To Sin Or Not To Sin? What Exactly Is Sin?

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Traditional religions point to the word "sin" as to miss the mark of perfection. The Oxford Dictionary of English claims the origin of the word is related to the Latin word "sons" or "sont" which means guilty. The common definition of sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. Is sin possible? If so, how exactly does sin affect us? What would consist of a sin?

Ancient books have long detailed lists of dos and donts which were claimed to be of divine origin. By breaking the list of rules, you are deliberately committing sins against the divine being which is proof that all mankind was born sinful because we cannot help breaking this list of rules.

Ancient books have also been discovered to be pure works of various men with various ideologies, agendas and viewpoints. A book such as the Bible is composed of only a handful of the numerous documents that existed which were formerly considered divine words of God. The ones that consist of the books of the Bible today are purely a result of a body of men with a certain agenda to eliminate those books which deviated from what they thought, a few hundred years after the death of Jesus, what Jesus meant for all people to follow. Then the Reformation came and another body of men decided some of those books that first group of men were not what Jesus meant for all people to follow and eliminated them a few hundred years after the original Bible was declared to be the ultimate word of God.

In light of all this, should we really be worried about offending some outside god because we cannot follow the vision of a few people who have died over two thousand years ago who saw things in a different way than we see them? Should we worry that we are doomed to an eternity of hell because certain cardinals decided for us what, out of the many "holy" works out there were holy for us? Should we be concerned that other holy men decided those holy men were not so holy and created a new standard of what is holy? What if someone came along later and claimed that was no longer holy?

I will state something that will shock some of you - there is no such thing as sin. All there are consists of actions, decisions and choices which result in consequences that turn out for the best or the worst for yourself or for others around you. There is no Almighty power holding a gun over your head to act in the ways of perfection or face eternal damnation. You have free will and free choice, but with that freedom comes responsibility. If you make a choice that is not in your best interests and in the interests of others, it will boomerang and have a bad effect.

The basis of the lifestyle for living with the Universal Cosmic Power For Ultimate Living principles consist of honest personal reflection as to whether or not you live within these guidelines:

1. One must show love to all, especially to self
2. One must always forgive, especially self
3. One must always show respect, especially to self
4. One must always be honest, especially to self

If you choose to live within these guidelines, you will make a better life for yourself and others. If you choose not to live within these guidelines, you will create troubles for either yourself or those around you. When you choose not to follow these guidelines before taking an action or making a decision, there is no outside god threatening to banish you to eternal torment. You do not need to beat yourself up over your bad choices and be stuck in fear, but realize you do indeed have more power over the cause and effects of your own life than leaving it to an outside god to deal with in an afterlife.

Take for example a baseball. Until you decide to pick up the baseball, it was perfectly still and at rest where it was, but now the fate of that baseball rests in your hands. This is your game, how do you want to play it? How you decide throw the ball will effect the outcome of where the ball lands and if it should have great or dire consequences to you or others. Remembering the principles of UCPFUL before you throw the ball, you either choose to act accordingly in how you throw the ball or not.

Are you throwing the ball to advance your career in a sport? Do you plan to throw the ball in a manner to make your team win? Do you plan on throwing the ball in a manner to make your team lose? Are you playing your best game or are you just going through the motions? Are you planning to throw the ball to deliberately injury the opposing team? How you throw the ball will dictate the outcome of your career in the sport.

Are you throwing it for fun? Do you play so you can relax and be entertained so the rest of your day is less stressful and others will enjoy your company? Do you throw the ball to be deliberately hateful in order to break someone's property or to hit them with it on purpose? How you decide to throw the ball will dictate the outcome of the rest of the day. It could be a good day for all around or result in you facing a fight, loss of friendships, lawsuit, or other retaliations.

And what of the variable factors? The sun could glare in your eyes causing your aim to go wrong. You could suffer a temporary dip in blood sugar which makes your once solid throw seem weak. The person you were aiming your ball at could use his or her free will and either decide to stand there or duck out of the way. With so many people who have free will in the world and so many elements out there doing there thing, chances are sometimes they will cross paths with what you want.

Everything in life is cause and effect. You may not have control over every single factor of your life, but when you go with the flow of life and examine only your own actions, life becomes easier to handle. If four cars approached the intersection at the same time and all parties believe they have the right of way causing all four cars to crash, this would be a result of bad decisions on the parts of the drivers.

