Beorn
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- Dec 10, 2008
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I find great problems with popular views of sin, but I have not given up on the concept.
Within my religious tradition sin is much less about black and white acts and more about intent. There are strict right and wrongs, but those are based on the idea that certain acts are impossible to commit with good intent. In fact this is the very basis of the american criminal justice system. For most crimes intent must be proven. Then of course there are varying degrees of punishment dependent upon the level of intent. All this is a result of the christian tradition in the west. As we move away from the christian tradition in the west we are seeing more of an emphasis on consequentialism and less on intent in criminal law.
Marm, where does this "LAW" come from?
Why do you capitalize it?
This is based upon a presumption that human worth is based on acts. The christian tradition which believes in sin does not believe in a sliding scale of human value. The worth of every human is imputed to them by God himself.
But, because their value is based within God they must not turn against God (by sinning). So while people may be treated differently (like being incarcerated for murder) it is not based upon the act in and of itself, but in the betrayal of what the person truly is as an image bearer of God himself. When people sin they act in a way that is outside of what they were created to be.
How is this not possible from within a framework which accepts sin as I have defined it above?
It's more intelligent and infinitely more sensitive to realize that people do things for a variety of reasons (including mental illness, among others) than there just being this black and white "sin."
There is still LAW. There is still is good and bad. But the concept of sin is limited and ignorant.
Within my religious tradition sin is much less about black and white acts and more about intent. There are strict right and wrongs, but those are based on the idea that certain acts are impossible to commit with good intent. In fact this is the very basis of the american criminal justice system. For most crimes intent must be proven. Then of course there are varying degrees of punishment dependent upon the level of intent. All this is a result of the christian tradition in the west. As we move away from the christian tradition in the west we are seeing more of an emphasis on consequentialism and less on intent in criminal law.
Marm, where does this "LAW" come from?
Why do you capitalize it?
Absolutely. the word "sin" is a dismissal of a human being's worth because it makes them "worthy" of eternal death and/or torment.
This is based upon a presumption that human worth is based on acts. The christian tradition which believes in sin does not believe in a sliding scale of human value. The worth of every human is imputed to them by God himself.
But, because their value is based within God they must not turn against God (by sinning). So while people may be treated differently (like being incarcerated for murder) it is not based upon the act in and of itself, but in the betrayal of what the person truly is as an image bearer of God himself. When people sin they act in a way that is outside of what they were created to be.
Human beings still cause destructive problems and like you say, there are reasons behind those behaviors. Understanding and correcting the underlying problems is preventative and the best problem solving I know.
The way to do this without judgment is to have enough humility to know that when placed in a different set of circumstances, even I, or even you, could be impacted differently and could in fact be the source of those same problems.
How is this not possible from within a framework which accepts sin as I have defined it above?