This-essay is a7712213.htm which is available at the
web-site www.essayz.com. See more notes at the bottom.
Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay
By-Months By-Years By-Words
Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One
==========================================================
%NATURE OF SIN 771221
Our response to sin is occasioned by our conception
of its nature. If sin is substantive and resident upon or
within people --- we are likely to try to minimize its
production and/or dispose of it---like poisons, wastes,
entropy, debts, bad reputations, etc. If we regard sin as
substantive we tend to develop a technology for coping
with sin: neutralizing its poisonous nature, disposing of
its messy substance, reordering its degenerate character,
redeeming its obligation, clearing bad reputations, etc.
If sin in substantive in the manner of an economic or
proprietary right --- we are likely to develop a
technology for computing the extent of debits and credits
relating to specific sins, with guilt being felt for
unpaid debts, and procedures provided for paying debts.
If sin is regarded as substantive we are likely to
presume that there are specialists in sin, just as there
are specialists in other substantive concerns. Presumably
the specialists in sin will be the leaders of sinners,
those who occasion sins. If we wish to reduce sin we must
then undermine the leadership of the specialists in the
substantive aspects of sin. Their power to lead in sin
must be taken away from them by whatever means is
necessary. Their followers must be alienated from them
lest they follow their leaders into further sin. Thus the
conception of sin as substantive may occasion self-
righteous people to promote alienation as a for of
eliminating sin.
The above world view gets "turned upside down" if sin
is regarded as having to do with alienation, rather than
as substantive. In the "upside down" view sin is
occasioned by the efforts of those who regard sin as
substantive and who try to eliminate substantive sins
through excommunication of sinners. The consequences of
sins are to be found very much in the conception that
people have of the nature of sin. If sin is regarded as
substantive then ignorance, poor judgements,
misunderstandings, blunders, and misfortunes occasion
"sins" which are "treated" with excommunication ---
thereby promoting the condition of alienation which
promotes more ignorance poor judgment, misunderstandings,
blunders, and misfortunes. The substantive view of sin is
self-defeating, it defeats selves.
(c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in
www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty
(On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)
==========================================================
Lines beginning with a percent sign are KEYWORDS for use
in ESSAY-System Searches. Their terminal digits are dates
of writing in the format @yymmdd#, where @ = a means 99,
@ = b means 20, and # = is a within-date essay-count.
Links to date-adjacent essays are near page top & bottom.
Find the following links by clicking on CENTER when CENTER
near the top or bottom of a web page of essayz.com
1. Go to HOME PAGE of essayz.com
2. Find brief-essays via keywords
3. Find brief-essay about ADDICTION
4. Search-Helps related to ABOVE-LINK
5. GoTo Action & Information Center
6. Find Regular-Essays via Year/Month
7. Find Regular-Essays via Word-Starts
8. Find Regular-Essay about LOVE
This-essay is a7712213.htm which is available at the
web-site www.essayz.com. These 5 lines echo top lines.
Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay
By-Months By-Years By-Words
Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One