Do you believe in Sin? (page 3)

garybuss

Do you believe in Sin?

Sin has to be conceptual and contextual. For example, if I'm the only human on earth, how is it rationally possible for me to sin? I can't murder, I can't steal, I can't offend anyone. How can I sin? If sin is contextual, then it's conceptual, and if it's conceptual, then it's an invention, and my belief in it is conceptual and contextual as well.

How's that for an answer?

Rapunzel

Gary - The hypothetical situation that you posit of your being the only human on Earth is a terrifying one. It would not matter in the least bit whether you were a sinner with an evil soul, or an utter saint; if you were the only person on Earth, you would then be in hell. In fact, the only thing that "God" need do in order to condemn humans to hell would be to give each and every person their own planet to live on by themselves. In that way, each and everyone person would be consigned to their own private hell.

I understand your point about sin being contextual and thus conceptual. If I were the only person on Earth, then the only two "sins" conceivably available to me would be suicide or masturbation. Before reading the situation that you posit, I never could have imagined myself saying it but, given a choice between suicide and masturbation, I would most definitely choose the former were I to find myself in the "context" that you describe. All I can do is quote Joseph Conrad who wrote in The Heart of Darkness - "The horror! The horror!"

I have often read that people's most primal fear - the most horrific punishment conceivable - is to be buried alive. Perhaps that is true. But the situation that you describe definitely comes in a close second.

Mariusuk.

sin is a concept introduced to explain the failings of people. Going by the biblical definition it is also genetic. Some peope put to much stock in the concept of perfection, it is an illusion which no one has ever had nor will have, the human body and brain is perfection in a manner of speaking. I don't believe in sin, I believe in moral rightness and wrongness

IP_SEC

I dont personally define things as sinful or not sinful.

What is and is not sin are societal constructs which change over time.

Only constructive or destructive actions.

Of course construction isnt always beneficial and destruction isnt always malign.

Then again, one man's beneficial is another man's malevolence and vice-versa

FlyingHighNow

Sinful. Destructive. Semantics.

IP_SEC

Sinful. Destructive. Semantics.

Incorrect.

According to the survey 44% of people consider homosexual thoughts a sin.

A. Homosexual thoughts are not destructive.
B. This proves sin is a societal construct which changes over time. This number would have been much higher 30 years ago.

Destruction can be quantified. Please quantify for me the destruction that comes from homosexual thoughts?

IP_SEC

Is dancing destructive? Some people believe it is a sin... If SIN is given equivalence to the word DESTRUCTIVE then we must quantify the destructiveness of dancing. This cannot be done because dancing is not destructive. Yet funny... some people consider it a sin. Go figger.

FlyingHighNow

IP, check out my thoughts on that list. I copied the list and gave my ideas on each one. I don't consider homosexuality a sin. Who would that hurt? I still say sin or destructive, your word: it's semantics.

AK - Jeff

May I enter this portion of the debate FHN?

I don't see how all that is considered sinful by religious people is also destructive. Sometimes it can actually be constructive.

If I tell my 4 year old grandson that there is a bear in the woods behind my house [a lie] and to stay away from the woods, I might actually protect him from far lesser dangers that he cannot comprehend at this stage in his life. Or perhaps I just don't want him to leave the yard and that mechanism works the best to accomplish that. Still, what I said was a lie [a sin according to most Christians]. Yet it is not equal to being a destructive action. Nothing detrimental would come from such a statement. But by Christian definition it is a Sin, Wrong, entitles me to some sort of Divine retribution should God elect to pour it upon me.

I just don't see the 'Semantics' argument holding any water here.

Jeff

Do you believe in Sin?

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