Christian theology Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Sin=== {{Main|Sin}} [[File:Forbidden fruit.jpg|thumb|A [[Sistine Chapel]] fresco depicts the expulsion of [[Adam and Eve]] from the garden of Eden for their sin of eating from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.]] In [[religion]], sin is the concept of acts that violate a [[norm (philosophy)|rule of God]]. The term sin may also refer to the [[state (polity)|state]] of having committed such a violation. Commonly, the moral [[code of conduct]] is decreed by a divine entity, i.e. [[Divine law]]. Sin is often used to mean an action that is prohibited or considered wrong; in some religions (notably some sects of [[Christianity]]), sin can refer not only to physical actions taken, but also to thoughts and internalized motivations and feelings. Colloquially, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, [[shame]]ful, harmful, or alienating might be termed "sinful". An elementary concept of "sin" regards such acts and elements of Earthly living that one cannot take with them into [[Heaven|transcendental living]]. Food, for example is not of transcendental living and therefore its excessive savoring is considered a sin. A more developed concept of "sin" deals with a distinction between sins of [[death]] ([[mortal sin]]) and the sins of human living ([[venial sin]]). In that context, mortal sins are said to have the dire consequence of [[divine punishment|mortal penalty]], while sins of living ([[food]], casual or informal [[Human sexual activity|sexuality]], [[play (activity)|play]], [[inebriation]]) may be regarded as essential spice for transcendental living, even though these may be destructive in the context of human living (obesity, [[infidelity]]). Common ideas surrounding sin in various religions include: * [[Punishment]] for sins, from other people, from [[God]] either in life or in [[afterlife]], or from the Universe in general. * The question of whether an act must be intentional to be sinful. * The idea that one's [[conscience]] should produce [[guilt (emotion)|guilt]] for a conscious act of sin. * A scheme for determining the seriousness of the sin. * [[Repentance]] from (expressing regret for and determining not to commit) sin, and [[Restitution (theology)|atonement]] (repayment) for past deeds. * The possibility of [[forgiveness]] of sins, often through communication with a deity or intermediary; in [[Christianity]] often referred to as [[salvation]]. [[Crime]] and [[justice]] are related [[secularism|secular]] concepts. In [[Western Christianity]], "sin is [[Antinomianism|lawlessness]]" (1 John 3:4) and so salvation tends to be understood in legal terms, similar to Jewish law. Sin alienates the sinner from God. It has damaged, and completely severed, the relationship of humanity to God. That relationship can only be restored through acceptance of [[Christ|Jesus Christ]] and his death on the cross as a sacrifice for mankind's sin (see [[Salvation]] and [[Substitutionary atonement]]). In [[Eastern Christianity]], sin is viewed in terms of its effects on relationships, both among people and between people and God. Sin is seen as the refusal to follow God's plan, and the desire to be like God and thus in direct opposition to him (see the account of [[Adam and Eve]] in the [[Book of Genesis]]). To sin is to want control of one's destiny in opposition to the will of God, to do some rigid beliefs. In the [[Russian Orthodox|Russian]] variant of [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity]], sin sometimes is regarded as any mistake made by people in their life. From this point of view every person is sinful because every person makes mistakes during his life. When person accuses others in sins he always must remember that he is also sinner and so he must have mercy for others remembering that God is also merciful to him and to all humanity. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page