WHY SILENCE IS TREATED AS A VIRTUE скачать в хорошем качестве

WHY SILENCE IS TREATED AS A VIRTUE

There are things religion condemns loudly — and there are things it survives by staying silent about. Today, I want to talk about why silence is often treated as holiness. This is HOLY SILENCE — a podcast about faith, power, and the questions many of us were taught not to ask. I am not here to mock belief or tear down God. I am not here to tell anyone what to believe. I am here to examine something quieter — something less dramatic, but deeply influential. Not peaceful silence. Not reflective silence. But the kind that settles over a room when something is wrong and everyone pretends not to notice. In many religious spaces, silence is praised. Not speaking up is called humility. Not questioning leaders is called respect. Not pushing back is called faith. At first glance, that sounds spiritual. It sounds disciplined. It sounds virtuous. But when did silence become proof of goodness? When did quiet compliance become the highest form of righteousness? And more importantly — who benefits from that silence? When harm happens outside religious institutions, silence is called complicity. But when harm happens inside them, silence is reframed as wisdom. We are told, “Now isn’t the time.” “Don’t cause division.” “Handle it privately.” “Pray about it.” “Touch not the anointed.” And maybe God will handle it. But in the meantime, people are still here. Systems are still operating. Leaders are still protected. If silence is so holy, why does it almost always protect the powerful and rarely protect the vulnerable? Why is silence most demanded from those with the least power? Why are the wounded told to be patient while the influential are rarely told to be accountable? Most people are not silent because they are wicked. They are silent because they are afraid — afraid of being labeled rebellious, bitter, faithless, or divisive. In deeply religious societies like ours, community is not small. It is identity. It is belonging. It is survival. So silence feels safer than truth. Here is the hope: questioning does not destroy faith. It often strengthens it. Some of the deepest spiritual growth begins with a question. But here is the tension: if we stop treating silence as virtue, some institutions will shake. Some reputations will not survive. And maybe that is why silence is preached so passionately. Until next time, pay attention to what you are told not to say. Pay attention to who benefits from your silence. Because silence is only holy when it protects the vulnerable. This is HOLY SILENCE.