Quote:
Originally posted by hot_pastrami
Nobody can tell you what your morals are... if it feels like you're doing something wrong, you're doing something wrong. Now come out of the bathroom, you've been in there for at least twenty minutes now.
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Oo, now that's an interesting point. I know it grew out of a joke... but still... is a sin only a sin if your moral compass defines it as one?
I knew an over-zealous Christian kid in college who admitted that every time he had "impure thoughts" he felt a deep, deep shame. Therefore, by his definition, he is sinning. But for lumberjim, no such sin occured.
What about moral beliefs that involve actions? What if you thought, "My elderly neighbor just passed away, and since he has no immediate family it's ok to take the rocking chair on his porch. (I know someone who did this.)
But if that's ok, then how about, "While visiting Bill Gates I found a dollar on the floor. If I take it, he'll never miss it."
And then how about, "Best Buy is a massive company. If I lie and return this new big-screen TV after the superbowl they'll never miss the money it cost them."
You see where I'm going. If a "sin" is defined by our own personal moral compass, then how far can it go? Is there a difference b/w "personal sin" and "social sin", defined solely by a difference b/w thought and action?
And the rules for a social-sin must by necessity change over time as the social mind changes. (eg, masturbation was once seen as a social sin, but is now accepted).
Faaascination.
*returns thread to discussion about masturbation*