Contrition is no fun

Reading today from A History of Sin: Its evolution to Today and Beyond by John Portmann, who has this to say about sin fatigue:

“Worshipping God takes time, just as repenting for sin does. Time gets increasingly scarce in the modern world, and atonement fatigue creeps into the picture. Traditional Jews read aloud from the Torah at least three times a week, and good Muslims face Mecca five times a day to pray. What do ordinary (Christian) believers have to show for themselves, other than some bumper stickers and lip service to ‘family values’? Part of the Western sin fatigue stems from the inconvenience of contrition. Saying we’re sorry for something we really wanted to do gets in the way of our enjoying life. Further, one of the difficult questions sin poses is why people regret it so deeply——is it to show love for God or to protect ourselves from a more severe punishment?”