It is also a random act that can backfire to others who did not cause the situation, like those who depended on the car later to get them somewhere. Those who depended on the transportation can choose to remain the victim and whine about the situation which does not help solve the problem and aggravates the conditions or go with the flow of circumstance and arrange alternative means of transport while moving on with a life that is already short enough.

Why let the term "sin" which is really no more than the making of bad choices cause you to live your life in fear of offending an outside force?

The concept of sin was developed to keep people behaving in a certain way out of fear. They were not really trustful of the merits of free will and thought it was best to have a class of holy people who could keep the subjects in fear of an outside force in order to keep them in line.

I would hope, as a society, we have grown beyond this point. We do have free will and do not need to be kept in fear to behave. Chances are great we will not always make the right choices, but why live in fear of life because you might mess up? No one is perfect and we are all on a learning curve.

What of all those acts we have come to know as sinful? Are they truly sinful? Think of it this way, back in ancient times, the sin of disobeying your parents could result in stoning. By today's standards, a child really should not disobey their parents, but the sin would be in killing your children. Different viewpoints based on differing societal standards.

Because the standards of society changes due to what we humans have come to learn, isn't a bit ridiculous to hold ourselves under the flame of judgment of what men thought was right or wrong so long ago?

Is drinking alcohol a sin? No, but it could be a good or bad thing to do. The effects of alcohol on your health have been proven both harmful and beneficial - the key is in how you use it or abuse it.

Something in life will kill you one day. Do not think you are better than others who choose to follow vices that are harmful to themselves just because you believe you live a clean, pure life. There are cases of vegetarians who have lived a healthful life only to be stricken with cancer, stroke, or other serious illness struck down in the prime of their lives. Even the author of Running, Jim Fixx, died while in pursuit of the fitness craze of his book. This is an example of the variables over which we may have no control. However to use or not to use alcohol is no variable, you can choose your destiny with this product.

Yes, alcohol abuse is a great factor in numbering your days. That does not rule out other viable use of the product as a recreational drug nor as an added health benefit. Many other forms of recreation and health benefits can also take its toll on your life when abused.

When you choose to imbibe, you can either make choices that are in your own best interests and the interests of others or choose not to act in this manner and face the consequences of your actions. Is it really loving or respectful to yourself when you imbibe to the point where you are killing yourself slowly or sooner in one big drinking binge? Is it loving or respectful to your family and friends if your drinking causes you to act out in rage against someone you love or to act in irresponsible ways to make others uncomfortable or suffer? Is it loving or respectful to get drunk and use machinery which could impair your judgment which can result in killing or maiming another person or yourself?

These are the things one must ponder before deciding on a course of action with alcohol. It isn't a sin one way or another, only good or bad choices with your action. There is no outside being waiting to pull you into the flames of hell because of your choice. If you make good decisions, good will follow. If you make bad decisions, bad outcomes happen.

Likewise, it does more harm than good in judging others who imbibe based on your own point of view. You have enough going for you in your own life and your own decisions to make as to good and bad. Why concern yourself over someone else's decision unless it directly effects you? When that situation does arise, it is only loving and respectful to yourself and others when you intervene, otherwise it really is not your business. For instance, if you have a spouse who abuses alcohol who becomes violent and abusive or spends the money you need to support your family, you do not show love or respect to yourself or your children by staying in this situation and allowing it to continue. It is only with love and respect you choose to do something about the situation by making decisions which may be difficult.

What of the sin of sex outside of marriage? Again, this boils down to good or bad choices. Way back in ancient times, there was no such thing as reliable birth control, safe abortions, women's rights, and sexually transmitted diseases without a cure or treatment. Society would have benefited more from a family unit with a father, mother and a herd of children to assure a population that could grow and cultivate their lifestyle. The rules of ancient times were there for a reason, to serve as a guideline which was beneficial for what the people needed at the time.

Do the same standards apply today? In terms of love and respect for yourself and others, think carefully before you act.

Are you married? If so, how does your act affect your spouse and any children you have? Would you having sex outside the marriage have dire consequences for others involved in your life? What if you get a venereal disease or an unwanted pregnancy as a result? How loving and respectful would it be to yourself and your family if you create this situation as a result of your choice?

Perhaps you really love your spouse and would be destroyed if your marriage ended. What if you make the wrong choice which destroys it? Or perhaps, you have an open marriage and both parties are clear on what is expected where there are no secrets. If this were the case, only you can make choices based on agreements with your spouse on what you should or should not do or risk the consequences of your decisions.

Are you single? No doubt sex is an exciting activity, but the question is whether it is loving or respectful to yourself and others involved.

