Sin and Perfection Part 1

This is one of many email conversations I have had with Christians on the topic of sin and perfection.  I hope it provides some insight on the subject.

 

Christian--Why do human beings have the tendency to do wrong?

I mean, why is it that no matter how hard you try to be perfect you just never seem to get there. Why is it that we have the tendency to lie, hate, be angry, self-centred, rude, badmouth others...etc. Why is it that some people, even though raised in a loving family, grow up to waste their lives?


Why is it that no one teaches a human how to get angry or how to lie, yet it comes up naturally? Why is it that billions are being spent on conferences, programmes and books written on how to get people to love and respect each other, yet the world is still full of hate and most people still do live selfish lives

Atheist--Your generalization is false, as I do not have the "tendancy" to do wrong. Quite the opposite in fact. This is because I do not believe I was born bad, and can't help but be that way.....as many christians do. I believe my actions are nothing but CHOICE..and I have the capability to make the right choices. It's that simple.

Christian--Wow! Congrats on the fact that you're perfect. You've never LIED, never been angry, never been selfish, never been rude, never been prideful, never badmouthed someone....and the list goes on.

Atheist--You obviously misunderstand. The choices i have made have not always been good ones, but I take full responsibility for all of them. And yes, the majority of my choices in life have been good ones.......as I was not born "bad".......but i was born with the ability to choose right from wrong.....and NOT born with the innate attribute of "badness" This also means that I alone am responsible for my decisions, and I do not have anyone to "save" me from myself.

Christian--But you should ask yourself why you did the bad things you've done in life. I presume no one has ever encouraged you to do bad things. No one teaches us how to lie nor how to get angry nor how to badmouth others nor how to gossip nor how to offend others...etc. Yet we all are guilty of such things. On the contrary, since you were born you've always had people telling you to do good, encouraging you to never do wrong stuff.


Can you honestly say you've kept count of all the millions of choices (both major and minor choices) you've ever made in life since you were born? Even some choices we deem good are no always good; it's other people around us that can see that they're not good. There are times we've hurt and offended people and didn't even know we did so.

Atheist--Again, you are wrong. I am sure you have heard of "peer pressure" or "mob mentality"--which are two of the biggest reasons why people do things they normally would not do--people show us. Kids taking drugs because someone pressured them to. Girls having sex because some boy pressured her to. And why do others pressure people into doing things that may not be good for them, or for others? Because they believe they were born bad anyway, so they have the "right" to do bad--because as they say they are "only human after all", and jesus died to save them from themselves, so it is ok. They can still gain "salvation" as long as they repent. Peer pressure, and the belief that humans are born sinners creates sets mankind up to fail.

I can honestly say I have been conscience of my choices. I avoided drugs when they were offered freely. I avoided sex when I wasn't ready when it was offered freely, etc. I made "conscious" decisions to do what was RIGHT, and in the case of hurting someone, if I ever did, it would have been unintentional, as I have never done anything to intentionally hurt anyone--there is a big difference.

All of this comes from knowing that it IS possible to be perfect.

Christian--It seems you assume that only religious people do bad things. So all atheists are good, because they don't believe they were born bad.  And for anyone to say every bad thing they've done in life is because of peer pressure seems like someone is dodging from responsibility.


You mentioned some of the 'major decisions' you've made in life. But there are lots of minor decisions you make on a daily basis. So, you mean we can be perfect? Please tell me of one single person that has lived on this earth that was perfect. And have you attained this perfection that you speak of?

Atheist--No, not all of my choices were good ones.   But as I said, it is a matter of CHOICE, and we all have the ability to choose right, or choose wrong, but this does not mean we are innately bad, as christians claim. The fact that christians believe humans are born sinners, claim makes it MORE LIKELY that christians will do bad, as opposed to someone like me who KNOWS it is possible to be perfect. For example, I was perfect yesterday, today, and I plan to be perfect tomorrow as well...and every day after that. If I unfortunately make a mistake, I take full responsibility. But again, this does NOT mean it is not possible to be perfect again, because I am a living example that it is. I made no mistakes yesterday, nor have I done so today. Therefore, I was perfect.

You too have the ability to "choose" perfection.....or don't you believe in "free will"?? To think that you, as a human being are constantly thinking bad thoughts, and doing bad things, and cannot achieve "perfection" is insidious......and leads to the moral breakdown of society.

to be continued.....