BGoodForGoodSake wrote:Kurieuo wrote:BGoodForGoodSake wrote:When we see an accident many look upon and reflect on their own mortality. The result is fear. This feeling can often overshadow the feelings of sadness for the people affected, the victims family and for the victim themselves. And one thing I noticed is that there is also a beauty to death that everyone misses. Something that is fleeting and fragile is beautiful. Death defines life.
Sin is the same. When someone sins there is a tendency to look upon the sinner or the sin with revulsion, to reflect upon it and fear that the capability to sin resides within themselves. But what almost everyone misses is there is a beauty to sin. Something that is infinite and pure is also beautiful. Sin defines grace and forgiveness.
Where did such concepts originate? Why do all the religions of the world seem to embrace such things, in one way or another? That is, sin and the need to be cleansed, deal with it or have a solution of some sort to such?
Are you not at least intrigued by such questions?
These are not concepts my dear Kurieuo, they are observations.
Sorry, I'm rather out from nowhere sometimes.
These observations of people and sin, such are like a shared human trait embedded in our nature.
I mean we've all felt guilt. I'm not sure whether such can be put down to intelligence. All felt we needed to try and make up for something. You need intelligence to recognise you've done something wrong, not necessarily feel guilt or like you sinned.
You know, I've often heard some more antagonistic persons say, Christianity creates the problem (sin) and then gives the solution (grace and forgiveness). How convenient such say. Yet, you observe this is not just Christian, but universally seen.
I guess, what I'm getting at, is that we can actually see life and death. We don't necessarily "see" sin and yet I think you're right all of us deep down are repulsed by such when we see it in others. We might become desensitised, minimise it all as nothing or push it out of our minds -- but yes I too see we all essentially feel guilt, remorse, and many would like to change and "be better" people.
(Man do I find it hard to get to the point sometimes, I'm getting there...)
But, these shared traits or nature of things in humans you say we
observe.
The question I'm pressed to ask, rather than just observing this shared commonality, is what beliefs best account for such?
I think that at least gets you to God, someone designed this shared trait in us and likely modeled after themselves (i.e., akin to the
imago Dei, image of God).
Really, I think that makes a lot of sense to me. You know, we could prefer to kill each other and seen as the strongest and fittest. Yet, we all (most of us) feel burdened if we harm others, taking advantage of the weak and see such going on.
From there, well I see a lot of coherency to your observations of sin centrally in beliefs surrounding Christ. In particular, the beauty of grace and forgiveness such sin can reveal. The story of humanity falling away, doing a lot wrong, and God still extending grace and forgiveness.
The other side of the coin though is what we actually deserve. Justice and righteous wrath or punishment. That too follows sin. May not be as beautiful to us who deserve such. Yet, it seems more like what humanity often understands - AS WELL AS many religions in the world. We need to carry some sort of penalty. Work it off if you will.
Seems to me, a main difference with Christ, is that for Him sin really did define grace and forgiveness. His whole teachings and ministry as a Jewish Rabbi were saturated with such.
Just my own further observations. Your observation seems to be a Christian one. As RickD noticed.
Maybe you're just in the closet. Or you accept much of a Christian anthropic understanding and certain principles, however you just don't want to be associated with how you perceive Christians to be.
