Atheism & Sin
Atheism Myths
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Myth:
You refuse to accept that you sin.
Response:
This is simply untrue - atheists do not think that they are perfect. Like everyone
else, atheists try to do the right thing, yet know that they sometimes fail; so being
an atheist has nothing to do with refusing to acknowledge that we do make mistakes and
do choose the wrong thing at times.
But what does that have to do with sin?
If there were a god, and it defined sin as a certain act, then we would have to accept that we had "sinned" by its definitions, in the same way that we accept that we are often wrong. This does not, however, mean that we would necessarily have to care. After all, we may think that there is nothing wrong with these "sins." We would not be obliged to agree with this god as to what it considered right or wrong.
Nevertheless, because we do not believe in any gods, atheists do not accept that the concept of sin is any more relevant than the concept of karma. Why? Because "sin" is normally defined in terms of "God," something we don't believe in. It isn't that we don't believe in god in order to avoid accepting sin, but rather sin doesn't mean anything because the central idea behind it, "God," also doesn't mean anything.
What it all comes down to, then, is what "sin" is supposed to mean and what the concept covers. If it covers merely acts which harm other people, like lying and stealing and killing, then it is not true that we are trying to avoid admitting that we "sin." Under such a conception, atheists do indeed "sin," but there would be little point in saying that. However, if "sin" is about something else, like a failure to be "holy" or a failure to adhere to the "Will of God," then I don't accept that I sin, because the "Will of God" doesn't have any meaning to me.
-->