What makes "sin" so bad?

Question

Don't go "proof text" crazy on me here (quoting the Bible outlandishly). This is a philosophical question about theology. What is the nature of sin? What is it and does it spread like a disease? Is it an offense against God? Against mankind? Why does sin offend God? Does sin offend mankind? Is it beneficial to mankind to throw the terminology of "sin" out altogether?

I AM invited to parties, thank you very much! Seminary parties are completely out of control. We drink sweet tea until we can't take it anymore and sing hymns atop of tables until the neighbors call the police.
I'm so ashamed...

I'm really disturbed that "AlwaysLaughing" gave me examples of the most twisted examples of sin! Holy cow! Not just a woman raped, but one who just got married! Someone killing his family on Christmas! Geez Louise! I just about laughed my head off I was so surprised! In fact, I almost laughed my head off right in front of my newly adopted child whose birth mother was a crack addict who died while giving birth to the twin who also died.

Answer 1

To quote the Westminster Confession of Faith: "Sin is any want of conformity unto or congression of the law of God." So that's what sin is.
Sin offends God because God is perfect. It's in His nature. He cannot be in any association with sin, so people have to repent and be forgiven before they can be with God.
It's obvious why sin offends mankind. Aren't you offended when something is stolen from you? Stealing is against the eighth commandment, so it is a sin. Sin hurts mankind, that's why we have judges and jails.

Answer 2

Sin is rebellion against an infinite God and thus has an infinite, everlasting punishment associated with it. Every man woman and child has a sin nature, as we are born with it, having inherited it from Adam. This is the teaching known as "original sin". If we were not born with a sinful nature that was biased towards sin, surely there would be people out there that are sinless. However, there are not. Everyone sins. Sin offends God because it is against his Infinitely holy and pure nature. He tells us how we should live and we refuse to listen, and live our own way. Sin offends religious and non-religious people depending on it's severity, because we all know deep inside what we do is wrong, and at some point it becomes offensive to those that are more sensitive to it and haven't seared their conciences by continually committing sinful acts. If mankind din not know what sin was, no one could ever be saved from the wrath of God that is coming. For those that turn to him for salvation, he gives them a new desire and power to fight against sin, as you would see if you were to read Romans Chapter 7.

Answer 3

"Sin" like most words are just labels of concepts in our language. Perhaps, the idea that there are rules and people are willing to break them is in itself not a good sign to promote co-existent of human kind.

To ask if it spreads like disease is pointless, for it is "God" who created it by forbidding the eating of the apple -- or more intellectually, it is the creation of mankind that inherit the possibility of sinning. Although it is written down in the bible, I do not know how "God" would feel about the sins. To phrase it in a more humanistic term, it is in the nature of people to sin. Yet the final decision has rested always with our freedom to refuse. The struggle and pain are therefore of man to deal with his own demons.

Whether the rules against sin actually help or hinder us depends a lot on the situation. Without real details, we are running general hypothetical situations on mere words, which is not very practical. In lieu of evidence, judgment should therefore be dismissed or at lease suspended.

Answer 4

Sin is a deliberate thought, word, deed, or omission contrary to the eternal law of God.

Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:
- by participating directly and voluntarily in them;
- by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;
- by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;
- by protecting evil-doers.

Mortal sin is a grave infraction of the law of God that destroys the divine life in the soul of the sinner (sanctifying grace), constituting a turn away from God. For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must be present: grave matter, full knowledge of the evil of the act, and full consent of the will.

Venial sin is a sin which does not destroy the divine life in the soul, as does mortal sin, though it diminishes and wounds it. Venial sin is the failure to observe necessary moderation, in lesser matters of the moral law, or in grave matters acting without full knowledge or complete consent.

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

Well sin is what hurts others-a man raping a newly married wife, killing your wife and unborn baby around Christmas time, killing another because he's jealous, robbing a bank that you bank with, abusing children, molesting children and anything that hurts others is sin. God is offended by it because He loves His children. And if you want to throw that out? Well chaos, wickedness, evil would prevail if you think about it.

Answer 6

my view on sin: to quote Shakespeare's hamlet "nothing is good or bad thinking makes it so." our value of good and bad are determined who decides what is sin? take the story of Adam and eve. nakedness is a sin according to the bible. yet Adam and eve where not sinning till they ate of the apple. i guess it is true ignorance is bliss. think of all the tings you can do that are ''sins'' and realize that Adam and eve could have done those thing before the apple and not have sinned.we invented sin not god.
in the Catholic church birth control of any sort is said to condemn you to hell. how many catholics are on birth control, use condoms, get their tubes tied or vasectomies.
it is a sin to murder another person, unless it is in a war or they are a criminal

Answer 7

Sin is something that is in our nature. It causes us to retain the ability to do wrong. The knowledge that was gained gave us the ability to decide for ourselves what was right, and what was wrong. That debate rages on as evidenced on boards like these.

Sin causes us to fall short of perfection. Whatever perfection is, we are incapable of achieving it on our own. Yet that perfection is a goal that we should desire, as I said; we can't get there on our own.

That makes us incomplete. For the will of God is that we have relationships with Him. He cannot tolerate sin in His presence. So in our incomplete state we wander about life, whatever knowledge about our relationship with the one we are to have the most important relationship with is immersed in a sea of confusion.

Sin keeps us away from God. And that is the worst thing about it. He was supposed to be with us all along, that's why He created us. So even though we have sin, He provided a way for us to not be without Him.

He gives us direction to counter the confusion that sin brings us. If we are in Christ. His Spirit comes to counter the effects of sin. According to the Bible, we begin to live as a New Creation in Christ Jesus. So to counter sin we keep our trust in Jesus, our eyes are on him.

Answer 8

"Sin" was created by a religious philosopher who was a geek and never invited to parties.

So he invented the concept of "sin" to both (1) condemn people who were having fun, and (2) make an excuse for why he hasn't having any.

Answer 9

It hurts other people and is harmful to mankind as a whole...cheating on your wife, drinking hurts other people around you, sex outside of marriage my cause a pregnancy and a child in a single home without a mother & father..on & on..if you see what I mean...it gives us rules to live by.............just my view

Answer 10

It bascally destroys either the unity of God and person, or person and person.