Blaming Sin
I have heard more than once (actually, more than a dozen times most likely) in my church life a pastor take our modern era to task for giving up on sin. They say something along the lines of ‘You know, we used to call a sin a sin but now we call it a syndrome or a condition or a societal issue. What we need to do is get back to calling a sin a sin.’ The point the pastor is leading to is personal responsibility, which is a worthy and valuable goal for ourselves and to teach to our children. Blaming others or society or anything else is often just a way to avoid taking the blame yourself in other words. But you know what another way of taking the blame off our selves is? By calling it sin.
Sin and Pride
The concept of sin is, as I mentioned yesterday, attached to ‘original sin’. It is explained by classic Christianity as something we have in us always. It’s something we can’t escape or work our way out of. As a matter of fact, many denominations have a central part of their liturgy being a recitation of how continually bad we are. What is that recitation and the underlying theology but a method of saying it’s something we are just stuck with. As a matter of fact, those who attempt to get rid of sin are often accused of being prideful.
Suspending Judgment
We can call it sin, we can say it’s from Satan if we want, but the truth is that doesn’t help us figure anything out about what to DO about it. All we really hear in church is to not do it. If we do sin then it is a moral failure. And we know how effective it is to condemn someone morally is in making them repent, right? No. So, what if we, while still using the word ‘sin’ if we want, actually start to look at what happens scientifically when someone does something bad. How about we put away the moral judgment for a bit while we investigate what is happening? What do we have to lose by doing that?
Effective Exploration
I certainly am not saying there isn’t personal responsibility. What I am saying is let’s be effective in how we figure out that responsibility. If that means we investigate what goes wrong in the synapse of the brain, then that’s what we do. If it means we explore how nutrition and upbringing effects behavior, then let’s do that. Whatever it is we pursue the answer as best we can. Our goal, after all, is to reduce ‘sin’, right? Well, since figuring out what causes it is essential to reducing it, let’s focus on how to do that instead of focusing on the judgment, which gets us no where.
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Drawing by Marty Coleman
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