SIN

Recently a friend told me she was sinning. She was texting with me while she sat in church. I told her that this word "sin" has a different meaning for everyone.

The technical definition of sin is:

1. transgression of divine law: the sin of Adam.
2. any act regarded as such a transgression, esp. a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.
3. any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense: It's a sin to waste time.

I think we can all agree on some of the more aggregious sins, murder, fraud, rape, etc. But as far as "texting during church" goes, I think that is a personal call. Which made me wonder, what is my personal definition of sin?

To me, sin is something that upsets the peace in my heart. It can be an unkind word to someone who does not "deserve" it. It can be a random thought that has no place in my mind, and can only cause harm to someone else, or even myself. It can also be as simple as grabbing an extra bag of ice at the Wal-mart. To one person it may be breaking a traffic law, whereas to someone else, what are traffic laws?

Although, something that makes me feel bad isn't necessarily a sin. It may be a mistake, or a failure in judgment. The sin comes in how I take care of it. Do I apologize, do I justify? Do I make a wrong a right? Or do I shrug and move on. But is it really a "SIN?"

I think this term sin, is to place unnecessary gravity on some minimal mistakes. I would also contend that it's the easy way for a religious group to control their masses. Get them to do their bidding, if you will. I mean, who can argue for sin? "Please, Pope, let me cheat on my exam?" Not going to happen. Therefore it's a harness on the "righteous", a guilt trip to "guide" the masses.

Does God really care that she's texting me during church? Probably not. Although that could be a possible explanation as to why the world is in the shitter right now. Hypothesis: God is more worried about the incidence of texting during formal church functions, than the status of the current economic crisis. Hmmm....I'll have to run some tests, make some graphs and bar charts and "get back atcha."

So, my advice. Life your life in a manner that you're proud of, and more importantly, in a manner that makes your grandma proud. Fix your wrongs, own up to your mistakes. Take responsibility. Take time to evaluate your life and the way you're choosing to live it. Don't judge others. We're all trying our best. Be true to yourself, and the rest should fall into place.

So. I guess I'll get your text Sunday? If I don't text you back, it's because I'm in church.