Does anyone else see the idea of sin as nonsense made up by religion to control people and make them guilty?

Question

If God is supposed to be perfect how could God have made anything or anyone that wasn't perfect.
Think about it. The idea of sin assumes certain things about God that seem highly unlikely.

First it assumes a God who is too incompetent to organize a simple educational field excursion and figure out a way to get all of the students home safely.

How likely is this that God would not be smart enough to come up with a plan for our salvation that is going to work 100 percent of the time?

It also assumes that God must have created us imperfect if we are sinners.

One might assume that God would be able to create someone perfect each and every time if he chose to. Assuming God is capable of this, then it follows logically that we must be perfect creations if we are actually creations of this perfect God.

Unless of course you are saying that God chose to create us imperfect.

If God created us imperfect then anything that may go wrong is Gods fault, not ours.

Answer 1

You have got that 100 % right Don. See my answer of earlier on today on the 'Hell' question, it's pretty much addressing the same issue. Sin, guilt, penance, fear, control.

The thing that I love about the Roman 'church' that still doesn't seem to have surfaced is the wheeze about weekly ( or even daily, for the really naughty ) 'confession' ! Isn't that priceless ?

Established in the well named 'Dark Ages', when most of the Mediterranean and European world was living in a largely feudal society, what better method of crowd control is knowing all, and I mean ALL, of the people's dirty. dark little secrets. How on earth did they pull that one off ?

By the simple expedient of warping 'forgiveness' into a behavoural free-for-all. What it really meant was that you could just about anything, go and tell the local priest, say a few 'Hail Marys' and 'Pater Nosters' and wipe the slate clean.....until next week.

Then we come to paid 'penances', this got even better, the wealthy could get away with even more, and all they had to do was pay the church to get away with it. Of course that left the poor pretty much where everything always leaves the poor.......screwed !

Bottom line ?.........you bet it's a control system.

Answer 2

It never made a lot of sense to me that God made us, obviously flawed, frail, and imperfect beings, then God was mad at us for being how God made us, flawed, frail, and imperfect. Does that make sense? Don't tell me it was Satan, because Satan didn't exist (if for sake of argument you allow Satan to be real) until later in the Bible. Yet God was constantly being disappointed in humans even back in the garden. If the snake was Satan (there is scholarly disagreement on this) then Satan was acting as God's agent.

I think a Being who knows our every thought, is powerful and advanced enough to create the universe, and who created us would also be much more understanding and compassionate of our short comings and failings. These things are built into our nature and if you belong to the we were designed by God believers then they were designed in by God either intentionally or through ineptitude. Personally, I think the naturalistic, evolutionary explanations make a lot more sense.

I read this which I think is true:

There is no God condemning people. There is no dichotomy of good, bad, sin. There are only things which evolve us spiritually and bring us peace and happiness. Then there are thoughts, actions, and choices which harm us, bring pain and suffering. Forgiveness only needs to come from within. We create our lives by our actions and choices. We simply are---neither good nor bad---but our choices determine our environment and experiences.

I can't attribute the source as I have forgotten.

To poster below. Many Jewish people who share the same Old Testament believe the snake in the garden was just a snake not Satan. So your belief about Satan and his role are open to many different interpretions and diverse beliefs. Satan originally was just an angel God sent when God wanted to tempt or punish people. Satan wasn't his own agent acting on his own perogative. I'll post some basic links below that summarize some different Biblical scholarship on this issue. I suspect I know more on this than you might. You sound like you are just accepting what you have been told/taught uncritically.

Also, to say that beating or raping someone could be a good thing from their perspective is not to think things through. They live in a society as well. A society where people would be able to harm others as they wished for pleasure or gain would be a horrible place for them to live in as well. Their daughter could be raped in such a place. I doubt many people want to live in that society. Thus, we have common sense enough (most of us) to live by the golden rule. This is found in almost all religions and speaks to common experience. The golden rule means to treat others with the consideration for their feelings as well. I would also submit that there are negative consequences to the individual who harms others for pleasure or gain that make it not in their best interest to do so.

Answer 3

Sin is the ultimate in mind control on its own, but when paired with the concept of repentance it's almost useless. What is the point in creating the idea of sin if God will forgive you every time one is committed?

Answer 4

Ok. What's strange about that question is the "God is imperfect." Now, there was only one thing that Adam and Eve couldn't do. And they obeyed. But then the serpent, (The cunning one) tempted her. On that note, how is God imperfect when it was the Serpent that made them sin? And didn't God give them a way OUT OF SIN? Like he did us? It would seem that satan is the Imperfect one.

Answer 5

idea sin nonsense religion control people guilty

Answer 6

As we have freewill, we can be an accurate or inaccurate image of God.

I see sin as simply missing the mark...how accurate the image is. God is Love, Truth, Harmony, and Unity...how much in alignment are we? When we act otherwise, that is sin.

Sin, however, is not something to be guilty or ashamed of...it is simply a learning process. If we truly understood, we would not sin (miss the mark) - but as we don't we can only try the best we can as we learn.

It is like learning to ride a bike...you may off 12 times before you learn to ride, but there is no reason to feel guilty or ashamed for the 12 falls (missing the mark) before you learned.

To error (sin) is human...but we can progress. One day, it is possible to be a perfect reflection of God's image - but until then we sin (miss the mark).

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 7

okay ever watched a HOLLYWOOD Movie,
their are both bad elements and good right, without which, it was impossible for the movie to even have a story
similarly, only if badness exists; goodness can
if people call u a nice person its because they've seen bad ones
SALVATION-:
well if everyone gave up their jobs and started working toward salvation only; nothings gonna remain here,
if human being stops begetting progeny, harvesting, writing exploring new things, te world is gonna be all over.
please stop giving Him qualities of perfection and smartness.
GOD IS BEYOND PERSONIFICATION
view him as the ESSENCE OF TRUTH and DESTINY OF LOVE

Answer 8

elizabeth:
Satan was in existance in the begining of the Bible. Try reading something you dispute BEFORE you dispute it.

We all have free will. So you may choose to either believe or not in God. Your choice. Does that make you flawed? According to your 'logic', yes. But not in the real world. We need salvation only because people like you are perpetual screw ups. If if were not for messing up, salvation would not be needed. & God did create a way that works 100% of the time. You just chose to ignore it.

It seems like you put a little bit of time making an attempt to insult people that believe in God, but since you are so imperfect, you failed. You can try to blame God for your failure if you want, but you chose to be dumb.

According to your own "logic" we create our own right & wrong. So if you were beat down, robbed, raped, shot, or anything else that you felt was bad, could actually be good for someone else because they make up whats good.

There are more flaws in your "thinking" than most others around here.

Answer 9

Yes! Original sin is bullshit! Crime and Bad Habits exist though... I have done bad things and felt guilty but this sin crap really ***** people up for life!

Answer 10

No God did not create us imperfect- but we are not puppets on a string either- we have a choice. And we chose to sin- ALL SIN AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. He did not want us to love Him because He created us too- He desired us to love Him with all our heart mind soul and strength, because we chose too. He did come up with a perfect plan of salvation. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin". "It is by grace we are saved through faith, not of our own works so that any man can boast". We just have to accept Christ as our salvation and we are can be secure in our salvation. One question- you cannot say you have never done anything wrong can you? So once again- ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. What does all mean? All means all and that is all all means. Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save it. We are condemned if we do not accept Him- our choice.