Big Gulps, eh?

Whoever gets the above reference gets 1,000,005 hypothetical points (hereby referred to as "hypo-points").

So, time for religious jibberish.

Yesterday at church, a video clip was shown asking seemingly 'random' and 'normal' people questions about "sin": what it was, who sinned?, are any without sin?, does sin bare consiquences?, and blabitty-blah-blah.

RE: "What is sin?"
-"Sin is doing something wrong."
-"I don't think there is such a thing."
-"Sin is doing something different than what you believe."

RE: "Who sins?"
-"Everybody."
-"I cannot say; not my place."

RE: "Are some sins worse than others?"
-"My catholic answer is yes, there are mortal sins, so yes."
-"Yeah, I think killing people is worse than a little white lie."
-"No. Sin is sin."

RE: "Does sin have consequences?"
-"Yeah, it affects your karma (like hitting your finger in a door)."
-"I think it affects the afterlife, but I don't believe in heaven or hell, I think it's different for everyone."
-"Who am I to judge the consequences of my sin? Or of your sin?"

Life in America. Historically, America was built on a very pro-religious (specifically, christian) attitude. Even now, according to several polling sources, around 53% of Americans consider religion to be "very important in their daily lives". At best guess, roughly 44% of Americans 'say' they attend church at least weekly. 25% of America is devoutly religious. One in four Americans is secular. The remaining 50% are mildly interested in religion.

So where- in this society where every other person is assumably religious- has the definition of 'sin' been dropped? At what point did people stop listening, or the Church stop teaching, the meaning of sin?

Sin (sn)
n. Mythology
The Babylonian god of the moon.
[Akkadian Sîn.]

sin 1 (sn)
n.
1. A transgression of a religious or moral law, especially when deliberate.
2. Theology
a. Deliberate disobedience to the known will of God.
b. A condition of estrangement from God resulting from such disobedience.
3. Something regarded as being shameful, deplorable, or utterly wrong.
intr.v. sinned, sin·ning, sins
1. To violate a religious or moral law.
2. To commit an offense or violation.
[Middle English sinne, from Old English synn; see es- in Indo-European roots.]

sin 2 (sn, sn)
n.
The 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet. See Table at alphabet.
[Hebrew în, modeled on în, shin (the following letter).]

sin 3
abbr.
sine
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.)

The idea of sin is the very antagonist to the Christian faith. It is the constant, persistant, and residual sludge one must constantly live in, work around, and rise above. In a world where more and more deviants are accepted (ie, serial killers are "sick", child sexual predators are "chemically defecient", sexual temptations are readily available on the internet or tv, etc), the Church must not exclude or soften the definition of sin from the people. For the Church's sake. For the people's sake. The Church must care more about the quality of lives thier patrons live, rather than focusing on the numbers of bodies in thier seats. (On a side note: does it seem that the Church is becoming more immitative of Hollywoodims?)

Who sins? Everybody. Alot. Forever. Less One.

Are some sins worse than others? Sin divides, in the Christian faith, man from God. With that logic, there is no sin that causes no division. Lies equal murder, lust equal adultary. Our legal system places values on them. Our Creator does not.

Does sin have consequnces? Does a bear poop in the woods? Name one thing in life that doesn't (see, "Butterfly Effect").

I apologize for the length of this. I tried my best to not make it a thesis. (If you want more discussion, please post comments.)

Come back later for "What's up with the Catholic church?"!