“Ah, we who still call ourselves Christians are from the Christian point of view so pampered, so far from being what Christianity does indeed require of those who want to call themselves Christians, dead to the world, that we hardly ever have any idea of that kind of earnestness; [XII 304] we are as yet unable to do without, to give up the artistic and its mitigation, cannot bear the true impact of actuality—well, then let us at least be honest and admit it. If someone perhaps does not immediately understand what I am saying and why I am saying it, may he be slow to judge,8 may he take his time, for we shall, to be sure, go further into the subject. But whoever you are, have confidence, yield yourself. There can be no question of my using force, I who of all people am the weakest; but no persuasion or craft or cunning or enticement whatever will be used in order to lead you perhaps so far out that you might regret having yielded yourself (which, however, you really ought not to regret and would not if your faith were stronger). Believe me (I say it to my own shame), I, too, am all too pampered.”
FOR SELF-EXAMINATION JUDGE FOR YOURSELF! by Søren Kierkegaard
DeeAnn Dean 