I wonder when you can draw the line with what is sinful and what is not. I mean, the bible says that you should not covet the property of your neighbor or their spouse. So... it's basically all in how you word it. Instead of "I want that tv" you say "I want a tv like it". Instead of "That woman he's married to is awesome, I must have her", you say "That woman is so awesome, I wish I could find a woman just as amazing".
So, to avoid sin, is it how you think sometimes that can make the difference? Maybe.
According to the Old Testament women were considered property. Does coveting your neighbor's daughter mean that you shouldn't try to court her?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as someone who doesn't buy into it all, it's interesting sometimes to wonder how words like 'sin' can be applied without following Christianity's rules in particular.
ReplyDeleteWhat I came up with ended up being surprisingly simple. Sin, to me, starts with thinking of other people as less important than yourself. Every immoral thing you can do stems from that one delusion - that your rights or desires are more important than those of another human being. I have never been able to think of any bad deed that didn't involve that step, ever.
It was realizing the ridiculousness of those questions, and how messed up were the mental contortions I had to go through to come up with a consistent answer that were significant factors in my giving up religious belief. Now I don't have to police my every thought, and let me tell you it is liberating!
ReplyDeleteAlso, obsessing over certain types of thoughts is only going to make those thoughts more common. Just try and focus your thoughts on other things, if certain thoughts are bothering you. Gradually the troubling thoughts should fade away (assuming you don't have some contravening mental disorder ;-)
I'll say this for the concept of sin, it at least gives you a starting framework to base your own sense of morality on. Some people end up abandoning it altogether and developing their own (which may or may not share certain rules and things with it) and some stick with what works for them. But it at least gives you something to compare your own ideas to, to see if it makes sense for you.
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