. Griffiths, Mark D. "Self-harm from a Religious Perspective." Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 4 May 2022, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201705/religious-self-harm.
16. Beam, Christopher. “How did Pope John Paul II feel about self-flagellation?” Slate Magazine, Slate, January 27, 2010, slate.com/news-and-politics/2010/01/how-would-pope-john-paul-ii-have-gone-about-self-flagellating.html.
17. Beam, Christopher. “How did Pope John Paul II feel about self-flagellation?” Slate Magazine, Slate, January 27, 2010, slate.com/news-and-politics/2010/01/how-would-pope-john-paul-ii-have-gone-about-self-flagellating.html.
18. “Why do some Catholics flagellate themselves?” BBC News, BBC, 24 November 2009, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8375174.stm.
19. Griffiths, Mark D. "Self-harm from a Religious Perspective." Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 4 May 2022, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201705/religious-self-harm.
20. “Why do some Catholics flagellate themselves?” BBC News, BBC, 24 November 2009, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8375174.stm.
21. Elfström, Karl. "Outdated religious rituals continue in the 21st century." Church of Universal Life Monastery, May 9, 2022, www.themonastery.org/blog/antiquated-religious-rituals-live-on-in-21st-century.
22. Elfström, Karl. "Outdated religious rituals continue in the 21st century." Church of Universal Life Monastery, May 9, 2022, www.themonastery.org/blog/antiquated-religious-rituals-live-on-in-21st-century.
23. Frantzman, Seth. "Terra Incognita: Jewish self-flagellation and the denial of Islam." Jerusalem Post. Last modified September 14, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2022. https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Terra-Incognita-Jewish-self-flagellation-and-Islamic-denial-375333.
24. Gilad, Elon. "10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Yom Kippur." Last modified September 10, 2013. Accessed April 2, 2020. https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/10-things-you-didn-t-know-about-kippur-1.5332142
25. Simms, Norman Toby. Marranos on Moradas: Secret Jews and Penitents in the Southwestern United States from 1590 to 1890. Judaism and Jewish life. Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2009. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=nlebk&AN=490665&site=eds-live&custid=s8421408.
26. Raffl, Karen J. "Wounds of Devotion: Rethinking Matam in Shia Islam." History of Religions 55, no. 2 (2015): 172–95. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/683065?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.
27. "Video of self-flagellation with knives and chains in a mosque in Atlanta, Georgia, USA." 2014.
28. Kazmi, Nadeem. "Nadeem Kazmi: Why self-flagellation matters for Shia Muslims." The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 28 August 2008, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/28/religion.islam.
29. "What is Ashura?" BBC News, BBC, 6 December 2011, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-16047713.

Is moral self-flagellation always useful for spiritual work?

As you know, all people living earthly lives sin, even saints (1 John 1:8). Some sin less, some more. But both big and small sins require repentance. That is why repentant reproach of oneself for sins is one of the most important forms of Christian activity.

Some believers, who do not realize that they are perishing sinners, repent from time to time. This state of mind can be defined as carelessness.

Some, on the contrary, so immoderately lament even minor offenses, even after their confession and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Repentance, that they drive themselves (and, it happens, their neighbors) to despair. This form of contrition can be characterized not only as self-flagellation, but also as self-criticism. As a rule, it is associated with a lack of faith, a lack of hope in the goodness and mercy of God. Despair is a terrible sin, and if a person is on the verge of despair, he certainly needs to change something in his life.

It’s another matter when contrition for sins, although it can be deep, is experienced not in isolation from God, but in God. We find examples of this kind of contrition in the psalms, such as: “I am exhausted and overwhelmed beyond measure; I cry out because of the torment of my heart” (Ps. 37:9).

The history of monastic life is filled with similar examples. In addition, this story introduces us to such cases of self-flagellation, when deep moral self-reproach was accompanied by physical self-torture. However, these self-tortures were carried out not without the blessing of experienced spiritual mentors and had a high purpose. “Many Holy Mountain fathers,” writes Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) on this occasion, “exhausted their bodies with blows in order to overcome passion and abide in Christ” (“I know a man in Christ...”: the life and ministry of Elder Sophronius, hesychast and theologian).

Stages

At the weak stage of self-criticism, the individual does not particularly harm himself. He blames himself for all his sins, but deep down he dreams of hearing words of support and love. This stage of self-flagellation can be easily corrected, independently, without the help of a psychologist.

The strong stage of self-flagellation is characterized by the fact that a person loses positive feelings towards himself. He really only considers himself to blame for what is happening. Such people are distinguished by a high degree of responsibility, pedantry and scrupulousness, but these qualities do not help them in life.

What does the critical stage look like?

When experiencing a critical stage of self-criticism, a person does not see any positive aspects in his life. He is constantly tuned to negativity, because of this he suffers failure after failure. A state of nervous tension has a negative impact on health.