Spirituality, ignorance and sin

This week, the intersections of religion and culture, science and tradition seem to approach the central theme of broken-ness/sin/ignorance in very different ways. While on the one hand, there is a hedonistic rejoicing at the emergence of pure, unblemished new life, it is tempered with the awareness of sin/evil/ignorance and the destruction/renewal dynamic.

Monday is the eve of Passover, a night commemorating deliverance from domination and slavery/captivity of the ancient Hebrews to their Egyptian overlords. This is celebrated for 7 days, the last being the 26th.

Tuesday, Hindus celebrated the seventh incarnation of Vishnu in the birthday of Rama (Kirshna is the 8thavatar).There is a great allegory called 'The Ramayana' which ‘tells of Rama’s banishment from his kingdom and battle with the forces of evil to rescue the goddess Sita. The divine Rama’s human journey provides an allegory for the journey every soul must make, in which each of us has to endure our own banishment, our own loss, face our own demons and hope eventually to find redemption.’ P 153 The point in this Hindu classic, (as in other religions) is the struggle between good and evil. It differs somewhat in that the goal is for the ‘soul to rise above good and bad to perceive the divine goodness of all in the cosmic embrace of God.’ (From Encyclopedia of World Mythology)

In traditional protestant Christianity, humans are in bondage to sin in need of redemption. Jesus is the incarnation of God who shows humans a more excellent way to be, and overcomes sin and death through his sacrificial life and teachings, which are an affront to the authorities. He is crucified. This is what Good Friday is about, ‘good’ because Jesus fully actualizes his mission and is sacrificed for it. It is celebrated this Friday April 22nd. God vindicates him and raises or resurrects him from the dead, which is what Easter celebrates, Sunday, the 24th. In the traditional Christian understanding, humans are born into sin, have an inherently sinful nature which causes them to do and cause unintentional (and intentional) harm and wrong. For this they regularly seek forgiveness from God and seek to atone for their sin to become in right alignment with God’s will for their lives. Its become unpopular and unfashionable to talk about 'sin', as being an artificial construct which stands in the way of one's freedoms, entitlement to pursue whatever course is desired, and one's self-esteem.

In 14thcentury literature you find much written about the seven deadly sins which are also considered by Catholicism to be Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins. These sins are anger, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony. Minor sins are called ‘venial’ and really serious major sins are called, ‘mortal’. Regular penance and worship cover the former while the latter ruin grace and foreshadow the possibility of eternal damnation. That is not a pleasant prospect. One finds 'that place' for eternal torment in Islamic theology too.

Theologian Matthew Fox has written a thought-provoking book, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh. In it he addresses ‘sin’ as ‘misdirected love’, and tackles acedia, arrogance, control, addiction, lust, vicitimization, anger, violence, fear, avarice, resentment, gluttony and consumerism, rationalism, reductionism, pessimism, envy and resentment. Fox says ‘it is unfortunate and a source of profound pain in Western history that (St.) Paul (the earliest New Testament writer) chose to use the word ‘flesh’ . . . (as opposed to Spirit, in a negative way). This denigration constitutes a scandal and a shame. It diverts us from the truth and from the path of God’s holy creation set up in the first chapter of Genesis.’ P31

The whole topic of sin/evil vs. good is a big and challenging one. For example, many progressive Christians and moderns are more likely to consider addiction as an illness; homosexuality as a genetic predisposition- such as left or right handedness, or those who act out sexually as victims of abuse, whereas in earlier decades and among more fundamental denominations & religions, these were all considered to be 'sin'. Subsequently, its become a point of disagreement in the global church between more traditional/tribal understanding and modern points of view. Judaism introduces a strict moral and ethical code in the ten commandments, and in Islam one understands what Allah requires through the five pillars. This cursory discussion can’t possibly cover all the angles in what is a very deep topic.

In Buddhism, Sikhism (and Hinduism) one is apt to consider sin as grave ignorance of one’s true nature and a lack of understanding the true dimension of reality. The stories one reads from each cultural-religious perspective shed a different light on sin/evil, and certainly the way the topic is viewed over time changes dramatically in light of scientific understanding of human genetics, the brain, and what social sciences reveal. Evolutionary biology would have us understand that we are simply not evolved into full consciousness and predisposed to act a specific way due to our reptilian brain. How were you taught right and wrong? What were the consequences? How do you view things differently today?