#Purity

Ritual purity is the grand charade in which participants deposit their sins into water or incense, performing an act of spotless innocence. The actual cleansing of the heart is secondary to the proof of having folded one's hands strictly by the book. It carries the paradoxical message that the holy water remains uncontaminated, while only our guilt is tainted. The essential point is never to skip the ritual, thus hiding our impurity and basking in a sense of superiority over others. It may be regarded as the pinnacle of religious self-satisfaction, a faith in the mirage of visible prayer.