Y'all Just Want to Sin

Who knew that lust and greed were in different directions?!

When confronted with an atheist, some theists will refuse to accept we just don't believe in any gods and declare that we just want to sin. The subtext is we secretly know there's a god but we don't want to be held accountable for our behavior. Whether theists realize it or not, they are accusing atheists of depravity. We are immoral humans, and for some groups, we are bringing god's judgment upon the earth.

First off, no, just no. Atheists do not secretly believe there is a god. And no, we do not reject this god in order to do unspeakable acts unperturbed. The notion is bizarre and despicable, and it makes me wonder about the secret thoughts of the person making such a claim.

In my previous post, I talked about my own morality briefly, how it stems from my desire to see more good/benefit in the world and less bad/harm. Furthermore, I really have no desire to hurt people physically or emotionally. Finally, I want to live in a world where we treat each other with respect and try to do good because this is our one shot at existence. I don't believe in an afterlife to "make it all right" or a god that can enact justice.

But I want to talk about this category called "sin," one I reject as too broad, too vague, and too subjective to really nail down. Sure, the religion's god is supposed to determine what sin is, but ask a cross-section of theists about it and you will get wide-ranging and conflicting answers. And what constitutes sin changes over time. I don't think people in America worry too much about gluttony or greed these days.

Now, I was raised Catholic, so I'm very familiar with the concept of sin. We had to go regularly to confess our sins, and at Catholic school, we were forced to do penance from time to time. Every Catholic I've spoken with laughs about making up sins to confess: we mouthed off to our parents; we lied; we had impure thoughts; etc. I don't know how Catholics come down on lying in confessions like this, but it is a real common experience. As children we justified our sins by saying that we probably committed those sins, but as we had other things to do, like play or go to school, we didn't keep track like, I guess?, we were supposed to.

When I hear Christians talk about sin, they often associate it with being imperfect. "We're all imperfect, we all sin, we all think bad thoughts..." Sin is associated with original sin, and, being in this physical form, we naturally "sin." Now, I agree humans are imperfect because we are often limited in what we know, we have emotions that can get the better of us, we might judge a situation wrongly. Not all of these actions we do as imperfect beings are all bad though or equally bad.

Here's a thought experiment: Is the person who thinks about killing someone just as bad as someone who actually kills someone? Is the person who has a fleeting attraction to someone and "feels lust in his/her heart" the same as the person who actually cheats on his/her spouse in a monogamous relationship? Basically, is thought the same as action?

Christians often want to sidestep getting into the details. They'll say they can't judge, only their god can judge, but these are important questions for our well-being here on earth. Should I feel shame because of who I am because I think a deity disapproves of who I am? Should I feel guilt if I have a thought? Should I confess my thought sins (if I'm Catholic)?

For Jews, sins often are actions like doing work on the sabbath. Really, is it bad to drive a car to synagogue? Pick up sticks off your drive on Saturday?

Of course, in Christianity one of the worst sins is disbelief, so a mass-murdering, thieving, raping person who finds Jesus on his deathbed can go to heaven, but someone who never murdered, raped or otherwise hurt anyone and didn't believe in Yahweh goes to hell. Such justice.

As an atheist, I reject this whole system. It strikes me as ludicrous and  patently unjust. I reject the notion of sin, original sin which makes us all guilty for just being flesh and blood, and other sins which may or may not cause any actual harm.

Instead of sin, I look to a moral system that attempts to create rules that establish right and wrong action. There are no absolutes as the actions are judged based on whether they are neutral, beneficial, or harmful. Thoughts and fleeting emotions are neutral as long as they don't establish a pattern that leads to harm.

I'm not saying that each issue is easily decided or that there aren't discussions to be had. Rather, I'm saying we need to look at the impact of actual actions on ourselves and others in this life and remove the micro-managing sky father who shows no sign of existing or caring what happens on earth.