While Hebrew or Aramaic words are translated ‘sin’, in English versions of the Tanakh, or “Old Testament”, as most Christians call that collection, the originating documentarian (as far as we know) of the Christian religion, Paul of Tarsus, misused a Greek word, first seen in analysis of plays and poetry by Aristotle, ἁμαρτία, “hamartia”, derived from ἁμαρτάνειν, “hamartanein”. This word means “missing the mark”, “falling short”, or “erring”, from “to miss the mark”, “to fall short”, and “to err”. This is a word symbolizing an action, or a quality of an action, but Paul turned into a principle, and a quality of a person, and, thereby, condemned humanity, figuratively, and historically, due to the ramifications of Christianity turning into powerful institutions, and to the adoption of Christian values, as well as Jewish, in Islam.
In Paul’s theology, the sins, the errors of the mythical Adam, in not guarding Eve from temptation and the “first” sin of humanity, and in joining her in it, became something that possessed Adam and Eve, and all their descendants, became part of their natures. This doctrine is called “Original Sin”, and vies for the worst doctrine of Christianity, with that of eternal torture for sin not forgiven through trusting (faith) in the vicarious suffering of the also mythical “Son of God”, Jesus Christ*, or Jesus of Nazareth*, who only suffered torment for half a day, according to the story, and separation from “God the Father” for three days, if that.
Which is worse? To tell people they are fundamentally bad, unacceptable, or that they shall be tortured forever for it? Maybe the first, because, even if they don’t believe in Hell, they can still be traumatized by feelings of unworthiness, but I think the second, because the trauma of fear seems greater to me. But, it’s a toss-up, isn’t it?
I appreciate religious and spiritual communities that tell people that they are “good enough”, not pretending that they are perfect, nor promising perfection, but accepting people the way they are, while offering opportunity for improvement. We are all sinners, in that we all, at sometime or another, do what we ought not to do, or fail to do what we ought, but we are also lovers, creators, helpers, sustainers, rescuers, explorers, artists, nurturers, sharers, protectors and so many other good things. Those are all so much more important, usually, than whatever sins we commit.
If anybody challenges me for citations, I’ll dig them out, and add footnotes. In the meantime, health and peace to you. Ma’a assaleymah.
*The two characters are not the same. Since the genuine writings (“epistles”) of Paul preceded the composition of the “Gospels”, the Jesus Christ whom he worships and preaches deserves to be understood without the claims of the gospels. There are good reasons to believe that the Jesus of Nazareth character did even not exist, and was not even based on anybody in particular. There were more than one man who had the name Jesus (or Greek or Aramaic equivalent) in the time just before Paul’s writings.
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