What Is the Worst Sin?

Heliotrope wrote:



Categorically there's no such thing as redness, or up and down, or east and west, etc.

But in as much as we make distinctions, see 'difference' there is sin, redness, happiness etc.

So maybe the greatest sin (error, wrong) is seeing 'difference' , opposites, making distinctions between 'you' and 'me'.

Opposition is a construct.

truth
Yes, Tywvel, in Western mythology man ousted himself from the condition of Eden when he ate from the tree of distinctions.

a bite of distinction is a fatal diet.

truth
Hi, Dys. Havn't heard from you for a while--a man of distinction.

ci et al,
I agree with helio. sin is hard to define. Personally I tend to define it as a crime against humanity, or any subset thereof. The worst is indeed most likely a lack of empathy.
I am afraid that until humans generally give up their provincial, territorial,and selfish notions and realize that we are all in this same boat (planet-universe )
that the observations of Machiavelli will continue to guide our governors. Consequently I cannot condemn Bush & Co. too harshly. He no more made the rules than you did. He simply has to live with them as Machiavelli so compently outlined them.


I would try to dissuade a man from beating his dog. Saddam certainly was doing that vis a vis Kurdistan. Bush may have been doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. Not an unknown phenomenon in this world!
When elephants fight the mice tremble!

akaMech, The only problem with this elephant is he lies. c.ii.

Perhaps not recognizing that all our DNA is related....

More importantly, I wonder how significant the 2 percent variance in DNA is between humans and chimps? c.i.

Time will tell c.i.

I'd like to believe that the 2% difference in DNA is a big difference.

On the subject of the thread, I believe the biggest sin is indifference. I was right on with deb on "compassion",...but I think that "indifference" covers a wee bit more.

cav, Fortunately or unfortunately, I won't be around to find out! LOL c.i.

Well then c.i., I think that puts it in perspective...ultimately, does it matter? While an interesting digression to ponder over such questions as "what is the worst sin", how far off is it from chimps debating over food and mating rites, and going to war with rival chimps? Not all primates are warlike, as I am sure many know. We as humans are just uppity primates, really. Everything we need to know about how to live our lives, and what our lives are about can be learned from studying other primates. It is the same thing as learning about our human recorded history. Learn about our less-developed brethren as well, and perhaps we are more likely to not make the same mistakes? After all, we are supposed to be the evolved ones...

truth
Cav. you are right about studying chimps to understand humans. Our anthropology dept. at my school has monkeys upstairs used by one anthropologist to study pre-human/ proto human behavior. Regarding our being "the evolved ones" the thing we've evolved is hubris. Homo hubris should be our taxonomical label.

Well said, JL, hence my use of the phrase "supposed to be the evolved ones."

Yes, JLNobody, the tree of distinction,

Krishnamurti said the distance, the gap between the subject and object, between the seer and the thing seen, in that division the whole conflict of man exists....(paraphrased somewhat)

Maybe the worst "sin" of all then is what so many religions and philosophers have been trying to tell us, lack of humility.

that 2% difference produced a mozart, an einstein.....and a hitler.

Perhaps this whole concept of sin could be viewed from another vantage point;
could we find "sin" in a society which permits an environment in which some of its members can be so traumatized by uncontrolled atrocities, witheld basic rights and freedoms, and failure to provide the bodily needs for survival, that its weakest, most maleable members, are twisted in their youth into incurably damaged personalities, which are then described by the society as "sinful" and subjected to further extreme measures to protect society from them.

Perhaps you can "love" your neighbor, but can you love the murderer of your neighbor's child?

And, can you bear your share of the responsibility for that childs death?

Where is the "sin"?

Jane Goodall also studied the primates, and other scientists didn't believe her until her husband filmed it. c.i.