Thomas Aquinas (a 13th-century Italian Dominican theologist and monk) supported a philosophical approach towards the harmonious combination of faith and reason.
Aquinas listed seven sins - pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. According to Aquinas these seven deadly sins cause one’s soul to die but allow one’s physical body to continue pursuing its lusts.
In order to save the soul from the lusts of the body, sages in various religions, discussed the need to heal the mind. They agreed that the way to achieve this includes three main components: "confession" of the sins, "forgiveness" from the victims and "fasting" to cleanse the body.
In criminological and legal literature, the term "restorative justice" has been debated in recent decades as to whether it is a worthy substitute for accepted punishment or whether it is just a necessary addition to it.
In the accepted proceedings an offender receives his punishment and that is the end of the criminal proceeding against him. In "restorative justice" they debate whether this should really mark the end of the entire proceeding. They debate the mental anguish the victims and whether the offender really wants to atone for his actions.
In the opinion of those who advocate "restorative justice” it is an integral part of procedural punishment. “Restorative justice" provides channels that allow for the establishment of a dialogue based on the offender apologising and showing remorse towards his victim.
Workshops in prisons often allow the offender to stand before his peers and discuss his offense whilst understanding that he harmed innocent people. They believe that this creates the possibility that the offender will eventually face his victim and apologize and truly understand the nature of his offense.
The purpose of "confession” and "forgiveness" is to achieve purification for the mind, whist fasting is to torture the physical body. Each man unto himself. Some accept it as part of faith and some see it as intellectual understanding. Either way the harmony between the two is what allows the body to better connect to the mind.
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