Sin
I was running last week, and running is usually a good experience because it provides me with an opportunity to meditate. On this occasion, I was contemplating correlations between Christianity and Buddhism. It’s interesting to note that, since I began studying Buddhism I’ve come to understand a good deal more about Christianity. During this run, I had such an inspiration.
I was thinking about sin, and how I didn’t believe in “original” sin, which is (as my understanding goes) the concept that we are born sinners. I haven’t really had a problem with the concept of all people becoming sinners, as I don’t know anyone who has never committed some sort of violation. If you believe in any part of the 10 commandments, consider the one that goes something like, “Thou shalt not kill.” It doesn’t say you shouldn’t kill a family member. It doesn’t even say you shouldn’t kill another human being. Most of us have killed some sort of being, whether it was an insect or some other animal killed deliberately or vicariously by eating some animal product or by having an accident. I am at least partially responsible for the deaths of thousands of creatures, including (but not limited to) cows, pigs, chickens, ostriches, lizards, snakes, people, deer, skunk, rabbits, cats, frogs, fish and countless insects, just to name a few.
But the killing of other beings, as horrible as it is, is just a part of the depth of our sins. And, in fact, through our connection to other beings, we are responsible to some degree for all the sins committed in the world, including the most heinous such as genocide. Because we are unable or unwilling to prevent such crimes, we share in the responsibility for them.
It’s easy to think that we have no part in such atrocities. Many would argue against my supposition even that we are inextricably connected to each other. But if you logically consider life over the span of eons, we all came from dust and we all return to the same dust; our physical beings have been mixing over the centuries. Life passes on and gives birth to new life. As a body decomposes, other beings consume it and enter the food chain. Organic matter is recycled again and again, and we are the product of the actions of our parents and the organic matter they consume and share. Approaching the issue from a strictly scientific perspective, we are all connected.
Spiritually and psychologically, most of us believe, we have free will and the power to choose not to commit acts of violence or even sins, but we also have the power to choose inaction, the power to ignore suffering in another country on the other side of the globe, the power to turn our heads and look the other way when a homeless person holds out her hand. We choose to disregard the suffering of others, and we choose to tolerate the cruelty of others, and in doing so we must accept our complicity in the sins of others.
I was thinking about sin, and how I didn’t believe in “original” sin, which is (as my understanding goes) the concept that we are born sinners. I haven’t really had a problem with the concept of all people becoming sinners, as I don’t know anyone who has never committed some sort of violation. If you believe in any part of the 10 commandments, consider the one that goes something like, “Thou shalt not kill.” It doesn’t say you shouldn’t kill a family member. It doesn’t even say you shouldn’t kill another human being. Most of us have killed some sort of being, whether it was an insect or some other animal killed deliberately or vicariously by eating some animal product or by having an accident. I am at least partially responsible for the deaths of thousands of creatures, including (but not limited to) cows, pigs, chickens, ostriches, lizards, snakes, people, deer, skunk, rabbits, cats, frogs, fish and countless insects, just to name a few.
But the killing of other beings, as horrible as it is, is just a part of the depth of our sins. And, in fact, through our connection to other beings, we are responsible to some degree for all the sins committed in the world, including the most heinous such as genocide. Because we are unable or unwilling to prevent such crimes, we share in the responsibility for them.
It’s easy to think that we have no part in such atrocities. Many would argue against my supposition even that we are inextricably connected to each other. But if you logically consider life over the span of eons, we all came from dust and we all return to the same dust; our physical beings have been mixing over the centuries. Life passes on and gives birth to new life. As a body decomposes, other beings consume it and enter the food chain. Organic matter is recycled again and again, and we are the product of the actions of our parents and the organic matter they consume and share. Approaching the issue from a strictly scientific perspective, we are all connected.
Spiritually and psychologically, most of us believe, we have free will and the power to choose not to commit acts of violence or even sins, but we also have the power to choose inaction, the power to ignore suffering in another country on the other side of the globe, the power to turn our heads and look the other way when a homeless person holds out her hand. We choose to disregard the suffering of others, and we choose to tolerate the cruelty of others, and in doing so we must accept our complicity in the sins of others.
posted by Louis at 3:35 AM
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