This article stood out amongst the typical news headline fodder about the Democratic debates, sky-rocketing oil prices, and a looming (or already occurring) economic depression a few weeks ago. Has the notion of sin been lost? In order to determine if the notion of sin has been lost, its necessary to first define what sin really is.
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, sin is:
-an offense against religious or moral law
-an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible
-an often serious shortcoming
-transgression of the law of God
-a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God
Sin is closely tied to God and religion, but it also applies to our morals and ethics. The article defines sin as “something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective." An action that is different from the majority’s actions in a negative way are (in theory) a sin. The idea of sin could be synonymous with being able to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
The problem is, no one person can define what is right and what is wrong. There is no clearly defined line that separates one from the other. Our parents do their best to instill good judgment in us. They punish us for socially unacceptable actions and praise us for proper behavior. If you are member of a religion (although 1 out of 5 of us no longer is), then you may have some ideas of sin that are congruous with the ideas of your religion. But an atheist is just as likely to sin as a member of the church (of any faith) is.
I for one don’t think that we have lost the notion of sin. Instead, the notion of sin or, better phrased what we consider to be sin, has evolved. Our culture is one that is based on change and progressive thought. It makes sense that our ideas of what is acceptable and what is not should also change over time. Maybe its just time for our morals and ethics to get with it.
The one question that still plagues me is “Where do we draw the line?” According to the study from the article (which should be taken with a grain of salt as with any study), 26% of people think racism is ok. 35% think that using drugs like heroine or cocaine is perfectly fine. And a whopping 48% of Americans believe that its ok to not report some of your income on your taxes. That’s nearly half of our country who believes its ok to lie and steal. When smaller issues like these become socially acceptable what will follow?
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