The concept of sin fascinates me. It's perhaps partially due to the fact religion fascinates me. While I am in no way religious, I still find it to be a fascinating concept, and enjoy reading and pondering about it.
Is sin subjective? Is there one set of sins according to religion and the after-life and another set according to living humans and the present life, or are they one and the same?
Whenever I hear the word "sin," I immediately think of the Ten Commandments, which go as follows:
1. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"
2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image"
3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain"
4. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy"
5. "Honour thy father and thy mother"
6. "Thou shalt not kill"
7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery"
8. "Thou shalt not steal"
9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour"
10. "Thou shalt not covet"
Like with the English language, are there exceptions to these rules or are they absolute? Is it sinful for the state to execute a convicted murderer or is that an exception to the Commandment "Thou shalt not kill"? What about in matters of self-defense?
Are there "sins" of significant importance which aren't mentioned in this list of Commandments? Many like to claim that homosexuality is sinful. If it was truly of significant importance, why was it not mentioned in this list? Eating meat has been described as being sinful in The Bible. Does that make all of us meat-eaters truly sinful? Can the status and perception of sins be altered through time? Is the status of sin dependent on circumstance? What about swear words? Words that at one point in time weren't seen as vulgar, but are today?
I guess one thing I'm having trouble understanding is if God is omniscient and omnipotent, how could something be viewed as a sin during his/her/its time but not today? On the other hand, times change, so how can we treat everything said or done during man's inception similarly to today? Yes, these are the kinds of things I think about when I'm ill, tired, and don't have much else to do. While some may sit on the couch and watch soap operas or game shows, I'm sitting here pondering about the concept of sin when I'm not even religious. Yes, I'm an odd one.
Is sin subjective? Is there one set of sins according to religion and the after-life and another set according to living humans and the present life, or are they one and the same?
Whenever I hear the word "sin," I immediately think of the Ten Commandments, which go as follows:
1. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"
2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image"
3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain"
4. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy"
5. "Honour thy father and thy mother"
6. "Thou shalt not kill"
7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery"
8. "Thou shalt not steal"
9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour"
10. "Thou shalt not covet"
Like with the English language, are there exceptions to these rules or are they absolute? Is it sinful for the state to execute a convicted murderer or is that an exception to the Commandment "Thou shalt not kill"? What about in matters of self-defense?
Are there "sins" of significant importance which aren't mentioned in this list of Commandments? Many like to claim that homosexuality is sinful. If it was truly of significant importance, why was it not mentioned in this list? Eating meat has been described as being sinful in The Bible. Does that make all of us meat-eaters truly sinful? Can the status and perception of sins be altered through time? Is the status of sin dependent on circumstance? What about swear words? Words that at one point in time weren't seen as vulgar, but are today?
I guess one thing I'm having trouble understanding is if God is omniscient and omnipotent, how could something be viewed as a sin during his/her/its time but not today? On the other hand, times change, so how can we treat everything said or done during man's inception similarly to today? Yes, these are the kinds of things I think about when I'm ill, tired, and don't have much else to do. While some may sit on the couch and watch soap operas or game shows, I'm sitting here pondering about the concept of sin when I'm not even religious. Yes, I'm an odd one.
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