Thoughts on Sin

I will write another piece on the Prince William County School Board meeting later, but for now, here are some thoughts on sin that occurred to me while listening to my girlfriend (an out trans woman and a survivor of Catholic school and Catholic upbringing) debating sin and other religious topics with two pastors - one reasonable and one deluded.

I'm not a theologian. Someone probably said stuff like I'm about to say better and prettier and more theologically correct before. I'm just jotting down my own reflections on these topics as I try to understand my own spirituality, and to give you a window into it and maybe something to think about too.

1. Sin is limiting. The concept of sin tells you all these things you can't do. Sometimes I agree with these pronouncements, like "Thou shalt not kill." But other times, calling something a sin just because "the Bible says so" prevents you from getting the most out of life. There is a Richard Dawkins quote relating to this which I tried to find (I heard it through the excellent, Watership Down-themed post-hardcore band Fall of Efrafa, so I don't have it in writing). He says that this life isn't something to be endured for the sake of the hereafter, but that we should live in the here and now. We should stop tormenting ourselves about sin, and simply try to live better.

2. Sin is relative. Different cultures say this is a sin or that is a sin, but compassion and kindness are universal. We all know what it is to be treated nicely, and we all deserve that.

I'm also thinking of a Thich Nhat Hanh quote which I have nowhere near at hand, about how we could have heaven on earth if we would just love one another. Certainly, there are things that could be said to be undeniably wrong, such as intentionally hurting another being. But this is defined by the standard of what is right, not by an arbitrary list in a book. A true sin, to me, is a failure to exercise love, compassion, benevolence and kindness. These are things that are universally recognized as good. So it's time we pursued those, wholly and unabashedly, instead of creating more suffering by codifying anything we don't disagree with as "sin."