What is sin?

[Shadow of Liberty]

Hoping to hear from many different perspectives on this term and its origins from those various beliefs. I believe it to mean ignorance but have been told it is different. What can I really say when I'm not a scholar anyway?

 

[Riverwolf]

Well, the word comes from Old English synn, from Proto-Germanic *sundijō. It basically meant "guilty of a crime". I only use it in reference to breaking a religious taboo, as opposed to crime in general. Technically, I suppose it could be used in reference to breaking the taboos of a specific God, but I don't think I'd use it outside of an Abrahamic concept, since that's the one most people are familiar with.

 

[DawudTalut]

Hoping to hear from many different perspectives on this term and its origins from those various beliefs. I believe it to mean ignorance but have been told it is different. What can I really say when I'm not a scholar anyway?

Peace be on you.
Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) said: Virtue is good moral, and sin is the one which create (unrest) in the your heart and you dislike people should know about it. [Book of Hadith: Muslim]

Ahmadiyya-Muslim Promised Messiah Mahdi (a.s.) explained sin to a visiting scholar:

""Prof. Raig: There are two things I wish to find out - one is, what is sin? A person in one country may consider some act to be a sin while the same act may not be considered sinful in another country. Man progressed from a small insect to a human being and then he learned to discern between truth and falsehood, he distinguishes truth from lies, good from bad, gained knowledge of sin and goodness and after all this there is the difference - what is sin for one person is not sin for another who indulges in it?.......
......
......
Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad: I usually speak having in mind people who believe in the existence of God. God's being is a source of eternal happiness and pleasure for man's life. Whoever separates from Him or leaves Him in one way or another, about such a state of a person it is said that he has sinned. Furthermore, keeping in view the nature of man, God has further defined as 'sin' those acts which through their finer implications, prove to be harmful for man himself, even though a person sometimes may not be able to appreciate such harmfulness. For example, theft and harming others by taking away their rights, harms the purity of ones own life. An adulterer's act of adultery and his taking what may belong to someone else, destroys his own piety and engulfs him in various physical and spiritual difficulties. Similarly, those acts which are against the nature of man's purity and piety are also referred to as 'sin', as are all the related acts, whether related closely or distantly - these are also considered as types of sin.

God Almighty is greater than all else, He has the most knowledge, He is the true creator of man and every particle which exists. It is he who is also the creator of their nature and He is wise. If, with his complete wisdom and complete knowledge, he suggests that something is harmful for you, that indulging in it would not benefit you at all, rather it is totally harmful then it is not the action of a wholesome person to go against this. We see that when a doctor advises a patient to abstain from something, the patient acts on that advice without any argument. Why does he act in this way? He does this because he considers the doctor as being in possession of much greater knowledge than himself. Similarly, there are some things which are harmful for man's body or spirit whether man himself understands that or not. There are some things which would he harmful even if God had not given a ruling about them. In medicine also there are some things which are considered 'sins' and lack of medical knowledge is no excuse for the person who goes against the medical principles. If someone does not believe this they can check with doctors and physicians .

The point to remember is simply this that the root of sin is those actions which lead man far away from purity and righteousness. The true love of God and union with Him is the true pleasure and real comfort. Thus moving away from God and being distant from Him is also sin and is the source of pain, sorrow and difficulty. Those things which God dislikes due to His own sanctity, that is sin. There are some matters on which people may not agree but, on the other hand, the greater part of the world is jointly agreed that lying, stealing, adultery and cruelty are such acts that all nations and religions jointly consider them to be sins. But remember that the root of sin is precisely those acts which distance man from God, which are against His sanctity, against His wishes and against man's nature - it is such acts which constitute sin.

Every person senses sin. If someone slaps an innocent person and knows that he had no right to do so, he will at some later time, when he looks at his action with a cool head, himself feel ashamed and will sense that he has done a bad deed. Conversely, if someone feeds a hungry person, gives a drink of water to a thirsty person, and clothes someone lacking clothe
s, such a person will have an inner sense of having been good, and having done a blessed deed. a person's heart and conscience and the light of belief remind him whether his various actions were a good act or a sinful act.......""
Source:https://www.alislam.org/library/pm694.html


Holy Quran has used more than one word for sin
اثم
ذنب
page 6 and page 297 @ https://www.alislam.org/quran/dictionary/dictionary_quran.pdf

 

[Aupmanyav]

My books say: 'Paropakāram punyāya, pāpāya parapīdanam.'
(To help others is merit, to pain others is sin.)

 

[Eliab ben Benjamin]

What is sin?

to Miss, as in to miss the target

 

[Shadow of Liberty]

Well, the word comes from Old English synn, from Proto-Germanic *sundijō. It basically meant "guilty of a crime". I only use it in reference to breaking a religious taboo, as opposed to crime in general. Technically, I suppose it could be used in reference to breaking the taboos of a specific God, but I don't think I'd use it outside of an Abrahamic concept, since that's the one most people are familiar with.

