What do you think is the difference between sin and evil?

Question

I already have my own definitions--I want to hear others' opinions.

Answer 1

In the Bible, something is evil when it is worthless, corrupt, ugly, sad, painful, injurious: hence, as a moral or spiritual connotation, it refers to the wrong that we can inflict to each other. On that score, evil is a reality for every human being.
On the other hand, still in the Bible, sin is really when you "miss the mark", act in such a way as to make your life go in the wrong way: for instance, if you are a liar, your whole life, in this view, is going in the wrong way...you "miss the mark", your life becomes senseless (both "meaningless" and "pointless" as in German "sinnlos"). To speak of sin as an item in some catalogue is somehow reductionist. As a Wiccan, Jewel, you believe in following a path: sin viewed as "missing the mark" or "going astray" should be something that tells you much more than it would to many others. Claude.

Answer 2

They're both just a matter of opinion which varies from culture to culture, religion to religion and are indoctrinated onto the people of those cultures/religions under the heading of morals. But they're not necessarily correct.

There is at least one religion that believes in neither sin nor evil per se.

Answer 3

Evil, according to the Bible is what we would call a fairly mild form of sin. Sin is the broader catagory, and evil is one of the types of sin. The love of money is the root of evil, Planning your life without God is called evil, seeking for miracles is called evil. Evil in a Bible sence would belike the televngelists who are in it for the money, teaching false doctrines to trick people out of money etc.

Matthew 5:37 "But let your statement be, `Yes, yes' or `No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.
Matthew 12:39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given
Mark 7:21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,
John 3:20 "For everyone who does evil hates the Light,
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil,
James 4:16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

Answer 4

Sin is what Church people say is wrong. Generally Evil is the same thing in their eyes
To unreligious people, Evil is just a point of view

Answer 5

To me, sin is a religious wrong doing and evil is for example a mass murderer.

Answer 6

Sin and Evil??
Hmmm.. wel if you are evil you are going out purposly to commit that crime or act of evil- murder, stealing, Sep 11th etc.. they have no remorse and commit evil all the time without a 2nd thought!!
Evil- this is if u break the commandments, do what the church tells you not to.. adultry, greed,

You shall have no other Gods but me.
You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.
Respect your father and mother.
You must not kill.
You must not commit adultery.
You must not steal.
You must not give false evidence against your neighbour.
You must not be envious of your neighbour's goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Answer 7

Sin is the transgressing the law 1Jn 3:4.evil is bad,sin its the same i think

Answer 8

It strikes me that evolutions way of making our bodies fall apart after 50 years of life (aka ageing) is quite evil.

I suppose sin requires a person who is sinning.

Answer 9

Sin is an arbitrary list of rules created by zealots thousands of years ago that vaguely reflected the values of their primitive society.

Evil is a judgement of someone's actions by another person.

Answer 10

Not all sin hurts others, but all evil does.