by sinboi 28 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
What do you consider sinful? Okay, I know many of you no longer believe that there is a god. Just bear with me a little, just assumed that there is a creator or god. What is a sin? A breaking of one of his rule or commandment?
Now, what if one of his commandment you conscientiously cannot follow? Such as that hebrew d.o.g wanted the ancient israelites to do…killing pagan believers and babies? If you do not follow his instructions, do you consider that a sin?
Many have read in various scriptures that we are sinners from birth and heard scriptural characters saying: “The good I wish to do I do not do, but the bad I do not wish to do is what I do. What a wretched person I am!” or “This is the way God has made me” …etc. Reading such things people feel that sin is an inherited tendency—something normal.
But an analytical mind would not agree because he finds an avalanche of proofs against this. We find variety of people acting/reacting differently in same situation: Some do more righteous acts, some do more sinful acts, and others mix them in varying degrees, one-time sinners changing into saints, one-time saints changing into sinners, some very poor people who refuse to steal, and some very wealthy people who steal in various ways… etc. This shows people choose to act the way they like which means they are not sinners from birth—resulting in all sorts of people from sinless to the sinful ones. Interestingly, even Bible makes many references to some sinless persons who lived in the ancient times (Genesis 5:24; Job 1:8; Psalm 18:23; Ezekiel 14:14; Luke 1:6 …etc.) and human capacity to perform righteousness. (Habakkuk 2:4; Hebrews 10:38)
Doing good to the self/others is virtue; doing harm to the self/others is sin, hence it is within the power of any human to do good which they have done many times in their lives which means they can repeat it any number of time if they want.
Everything apostle Paul wrote about sin was his view.
Doing things that hurt other people.
Biblical 'sin' doesn't exist as anything more than a tool to control the people by the churches.
What is 'wrong' in the eyes of the law, depends on varied factors including culture and the prevailing religion in the area.
I don't need a book that condones slavery and murder to tell me what's right or wrong. I do not follow any commandments from books. I consider rationally what is right or wrong. I consider rationally what is acceptable to another human being or not...perhaps I'm not explaining this very well.....
…killing pagan believers and babies?
who says who is 'pagan'? This is just some illiterate goat herders being barbaric by pretending their imaginary disgusting sky daddy (god), gave them permission to murder and commit atrocities.
If you do not follow his instructions, do you consider that a sin?
I do not believe in 'sin' because I do not answer to an imaginary psycho in the sky.
If 'sin' is defined by 'divine law from god', then, no.
I don't believe in sin. I don't believe I'm born with sin.
But I do have some kind of sense of right and wrong.
Most if not all of my sense of right and wrong is covered by law, e.g. I believe that driving a car after drinking 10 pints is wrong - and it happens that this is illegal, too.
There is an indirect way of knowing what sin is—take the opposite of virtue. In some ancient language, virtue means acting agreeable to or in accordance with one’s original nature and to the society. It is like a flower—it is virtue on its part so to say when it gives fragrance and delights you with its beauty, and sin so to say when it gives you bad odor and looks ugly. Bible too alludes to this when it says: “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” (Ephesians 4:24) In contrast, when one thinks that his interest comes above all others, it is against his very nature sending bad odor in all directions, hence it is sin. Problem with sin is that it cannot make anyone feel good.
A recent study published in the Journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience supports the above. It was found that people who are in love with themselves have poor connectivity between both regions of the brain—medial prefrontal cortex (which is associated with self-referential thinking) and ventral striatum (which is associated with feeling good). That means the more a person feels more important than others and thus deviates into sin, the less he feels good, because of which he will try harder to deviate further creating a vicious cycle. In contrast, real spirituality primarily benefits one’s self and others secondarily.
Sin, biblically speaking, is missing the mark. It is falling short of the glory of God. ...Jesus Christ
I don't believe in sin. I don't believe I'm born with sin.
But I do have some kind of sense of right and wrong.
Most if not all of my sense of right and wrong is covered by law, e.g. I believe that driving a car after drinking 10 pints is wrong - and it happens that this is illegal, too.
I agree with LoveUniHateExams. Sin is an invention to keep people in line. Think about it, if you wanted to sell medicine to someone who wasnt even sick you'd need to convince them that they were sick and that you have the remedy. This is what religion does. In most religions they invented this idea of hell or eternal cutting off from God. The only way to not go there is do as i say. Keep them thinking that they're not worthy, that they're "dust", that they need God in their lives.
There are things i consider immoral and abhorrent that are legal. And there are illegal things that i have no problem with. I use my own morality, common sense and empathy to guide me.
I am my own God.
I think I have phrase my question in an inappropriate way. Please pardon me. I am really very confused now.
You see, I am born in the "truth". I am really appalled at what ISIS is doing. Chopping people's head off because they are unbelievers. I often asked what type of god they are following. I said they are worshipping the devil, not God. My parents have been telling me how fortunate we are that we are worshipping a God that is loving and merciful. Even after I am out of the wt, I still have deep love and respect for Jehovah. I am still always ready to defend him and his word, the Bible. Until someone here tells me to read deut 13...kill all inhabitants of the land. Even the cattles. I am not concerned about the cattles. But if even the cattles are killed, what about the babies!!! As I have just recently watch a documentary on ww2, scenes of japanese soldiers snatching babies from their mothers and kill them flooded my mind again. Who am I worshipping all these years? A cruel and merciless D.O.G!! Just like Allah whom ISIS are worshipping. Allah is a god I despised. Now the god I am worshipping is also so despicable.
Some of you has written to me telling me to consider the possibility that these stories are man-made and that there is no god. I can consider that these stories can be man-make. But to consider that there is no god, no creator is rather difficult.
Today, while walking past an indian temple, I think of another possibility. A very frightening possibility...there is a god. There is a creator. But he is a cruel and merciless god! Who say god must be good, who say god must be loving and merciful??? Man couldn't find god because we expect god to be a good god. But what if he is not what we expect?
My earlier question really want to mean is if we truly have a cruel creator and some of his commandments we cannot conscientiously follow, would you consider it a sin.
Please don't laugh at me if my thinking seems childish to you...
Sinny - But to consider that there is no god, no creator is rather difficult.
Don't worry about it. If there is a god or if there isn't, we can't do anything about it.
My earlier question really want to mean is if we truly have a cruel creator and some of his commandments we cannot conscientiously follow, would you consider it a sin.
Again, I have no reason to believe in a god. Odin, Thor, Apollo, Vishnu or Jah. Although, Thor is cool.
Ask yourself the question: What would the world be like if there was no god?
If your answer is, 'like it is now'. ...you have your answer.
I wouldn't worry about it too much. Time will tell.