I could reason with man being born into guilt, but that guilt specifically would have to stem from not knowing anything. And that a savior of that guilt had to be martyred for attempting to reverse its course, profoundly enough to echo through eternity, to free us from the tyranny of unconscious minds.

 

[George-ananda]

Hoping to hear from many different perspectives on this term and its origins from those various beliefs. I believe it to mean ignorance but have been told it is different. What can I really say when I'm not a scholar anyway?

Well, I think the spiritual goal of our lives is Self-Realization (moving to the experience of Oneness, love and peace with all). In that case I would define sin as thought and behavior that takes us further from the goal.

 

[arthra]

Sin is not often a topic among Baha'is...We view it as more the absence of virtue:

"If there was no wrong how would you recognize the right? If it were not for sin how would you appreciate virtue? If evil deeds were unknown how could you commend good actions? If sickness did not exist how would you understand health?
Evil is non-existent; it is the absence of good;..."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 78

There is also a concept in the Baha'i Writings called the "sin covering eye"...

"Have a sin-covering eye. As soon as you see a trace of the Love of Bahá'u'lláh in a soul, revere that soul under all conditions."

- Star of the West, Star of the West - 3

In other words there is positive reinforcement...

 

[vaguelyhumanoid]

It comes down to this: your kiss, your first, and the strain (it gets under my skin).

 

[averageJOE]

A "sin" is when someone goes against the laws/word/will of their chosen deity. I do not have a deity, meaning, I don't sin.

 

[Awoon]

"What is Sin"? The Virtue that keeps Sinners and their religious organizations going.

Without "Sin" they would fold up and disappear.

 

[`mud]

Just like Awoon said, & welcome back !
~
In the way of the rules of the clear spirit:
"The lack of the doing harm."
I think ! Anyway.....a good way to be
~
'mud

 

[Shadow of Liberty]

Without "Sin" they would fold up and disappear.

I think a lot of government would as well.

 

[Shadow of Liberty]

Well, I think the spiritual goal of our lives is Self-Realization (moving to the experience of Oneness, love and peace with all). In that case I would define sin as thought and behavior that takes us further from the goal.

There are higher levels of consciousness indeed.

 

[Riverwolf]

I could reason with man being born into guilt, but that guilt specifically would have to stem from not knowing anything. And that a savior of that guilt had to be martyred for attempting to reverse its course, profoundly enough to echo through eternity, to free us from the tyranny of unconscious minds.

I've never believed in such things. I fully believe that the sins of the father die with the father.

I can't say whether Tiw, God of Kings and Justice (among other things, but is basically the equivalent to Gods such as Zeus), would agree with my opinion, but the great thing about being a polytheist is that there's no obligation to agree with the Gods. Especially ones we don't follow closely.

 

[Shadow of Liberty]

Holy Quran has used more than one word for sin

Iniquity is the only other term I've heard of.

 

[Shadow of Liberty]

I've never believed in such things. I fully believe that the sins of the father die with the father.

I can't say whether Tiw, God of Kings and Justice (among other things, but is basically the equivalent to Gods such as Zeus), would agree with my opinion, but the great thing about being a polytheist is that there's no obligation to agree with the Gods. Especially ones we don't follow closely.

How more specifically can you define "the father" so I can try to relate to this understanding?

 

[Riverwolf]

How more specifically can you define "the father" so I can try to relate to this understanding?

"The father" is just a byword in reference to any parent, which I use to illustrate how outdated the entire notion is (inspired by a friend who does likewise). Basically, children don't inherit their parents' crimes; there's no such thing as "born into guilt".

 

[Shadow of Liberty]

"The father" is just a byword in reference to any parent, which I use to illustrate how outdated the entire notion is (inspired by a friend who does likewise). Basically, children don't inherit their parents' crimes; there's no such thing as "born into guilt".

Yeah, I was using the term guilt as a replacement term for sin and plugging it into biblical scripture to see if it would harmonize with reason. Guilt just seems to be a byproduct of ignorance.

 

[Riverwolf]

Yeah, I was using the term guilt as a replacement term for sin and plugging it into biblical scripture to see if it would harmonize with reason. Guilt just seems to be a byproduct of ignorance.

I'd say the notion of inherited guilt isn't so much due to ignorance (a word I'm really starting to hate being applied to ancient people), but more vindictiveness. I'm a Heathen, and so identify kinda strongly with my pre-Christian ancestors. As such, it's easy for me to demonize Christianity as the force that "destroyed my people", and to consider any modern Christians as equally guilty of this thing that happened a thousand years ago. Keeping that from happening to me is a struggle.

But guilt itself is just an aspect of empathy, and so is what helps keep groups together. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, so long as it's not misplaced. Sadly, puritanical thought often causes us to misplace it a lot.