Topic 18 Sin

Question 1

What is sin?

Answer 1

Any action which goes against the law of God

Question 2

What do fundamentalist Christians believe about sin?

Answer 2

• believe that bible is inerrant -> everything that bible says is a sin = a sin
• eg generally opposed to homosexuality -> in leviticus described as an ‘abomination’

Question 3

What do liberal Christians believe about sin?

Answer 3

• some ‘sins’in Bible reflections of values of another age

- don’t come from God but human writers of Bible (the most important thing is love)

Question 4

What view did Augustine put forward about original sin?

Answer 4

• all ppl born w it
• due to adam + Eve eating fruit of tree of knowledge of good + evil
• sin seminally present in all ppl (passed down generations)
• naturally want to do bad rather than good

Question 5

Many Christians don’t hold the same view as Augustine though. They believe…

Answer 5

Sin = badness in world that drags us away from standards expected of us by god

Believe world better place if everyone obeyed god’s commandments + avoided sinning

Question 6

How does religion influence views on sin in society?

Answer 6

• some 10 commandments in law
• commit sin = break law
• punished for sin via legal system + imprisonment
• atone for sins in rehab and community service

Question 7

What do modern thinkers believe about original sin?

Answer 7

Not literally true, but contains truths about human condition:

• world not as good as we want it to be
• we are not as good as we want to be
• individual behaviour influenced by things outside your control
• eg events in their past + culture
• affect humanity as a group

Question 8

What would augustine’s view on sin as root cause of human wrongdoing be

Answer 8

• adam + eve’s sins caused continuation of evil within humanity (according to Augustine)
• thus ppl struggle to do anything about it (seminally present in all)
• thus root cause of sin cos we are always drawn to do sinful tuff like Adam and Eve were

Question 9

What do some christians believe about sin as root cause of human wrongdoing?

Answer 9

• jesus came to save us from our sins

- shows sin most important factor that leads to wrongdoing -> as it separates us from God

Question 10

What is Jesus regarded as in the New Testament showing that sin is the cause of all evil + wrongdoing?

Answer 10

• regarded as ‘sinless’
• Jesus = root of all good (conceived immaculately)
• sin = root of all evil

Question 11

What is one non religious view about sin as the root cause of evil to do with law?

Answer 11

• if 10 commandments make up basis of law, then sin which goes against law is root of human wrongdoing

Question 12

What is one nonreligious view on sin as root cause of all evil to do with society?

Answer 12

• structural sin (within society)
• starts with individuals + unfair trade leaving ppl poor
• escalates + impacts so many ppl that it becomes root cause of wrongdoing eg poverty leads to crime

Question 13

What is one non religious view on sin as root cause of human wrongdoing, that doesn’t align with the concept of sin?

Answer 13

• sin = religious word
• don’t subscribe to concept of sin as root cause of evil
• oppose view that sin is passed down thru generations (biologically incorrect)