A teen girl or teen boy who goes out to have sex for the sole purpose of making babies to prove they are adults, yet have no intention of acting like adults when the children come are certainly not being respectful to themselves, the children, their parents, or society at large who must pay for this consequence of a bad decision.

Then again, there are young lovers who truly love and respect one another by both parties engaging in safe sex practices to prevent an unwanted pregnancy or have a plan set out in the beginning on what to do if the unexpected happens which shows the love/respect principle of making a decision. And of course there is the variable of something happening despite the best intentions of both parties and faced with a different situation someone decides they cannot abide by the rules in the beginning.

Such an ideal couple can have one member break the bond with a bad decision by not practicing safe sex or changing their minds on the outcome of the unexpected which can show a lack of respect for the partner. The bad results of a few bad decisions could result in a broken relationship with a lot of heated debates on the destiny of the child that was not expected, or a venereal disease, or just simply a start in a long line of bad relationships when the lesson was not learned the first time around.

Some single men and even women feel sexual liberation gives them the green light to go out and have as many sexual encounters as possible. Without thinking about potential dangers, which sometimes is the "turn on", they can put themselves and future partners in danger. With careful thought before engaging in this behaviour, they can take as many precautions as possible to safeguard themselves and others which is the loving and respectful thing to do to for all involved.

And what of the older set who may be widowed or never married? The women are no longer in danger of pregnancy although the men could still create life. Both could still suffer the effects of sexually transmitted disease. Perhaps they only want companionship without having to be tied down on a full-time basis with another person. Another person cannot judge what is right for them in such a situation, but the same rules of love/respect apply to their actions.

What about the big taboo - same sex relationships? Is this a sin? No, but the same rules apply with good and bad decisions. Lots of one night stands with many different partners is just as bad an idea for same sex couples as it is for straight couples because you cannot control all the variables which may result in consequences not in your best interests, but if you think ahead and plan you can show love and respect to yourself and your partners.

A loving relationship full of respect, honesty and forgiveness between two [or more] people is a good thing - how on earth could that harm anyone, no matter if straight or gay? Yes, this even applies to those who want to engage in legal polygamy [or even people with open marriages] where there is love, respect and honesty with all involved. Polygamy is not considered lawful in most parts of the world, however, but the act in and of itself is not sinful.

Prostitution in some ancient cultures was considered a community service to especially reward those who would protect the empires. The prostitutes were revered for performing a valid service. It was out in the open without the scandal we have today.

Prostitutes of today have to hide in the shame of this "sin" and as a result are abused by both client and the law.

Having sex with a paid partner is against the laws of our society, except in a few areas of the world where it is strictly regulated and the participants are kept safe. Whether or not it is a good or bad idea is for you to decide and your decision should take into consideration the laws of your land which can cause good or bad to come your way. It is not sinful one way or another, but it could be a good or a bad thing. You decide.

And what of masturbation? No one has ever gone blind, developed hairy palms or become infertile as a result of self-pleasure. This is between you and your hand or favourite object.

With the above situations, I cannot condemn nor recommend them. Only the parties involved can honestly weigh the choices and reasons in their minds before they act. This is the essence of free will.

Other taboos - sex with children, animals, or dead people are bad ideas. Why? They do not show respect for the child, animal, or the dead person who are not in a position to really make the rational decision for participation. This kind of sex is not about love, but a lustful control over another. There is no love, no respect not only for the victims of it, but also it lands back on the person in control of the act who shows no love or respect for themselves. This is just plain sick behaviour.

Sex, drugs and alcohol usually top the big issues of ancient concepts of sin, but there are others which are far more serious - those involving life and death and the honour of god.

The big three world religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam all hold sacred these issues, but with various interpretations. To honour god, not hold any other god before an almighty god, to not blaspheme god or to create an image of god are considered the big rules in all these religions.

Interestingly, the interpretations have created the vast differences in these religions. To the Muslim, they view the Christians as not righteous for thinking of Jesus as a god, thus polytheistic. The Jews view both the Muslims and Christians as people who have no true right under the blanket of God's people. To the Christians, by not honouring Jesus as the son of god and trusting in him, you are doomed to an eternity in hell. These are the subtle differences which have caused so much strife over the past few thousand years. So how, exactly, does one honour god and is it a sin to disrespect god?

