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What is the concept of sin? Is sin equal to crime?

How do we measure sin? Is sin still acceptable to apply on immoral behavior that we practice today that no longer crime?

What's your opinion on it? This questions is for religious and non believers.

I want serious answers. I want a healthy conversation. Any slurs/negative/toxicity on comments shall be deleted.
BibleData · M
Sin means literally to miss the mark, so archers who missed the target sinned. If your boss says you need to be at work at 9:00 and you show up at 9:15 that's a sin to your boss. Exceeding the speed limit a sin to whoever set the speed limit.

Measuring sin is a little complicated, perhaps. Since we all inherit sin as an environmental sort of factor, our individual sins, no matter how trivial or extreme, are from the same place, so in that since equal in a sense. So inherited sin is like a child who isn't being held responsible for a specific sin but suffers as a consequence. Environmental, if you like. Then there is sin in a more direct sense. Various laws are given throughout the Bible that apply to specific people at specific times. Adam's was simple. Don't touch the tree or it's fruit.

The Law of Moses (600+ laws) was given specifically to Israel from it's reading by Moses to all the people and their acceptance until the law ended by being fulfilled by Christ. Essentially it was created to educate them. To the presence and effect of their sin, to their inability to keep it and therefore a need for salvation. So they weren't able to keep it. They had to have temporary sacrifices to teach them of the possible absolving of sin and the more perfect permanent sacrifice of a messiah who would deliver them from it's temporary harmful effects after they died, sin was removed and they were resurrected.
Adstar · 56-60, M
Sin is falling short of the Standards of God.. Anything we do that is against His will is sin.. Anything we fail to do that is His will is also sin..

Humans are sinners, there is no avoiding this conclusion..
1pebbles · 56-60, F
@Adstar well stated, point taken, the one thing that I need is the blood atonement, my main concern
Adstar · 56-60, M
@1pebbles Believe Jesus and trust in His atonement and you will have nothing to be concerned about in eternity Pebbles.. 😊
1pebbles · 56-60, F
@Adstar Amen! My belief is exactly that! Everything else is temporary
Graylight · 51-55, F
Succinctly stated by the Jesuits, sin is that which removes the warmth and light of God from our lives. Man's law are mutable, changeable over time for context, progression and evolution. We no longer keelhaul people or burn them alive in iron armor.

Sins, on the other hand (again, according to the Jesuits), are absolute. Stealing was a sin 2,000 years ago, it's a sin now and it will be a sine 2,000 years from now. Be wary when using the Bible to help clarify this. You've been told a story about something at a bar the next day and come to find out that wasn't at all what happened? Now apply that accuracy to more than 40 authors over 3,000 years in varied lands with varied audiences and varied goals. By 1450, we already had 33 separate translations from the original language and text. Words like abomination, sin, unclean and forbidden tend to get all kinds of mixed up.

IMO, broken laws are serious and should carry appropriate penalties and where dangers exist, they must be removed. But when we discuss men and women of faith, character, devotion, loyalty, empathy, reserve...these are the results of leading a wholesome life free of the struggles with one's own desires.
@Graylight everything changes with time. If it doesn’t it’s flawed
Graylight · 51-55, F
@SecondMarge2 Not Universal Absolutes, or that is the argument. It's an ancient argument for which there are entire university courses to examine. Sin is sin, no matter what, no matter who, no matter where or when. That is an absolute.

It used to be a crime to "dress above one's station." We now know that's ridiculous. Has something changed and suddenly murder is in again?
@Graylight that’s like saying we should still cut off hands, stone women and sacrifice goats. The Jesuits fear change because they fear their orders extinction. They try and hold the line to keep an aging congregation coming to mass. Religion that doesn’t evolve will become endangered. Church’s are already closing and combining. Sin was a needed concept at one time.
walabby · 61-69, M
Sin is a religious invention for recruitment purposes. It was a brilliant ploy. No one can be absolutely perfect. Even Jesus probably disobeyed his parents when he disappeared that time to talk philosophy with the rabbi.
The thing to consider about legal immoral behavior today is what will be the effect when people you love find out about it. Also, what would be the health effects on yourself?
Shipwrecked · 46-50, M
I think alot of the "sin" stuff was outlined and made very specific by religious groups in an attempt to simplify it and maybe try to protect people from themselves.

Most of it relies on our morals... Killing: obviously wrong. But... if you kill someone defending yourself or someone else; does that still make it a sin? Some would argue that it is. I, personally would not.

Stealing? Definitely not a cool thing to do... but for survival? Still not cool... but sinful? I dont think so.

Will there be consequences? Probably. On the earthly plain. Perhaps even after death...🤷‍♂️

The actions we take, that adversely impact the people around us are the ones to avoid.

