Sin
The biblical meaning of sin is to “miss the mark.” Thus, sin denotes how human beings deviate from the true standard of life. There are many ways to conceive of sin; here we present four. The first is evil deeds, which typically comprise murder, stealing, sexual immorality, lying and drunkenness. The world’s religions are unanimous in condemning these sins. The second meaning of sin is a self-centered mindset, by which we do harm to others whether intentionally or unintentionally. This is a more subtle understanding; it invites introspection about the motives behind our behavior and the way our daily life impinges on others. Sin has power: it binds us and blocks our approach to God. A third way to understand sin is to see it as all-pervasive imperfection and fallenness, a universal condition of humankind. In this light, Father Moon explains that all sin is the result of Human Fall, which severed our original relationship with God and left us in a state of alienation and strife.
1. The Meaning of Sin
World Scripture
Whoso in this world destroys life, tells lies, takes what is not given, goes to others’ wives, and is addicted to intoxicating drinks, such a one digs up his own root in this world. Dhammapada 246-47
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6.9-10
The plunderer of gold, the liquor-drinker, the invader of a teacher’s bed, the brahmin-killer: These four sink downward in the scale— And, fifth, he who consorts with them. Chandogya Upanishad 5.10.9
The Prophet said, “When a man commits fornication he is not a believer, when a man steals he is not a believer; when a man drinks wine he is not a believer; when he takes plunder on account of which others raise their eyes at him he is not a believer; and when a man defrauds his neighbor he is not a believer; so beware, beware!” Hadith of Bukhari and Muslim (Islam)
If you, Rahula, are desirous of doing a deed with the body, you should reflect on that deed of your body, thus: “That deed that I am desirous of doing with the body is a deed of my body that might conduce to the harm of self and that might conduce to the harm of others and that might conduce to the harm of both; this deed of body is unskilled, its yield is anguish, its result is anguish.” If you, Rahula, reflecting thus, should find it so, a deed of body like this, Rahula, is certainly not to be done by you. Majjhima Nikaya 1.415 (Buddhism)
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he does not hear. Isaiah 59.1-2
Bound by the fetters of the fruits of good and evil, like a cripple; without freedom, like a man in prison. Maitri Upanishad 4.2 (Hinduism)
When we choose to sin, what we want is to get some good or get rid of something bad. The lie is in this, that what is done for our good ends in something bad, or what is done to make things better ends by making them worse. Why this paradox, except that the happiness of man can come not from himself but only from God, and that to live according to oneself is to sin, and to sin is to lose God? Saint Augustine, City of God 14.4 (Christianity)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
What is sin? It is what emerges from self-centered living and not living for the sake of others. Why is stealing wrong? A thief steals out of his personal desire—the wrong of the act begins there. What is wrong with stealing a dress from a big department store, where no one will miss it? That dress has value imparted by the people who invested their sacrifice and service in making it. Thus the dress has public value. Stealing it is a sin, because taking something without paying for it nullifies its value. (105:92, September 30, 1979)
We have to recognize and abide by three immutable laws: The first law: Do not defile the blood lineage, even at the point of death. The blessed blood lineage, bequeathed through God’s love and life, must not be contaminated by actions immersed in the habitual patterns of the fallen world… The second law: Do not infringe upon human rights… Whether female or male, black or white, everyone is equal… Violation of this is the second of all sins. The third law: Refrain from stealing money or misusing public funds for selfish purposes. (January 13, 2001)
What is sin? People think sin is to disobey God’s word, but in truth, sin is to make any condition by which Satan can accuse us. While it is wrong not to believe the word of God, it becomes a sin when there is a condition upon which the enemy can grab hold of us. Hence, once we transgress the law, not even God can do anything about it. (22:257, May 4, 1969)
The human tradition of love as it has been passed down through history is evil. It is sinful, unacceptable to God. It is the enemy of God. Of all sins, fallen love is the by far the worst; it is the sin God abhors the most. Those who indulge in fallen love are God’s worst enemies, whom God abhors the most. Unless we correct the ways of love, God will always treat it as a sin and those who engage in love as enemies, and they are bound to perish. It is only natural that they perish. Have you seen Pompeii in Italy? Because of its decadent and immoral social life, the city was destroyed by instant calamity. Sodom and Gomorrah, too, were destroyed for the same reason. The Roman Empire, too, perished for the same reason. Looking at this historical evidence, America will also surely perish unless she repents and repudiates its immoral way of love. (104:140, April 29, 1979)