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The Blame Game – Danger In Failing to Admit Responsibility

The Blame Game – Danger In Failing to Admit Responsibility

Last updated on: January 30, 2024 at 6:05 pm by Alice H. Murray

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The Blame Game – Danger In Failing to Admit Responsibility 2024-01-30T18:05:24-05:00 Alice H. Murray

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Man's finger pointing straight at the viewer [Picture courtesy of Pixabay]

People often point the finger of blame at someone else when it’s their fault [Picture courtesy of Pixabay]

People today are loathe to take responsibility for their actions. For example, drug addicts may blame their parents for their need to seek solace in drugs. Why shoulder accountability when blaming others is an easy option? But such behavior is nothing new. It occurred way back in the Garden of Eden. Playing the blame game, however, presents danger when there’s a failure to admit responsibility.

What Is Blame?

Bottom line, blame is assigning responsibility for something that happened. So, if an indoor pet cat escapes outside, the family wants to know who left the door open. A child may respond that his brother did it in an attempt to shift the blame to someone else because he doesn’t want to suffer the negative consequences of his actions. The response aims to avoid taking responsibility for what happened.

In The Beginning

Blaming others to avoid responsibility is a common human behavior which has taken place since the beginning of recorded history. The third chapter of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, provides a well-known example. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and God came walking in the garden to chat with them about their disobedient actions. Eve blamed the serpent for deceiving her to get her to eat the fruit. In turn, Adam blamed Eve for giving him the fruit and indirectly blamed God for putting Eve in the garden with him.

Illustration of Adam and Eve by the tree with forbidden fruit with the serpent wrapped around the trunk and in its branches

The account in Genesis of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit leads to finger-pointing to assess blame [Picture courtesy of Pixabay]

Despite their feeble attempts at blame-shifting, God held them accountable. Not only did they reap the consequences of their disobedience, but they damaged their relationship with God by being less than honest with Him and not admitting their personal responsibility.

Blame And Antisemitism

Many believe the concept of blame may be at the root of antisemitism. That term means the hatred of or prejudice against Jews. And with antisemitic incidents rising yearly in the US, understanding what gives rise to antisemitism is insightful.

What are Jews blamed for? Some Christians place the responsibility for the death of Jesus on them, a powerful reason for those Christians who embrace antisemitism. Unfortunately, this pinning of blame can give rise to hatred and violent acts.

Why Blame Others?

Psychologists characterize blaming others as a defense mechanism. Engaging in such behavior helps the blame-shifter avoid experiencing negative emotions such as guilt and shame. Because blame-shifting reduces a person’s negative emotions, unsurprisingly those who are poor regulators of their emotions prefer to point a finger at someone else as opposed to accepting responsibility.

Black background with fingers pointing to words "The Others" appearing to be written in chalk

Blame often involves pointing at others to assign responsibility for something we did [Picture courtesy of Pixabay]

Not only is blame-shifting emotionally easier, but it requires less effort. Taking full responsibility for his actions requires a person to face the consequences for them. It also puts pressure on the individual to consider why they made the mistake and what corrective action might have to be taken to deal with future situations.

Dangers Of Blame-Shifting

Failing to take responsibility for our actions can be dangerous. Consequences result when we wrongfully attempt to put the blame on someone else. Whatever relationship the blamer has with the person he points the finger out will suffer, if not end. The blamer often develops negative emotions toward the person to whom he points the finger of blame such as anger, resentment, and hatred. This negativity is not a positive result.

The opportunity to engage in healthy, accountable behaviors slips away when blame is shifted. Everyone makes mistakes, so having made one is simply being human. Blaming or shaming ourselves or others for not being perfect is unproductive. Having made a mistake allows an individual to learn from it. Avoiding taking responsibility removes the chance to for a learning opportunity.

Pointing the finger of blame away from ourselves also destroys an opportunity to engage in healing. Blaming someone else for our thoughts, emotions, and actions keeps an individual from accepting that thoughts and emotions are his own and that he is responsible for his own actions. Recognizing that he has responsibility allows a person to see he has some control of his situation and can exercise it.

Blame And Faith

Christians attempting to blame-shift is as laughable as Eve blaming the serpent and Adam blaming Eve for the forbidden fruit’s consumption. Our all-knowing God is clearly aware of who did what and will hold the correct person accountable no matter who we are pointing the finger of blame at. Holding antisemitic beliefs because Christians blame the Jews for Jesus’ death is also flawed thinking. Jesus died bearing ALL our sins—that was His purpose in coming to this Earth. So the thumb of the blame finger pointer is pointed right back at Him if he points at Jews.

Jesus hanging on cross with the background of a blue sky

Jesus took the blame for and paid the price for our sins with His crucifixion [Picture courtesy of Pixabay]

Various dangers arise when blame-shifting takes place—damage to personal relationships, producing negative emotions towards the person blamed, the loss of the opportunity to engage in healthy and productive behavior, and missing the chance to begin healing. But the biggest danger of all is when people fail to take responsibility for their sin because the wages of sin is death. By confessing what they have done and accepting Jesus, blame is legitimately transferred by God’s plan to Jesus who has paid the price for them.

The blame game shifting responsibility to others is dangerous. The blame plan devised by God is not only safe, but it offers us eternal life with Him.

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About Alice H Murray

After 35 years as a Florida adoption attorney, Alice H. Murray now pursues a different path as Operations Manager for End Game Press. With a passion for writing, she is constantly creating with words. Her work includes contributions to several Short And Sweet books, The Upper Room, Chicken Soup For The Soul, Abba’s Lessons (from CrossRiver Media), and the Northwest Florida Literary Review. Alice is a regular contributor to GO!, a quarterly Christian magazine in the Florida Panhandle, and she has three devotions a month published online by Dynamic Women in Missions. Her devotions have also appeared in compilation devotionals such as Ordinary People Extraordinary God (July 2023) and Guideposts’ Pray A Word A Day, Vol. 2 (June 2023) and pray a word for Hope (September 2023). Alice’s first book, The Secret of Chimneys, an annotated Agatha Christie mystery, was released in April 2023 with a second such book, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, to be released in April 2025. On a weekly basis, Alice posts on her blog about current events with a humorous point of view at aliceinwonderingland.wordpress.com. You can read more about the author here.

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