> James Guinee wrote:
>
> >
> > Geez -- every precious institution in this country fails us in some way
> > -- school, marriage, family.
> >
> > Should we extinguish them too, or just scream louder for more
> > accountability?
>
As those who study "human behavior and mental processes" it would be to our
peril to ignore the fact that most humans participate in some form of
religious practice and even for those who do not, religion still has a major
impact on humans and human interaction. So I think we should continue to
discuss it and explore it's implication for human bavior.
Now to the current topic of "sin", I think we need to look at operational
definations. Just as different psychologists have different meanings
for "reinforcement" different religions have different meaning for sin. I'm
not talking about specific sins but rather how you determine if an action
falls into the sin category. For example, when I was in college, the
evangelical student group would tell me that "...sin is an archery term. It
means 'to miss the mark.' So when the Bible says 'all have sinned' it merely
means that all have 'missed the mark.'"
However, my own tradition defines sin as doing something you know is wrong
(commission)or not doing something you know you should do (omission). I
won't even go into the whole venial and moral issue.
The point is that these are just two different approaches to the same
construct with very different ramifications (possibly the major source of
religious guilt could come from the fact that every Sunday some of us ask for
forgiveness for things "..in our heart and in our minds for things we have
done and things we have failed to do..." That doesn't leave a whole lot of
wiggle room but obviously if taken to extreme can lead to psychosis.
But that's jut my opinion...or is it?
--
Herb Coleman
IT Manager, Rio Grande Campus
Adjunct Psychology Professor
Austin Community College
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
512-223-3076
******************************************
* "I wish none of this had happened." *
* *
* "So do all who live to see such times. *
* But that is not for them to decide. *
* All we have to decide is what to do *
* with the time that is given to us. *
* There are other forces at work in this *
* world,..., besides the will of evil." *
******************************************
A conversation between Frodo and Gandalf
from the motion picture
"The Fellowship of the Ring"
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