But then, are we just making excuses for our "sinful" behavior?? We all have choices to make... I think the secret is: Are we able to live with those choices??🤔
popmol · 22-25, M
religious sin is stupid. anything they don't like is sin, and others that should be sin aren't because of their religion.
thats how there's so many religious pedophiles. because if you follow a book from so long ago saying its fine to have relationships with someone young and the fact that you'd be old if you were 40 means that it doesn't apply to modern age but some still like to follow them!

like there used to be storytellers telling stories like theatre on the street, but the religious didn't like it but since it was so popular they jsut changed it to bible stuff until it died!

same with holidays, most holidays associated with religion is just pagan holidays with a religious name slapped on top of it!

so i take religious sin not in high importance.
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Pretzel · 61-69, M
I was taught that sin was anything that fell short of perfection

sins could be by commission or ommission. and many sins are excusable because we inherited the our sinful condition from the first humans.

So that being said sins are not all crime but all crimes are generally a sin or one kind or another - either a violent crime or a fraudulent act.

In the religion I was brought up in the standards of the deity do not change but man's view of sin is in constant flux.
Secular Law, is historically based on religious ideas of deity disobedience.

As it evolved, it became society offenses to the state. The state became “god” in a sense.

Sin doesn’t equal crime in the state sense. But it just so happens that some sins resemble state crimes in their make up, like murder is unacceptable.

The difference is the religious deity vs the state. It gets even more complex because some secular laws still use “god” as a way to explain things.
CrazyMusicLover · 31-35
I don't like the word because it's often applied to the silliest things like saying swear words or overeating. Therefore calling crimes sins doesn't sound serious enough.
It simply doesn't have any real meaning or use to me.
Even the word crime itself doesn't always have negative meaning to me. Absurd laws can criminalize normal, harmless activities and some heinous acts might not be criminalized at all.
Convivial · 26-30, F
Sin is whatever a religious group says it is... End of story
Heavenlywarrior · 36-40, M
Our hearts, our conscience will drop and we struggle with the action once we know it is wrong. Christ blood covers us from many tragedies if we do not willfully continue in error and iniquity.
Heavenlywarrior · 36-40, M
@SecondMarge2 that’s a gray area…

I’ll say we weren’t meant to have bloodshed.
@Heavenlywarrior most religious belief is stuck in the distant past believing things long outdated. Stories that were copied from other lands or religions to help promote Christianity. That puts many people off and churches are full of gray hairs or closing. We need a realistic approach that has not long been disproved by science.
Heavenlywarrior · 36-40, M
@SecondMarge2 you have a valid point. We also keep in mind that certain cultural practices involve faith and form and a symbol.

These cultural practices work for the believer when they perform rituals with their intent a
In mind and heart.

This also can’t be disregarded .
Sin is whatever a religious group or individual wants it to be. Historically the concept has been used to exploit, scare and force people to submit to a God.

I think it's a terrible and damaging concept and I'm glad it doesn't affect me.
Shipwrecked · 46-50, M
Wow... That is REALLY deep for SW at 3am... gonna need a minute to think on this one...

Are we going with "sin" in the biblical sense? ...or the catholic version? ...or some specific religion? Because I think they vary slightly...
iamelijah · 26-30, M
@Shipwrecked It's okay. Take your time. 😅

We are evening here. So it just crossed in my mind at few moment so I need to ask asap before I forget about it. 🤣

Any version. Both would be better, if you don't mind.
Sins were an early in society way of protecting people from each other, themselves and their ignorance. Most things once considered sins are no longer needed because of advancements in science etc.
eMortal · M
Sin is a religious concept. Crime has a similar meaning but in secular law.
Having sex out of wedlock is a sin but not a crime. Marrying a 13yo is a crime in most countries but not a sin.
ServantOfTheGoddess · 61-69, M
To me sin has to do with falling short of our commitments to God, and with hurting each other. There is some overlap with crime but lots of things that I would think of as sins are not crimes.
ArcAngel · 61-69, M
Sin is alive and well today as well as in the past, and sin
should not be commited; it only harms the soul and keeps
you from evolving into YHWH's Higher Light.
Scott
fakable · T
sin is a type of morality described through the religious view of the world for the coexistence of believers in society
SW-User
No son is missing the mark pertaining to what God expects from you, a crime has to do with the law.
AlchemyFox · 36-40, F
The only sin is limiting yourself to other people’s beliefs.
REMsleep · 41-45, F
From a Christian persepective as defined by The Bible sin is a transgression against God or an immoral act in the eyes of God.

Some things that The Word considers immoral are moral in the eyes of God and many vice versa.
Morality is not stagnant. What is moral in one situation ia not moral in another. Crime has little to do with it. Crime is human law. We as Christians are told to follow human law unless it is sin.
Stamp out sin

 
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