Morality, Sin and Guilt

Is there such thing as a sin? What is a sin? The dictionary definition being - Sin (noun), an offense or fault against morality. But what is morality? Again, the dictionary's definition being - Morality (noun), principles or standards of rightness or wrongness of conduct or action. Principles and standards of and by whom? To whose standards and principles of morality should one based rightness or wrongness? Self? Society? Church? School? Government? Family? Friends? From my other article, we are aware that any claim to infallibility by oneself becomes the fallibility in itself. Who then stands infallible to dictate a standard of morality whereby righteousness can be based? Because the standards of morality depend on others' perception of what is right or wrong, we can logically infer that morality is subjective rather than objective, fundamentally biased and opinionated, being a product of one's perception. Hence what is moral or immoral and sinful for another may be contradictory with respect to your perceptive reality.

Morality standards by oneself. Because the standards of morality for rightness and wrongness is based on one's perceptive reality, it would be logical to infer that a sin or fault against such standards can only be proven on a subjective and personal perspective. It would be illogical to accuse anyone other than yourself of sinning because the only person you can objectively prove as sinning is yourself. Only you will know if any such personal standards of morality have or not been offended by yourself. Only you can prove that yourself is sinning based on your standards. These sins or offenses may or not manifest as guilt or remorse.

What is guilt? The dictionary's definition being - guilt (noun), a feeling of self-reproach from believing that you have done something wrong. The definitive objective criteria for guilt - the feeling of reproach by oneself plus the belief or perception that what was done was wrong. By its definition, guilt is a perception by oneself that an offense had been committed by oneself. Hence, you can accuse anyone of being guilty all you want but the only person whom you can logically and objectively prove as guilty is yourself.

Has one sinned whenever feeling guilty? As guilt is definitively a subjective feeling, you may actually experience guilt without having committed any offense against oneself nor as a collective people. One may simply feel guilty based on "out of culture" standards of morality. Conversely, one may have sinned but felt no guilt nor remorse. Guilt or remorse therefore is inconsequential to sinning and vice versa.

Morality standards as a collective people. The objective criteria to determine sin may be dependent on one's perceptive reality. Your perceptive reality is consequential to the extent to which your involvement is with standards of morality. You are actually in charge of whom others shall influence your life. For instance, you can choose to live alone or with others. If you live alone, only your standards of morality if any, shall determine the basis of whether you had or not sinned and committed any offense against yourself. If you live or coexist with others, your standards of morality if any as a people, shall determine the basis of whether you had committed any offense against yourself as a collective people. If your perceptive reality includes others collectively, their standards of morality if any (being subjective in nature and however irrational, absurd or stupid it may have been perceived by you), will nevertheless permeate over yours and any offense committed by you against the standards of the whole will be perceived as a sin against yourself representing the collective people.

To illustrate an extreme, say you live in an island solely owned by yourself. Your standards of morality will then be solely based on what you think is right or wrong, assuming there are any. The only person you have to deal with is yourself and whatever yourself think is moral is unquestionably right. But say one day you decided to cross the waters and lived in another island with others. The moment you stepped in, your standards of morality if any, shall be subjected to the collective approval of the other people living as a commune. Whatever may have been right or wrong in your personal standards may not always be congruous with others. The line of conflict will define your coexistence with others.

The two fundamental sins and offenses you may commit against yourself and as a collective people would be hypocrisy and greed. The dictionary defines Hypocrisy (noun), as a pretense of virtue, a lie, false image, doing or being opposite of what one claim or preaches. Greed (noun), an excessive desire to obtain or consume beyond one's necessity. From these two basic sins derive all other sins of humanity.

Bottom line gauge. You had sinned only if you can justify the basis of any standards of morality yet do its contradiction with intent. Whether you felt remorse or guilt after which is irrelevant.