Assessing the relation between sins and death

By admin · Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

The easy correlation between sin and death is no more. While Christian musings surrounding the idea of ‘original sin’ have created a vast metaphysical interpretation of the idea of sin – sin as having corrupted the physical realm in the form of entropy, sin as the degradation and decomposition of the body – such interpretations do not easily resonate with an age and a culture immersed in a more scientific and ‘positivistic’ ethos; equally pertinent is the likelihood that such interpretations do not resolate well with their source material (that is, the Biblical books that deal with sin).

The oldest moral codes found in the Bible (the so-called Mosaic law in books like Leviticus and Deuteronomy, and moralisms in the book of Genesis) are, in my opinion, best evaluated through the superimposition of a pragmatic intent on the part of their authors. In this sense, there is a strong relationship between sin and death, as many of the ‘bad’ things listed involved a sort of detriment to oneself or to one’s community; prohibitions against certain foods, prohibitions against certain behaviors (various sexual practices, murder, stealing, etc) can, from the perspective of the author, easily be seen as detrimental… as leading towards death.

In the Wisdom tradition of Judaism, the connections between sin and death became even more prominent; the law of God was no longer a code that was in line with nature: the law of God became the law of nature. As such, one can read books like Proverbs and see many examples of so-called ‘health and wealth’ preaching; if one followed the law of God, nature would respond with favorable recompense, and if one disobeyed the law of God, nature would respond with a suitable punishment. Books like Job, however, appear to take issue with this line of thought, as the book of Job sets up the story of a righteous man who suffers amidst the prosperous wicked.

However, even into the New Testament, one sees authors like Paul imploring nature itself as a means by which sin is exposed and God’s edict is proven. The Renaissance project of Natural Philosophy was a similar attempt to demonstrate the harmony between the scientific method and the Bible, though many such attempts eventually wound up finding more discord.

Now we live in a time where many of the dangers of the ancient prohibitions have been minimized or essentially eliminated. A certain amount of freedom has demonstrated that, while there may certainly be consequences to sinful actions, there are also benefits; additionally, many have realized that Biblically moral actions have their downsides as well. There is, in fact, no direct correlation between sin and death any longer; the death caused by sin has become metaphoric, metaphysical, and ethereal, something it was – most likely – never intended to be.

Related Articles

Topics: Religion & Spirituality · Tags: , ,
 

Leave a Comment

« Sun Tzu’s Art Of War & Chinese Astrology- Two Ancient Systems, One Timeless Goal: Part 2 | Home | The Mystery of Tarot Cards »