Without recourse to theology, but from my own political ideological orientation, I strongly criticise the way the Tachanun has reinforced the most negative of Jewish national characterisitcs which, I presume, only strengthened what I call "The League of the Trembling Israelites" and perhaps led to the sorrowful meekness of Jews, for the most part, especially during the Holocaust. I am referring to the phrase: "nechshavnu latevach yuval" which although having roots in Tanach (Yehsayhu 53:7; Tehilim 44:23; Yirmiyahu 12:3), is an original composition using the words of Tanach but in a new fashion.
And, while theologically, one could state that it doesn't mean that we Jews actually are as sheep being led to the slaughter but only that the Goyim presume we are, (and recall the spies saying "v'nehi b'einenu kachagavim"), any pyschologist would say that if we repeat that phrase twice weekly for 30 years of the life of a Jewish male, we would probably adopt that imagery and presume that we truly are as sheep and act that way in expectation.
That is quite depressing.
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