How Do You View Sin?
“THERE is no sin in thee, there is no misery in thee; thou art the reservoir of omnipotent power.” The renowned Hindu philosopher Vivekananda made this statement when explaining a passage from a Hindu holy book, the Bhagavad Gita. Citing the Vedanta, he claims: “The greatest error is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner.”a
Is it true, though, that there is no sin in man? And what, if anything, does a person inherit at birth? Only “physical traits are determined by heredity,” says Nikhilananda, a Hindu thinker. Other characteristics are prepared by one’s “actions in previous lives.” According to Vivekananda, “you are the creator of your destiny.” Hinduism teaches nothing about inherited sin.
The concept of inherited sin is also absent among the Zoroastrians, the Shintoists, the Confucianists, and the Buddhists. Even in Judeo-Christian religions, which have traditionally taught the doctrine of inherited sin, the attitude toward sin is changing. More and more people today do not think of themselves as sinful.
“Modern consciousness does not encourage moral reproach; in particular, it does not encourage self-reproach,” says theologian Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. Churches of Christendom share some of the guilt over trivializing sin. “Don’t go to church if you want to hear about sin,” says a Duke University chaplain. And according to Plantinga, some churches generally speak of sin only in terms of social issues.
Admittedly, the social woes of the day are many. Violence, crime, wars, ethnic strife, drug abuse, dishonesty, oppression, and violence against children are rampant. In fact, the 20th century has been called one of the bloodiest centuries humanity has ever known. Add to this the pain and suffering that result from sickness, old age, and death. Who does not long for liberation from the enormous problems that exist in the world today?
What, then, is your view of sin? Is sin inherited? Will we ever experience freedom from pain and suffering? The next article will discuss these questions.
The Vedanta philosophy is based on the Upanishads, which occur at the end of the Hindu scriptures, the Vedas.