Back then, it was easier to control a mostly illiterate population who was struggling through life without a lot of the answers we have today by keeping them in fear of an invisible god who will use his wrath against anyone who does not do what god's holy men say is right. People were more satisfied with having such clear cut, simplistic answers to all of the problems of life made for them. Sadly, some people today still feel the need to have others tell them what is right and wrong. In light of new discoveries, these simplistic answers do not always cut it. Out of fear of people running wild out of control by losing sight of a powerful outside god, many religious leaders kept the people in fear of progress and enlightenment.

God is within us. God is with us. God is us. When we dishonour ourselves, we dishonour god. When we dishonour others, we also dishonour god. This creative energy force which is constantly flowing throughout the universe is not an emotional, human like being. It is pure energy, the kind which can create a big bang sending forth the blast of energy from the single cell to create vast multi-celled organisms of various types. It is impersonal, but it is out there. It does not care one way or another if we do or do not make images of it. It flows through us and all of what is. It is.

As for issues of life and death, the big three religions come to blows over certain interpretations of the concept. All will agree murder is wrong, but will come to different conclusions as to what constitutes murder. All will agree life is precious and should not be taken, but as to what constitutes life will cause great arguments.

Even with all this technology in our hands, we still cannot answer the question beyond reasonable doubt about when life begins or ends. Some will go as far as protecting the sperm and the egg before they even come into contact with each other. Others dictate that the moment they meet, that clump of cells is genetically human having the correct number of chromosomes and DNA patterns to meet that definition of being human and as a delicate clump of cells which divide rapidly proves it to be a living thing - thus a human life.

Those who are in favour of choice will argue that this clump of cells inside a woman is no more human than any clump of dividing and expanding tissues - a cancerous cell could also fall into the same category. However, they contend that at this stage the pre-born have no consciousness. They are not able to function outside the womb of the mother, therefore are not viable living human beings.

Even more precarious is the argument of the quality of life outside the womb. What if the infant were aborted after 20 weeks when a wanted child born prematurely could technically survive with medical assistance? Is that murder? What of all the premature babies who are born and hooked up to machines to help them survive until their bodies are able to take care of them? Are they less than human because they need a machine to help them live?

Or what of the pre-born who is discovered to have a defect that would make their life very difficult or brief, is it wrong to spare them a life of pain? Or who is to say the outcome predicted would be fatal or one of dread? Who is to say that the child and parent will not experience something positive from such a birth, no matter how brief?

And what of the circumstances of the pregnancy? Is the pre-born any less human if it were conceived by rape or incest? Is that circumstance any different than a person considering an abortion so as to not be tied down with an abusive spouse or otherwise undesirable person one does not want to be associated with for the rest of their lives?

Is it right or wrong to protect the pre-born from coming into a world where the parents are unable to care for them or would otherwise abuse or mistreat them? What of all the children out there with no loving home, would they have been better off unborn? Some of them go on to live successful lives while others become lost souls living a miserable life. Hitler had a dysfunctional childhood being born to a single mother. Suppose she had the choice of life or death in her hands before he was born, would she have single-handedly saved millions of innocent people or would she simply be another murderer?

And what if the person were older? Suppose there was a terrible accident or serious illness which left the person who was relatively young in a vegetative state. Is it murder to stop further medical treatments knowing the person will never recover? Suppose you do stop the treatment and there is an answer the next day to cure them, would that be murder?

And suppose this was an elderly person or a person who had a long term illness who wanted to die. Is euthanasia murder?

By bringing up all these issues, one may assume I am pro-life. However, I am just the opposite. I do not believe there are clear cut issues involving life and death. Even doctors differ from state to state and country to country on what dictates death. A person who is declared dead in one area may be considered alive in another. If this person were alive in another area, they would keep them on life support. In another area, this "live" person would be murdered by the morticians who would do the autopsy and injecting them with embalming fluid.

Too many people get stuck on one side of the fence without considering all the issues. If medical science has not come up with the answer of when life begins and ends, who are we to assume one way or another what is right or wrong for someone else? All we can decide upon is what happens in our own lives. A living will can be a loving and respectful thing if you do not want to linger in an uncertain condition while technically alive, otherwise you will be at the mercy of other people.

If you believe abortion is murder, you will act accordingly. If you do not believe it is murder, you will make your decisions based on this belief. The same applies to birth control, euthanasia, death penalty, and war. It is up to society as a whole to come up with rules in regards to life and death, but as a part of society, it is our duty to let our voices be heard.

There are many things people think are sins, but you should decide for yourself if you wish to subscribe to the notion that some unknown told ancient men how to live your life or if you know yourself well enough to make your own choices in life. This is free will.

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