Devils Advocate;1552915 wrote:I guess there could be no sin per SE if there were no religion. rules broken yes, but the term sin is rooted in theocracy.
I would go one step farther and say that religion is semi self imposed, although indoctrination has a large part in it. And Cancer (while could be self inflicted) has been around for eons.
Religion, technically, acknowledges sin, but that doesn't mean something can't exist apart from it being acknowledged. I can trick myself into thinking that my elbow is perfectly functioning, and perhaps I could convince everyone else as well, but that doesn't take the tendonitis away.
Sin, at its fundamental level, is rooted in the concept of intended function in humans ... similar to something like a "purpose" for life, but the antithesis in a way. If purpose outlines what a life ought to be, the concept of sin outlines what a life ought not be. This "oughtness" is the root of the concept of sin.k
Religious practice ... that is the intentional recognition of non-natural things ... is certainly self-imposed. However, if we include the worldview, then I would contend that, for many, it's as involuntary as believing that particular stars are X light years away.
All of what we're discussing is proposed to have been around for eons as well.
My point in the whole comparison is that if one is reasonable, the other is equally reasonable, because the same logic is being applied. That's all.
And in keeping with the thread:
