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of the honest students toward cheat–
ing, and the more lenient became
the attitude of the cbeaters.
Dr. Festinger's study was one of
the first to explore what bappens
when a person is faced with making
a 'decision to comply with a stan–
dard of behavior. His results seem
to lend support to the theory that
the more cheating abounds, the
more it is "accepted" and condoned
by society.
Festinger's study helps explain
the continua! moral drift and chang–
ing standards of morality in the
Westero world and the lessening im–
portance of "sin" in the minds of
people today. This is why the more
people engage in sexual experimen–
tation, the more lenient they be–
come toward it in others.
The process of de-emphasizing
the importance of sin has been grad–
ual. Slowly, resistance to sin has
weakened and then crumbled. What
was once thought abhorrent is now
"not so bad." What was once un–
thinkable is now thinkable. What
was once considered horrible is now
acceptable. What was once looked
upon as evil is now condoned.
For example, take the issue of ho–
mosexuality. Once it was roundly
condemned, and society leveled
strict penalties against it. But in re–
cent years, homosexuality has won
increasing acceptance in society. In
sorne circles, it has become respect–
able.
The same could be said for pre–
marital sex. During certain periods,
it was frowned upon by society,
though it has always had dis–
approval to a greater or lesser de–
gree. In a modero society, there are
many advocates of premarital sex.
Psychiatrists and psychoanalysts
often justify it, condone it, and ridi–
cule those who believe it is wrong
moral conduct.
Nudity and pornography, once
intolerable, are now commonly seen
in movies, magazines, and theaters.
But has the world gone
too far?
In
overthrowing the puritanical taboos
and strictures of Victorian prudery
and shamefacedness, has the world
34
raced to the opposite cliff of total
hedonism and unrestrained immo–
rality?
Wbere do we draw the line? How
can we know what is right and
wrong human conduct?
What ls Conside red Sin?
Income tax cheating is not gener–
ally looked upon as sin - but as
getting even with the government.
Grabbing an apple frorn a fruit
stand when you're hungry is not al–
ways looked upon as a sin. Sorne
believe that in times of extremity,
all property is communal.
In the ghetto riots of a few years
back, when young people "ripped
off" TV sets, radios, and cameras,
they didn't consider it "sinning."
They thought they deserved to have
those things, so in the process of
rioting, they simply took what they
considered as rightfully theirs.
Sorne look on sin more in the so–
cial sense.
lt
is not an act of the
individual which is comrnitted
against another person, but an act
of one society against another. Thus
the war in Vietnam, the bombing of
Cambodia, poverty, and other social
evils are sometimes regarded as the
real sins of mankind.
In the Western world, the concept
of sin has been watered down and
adulterated. Now it goes by such
euphemisms as "glandular dis–
order," "social maladjustment," "ig–
norance," "neurosis," "hereditary
deficiency," "immaturity," or even
"bad taste." Sorne theologians,
avoiding the rnorality issue, simply
caU sin a "disease" of the rnind or
soul.
What Sin ls
Apparently, whatever sin is, it is
difficult for theologian and layrnan
alike to pinpoint and agree upon.
Let's look, for a moment, into that
book which is supposed to be the
foundation of the Christian religion.
We call it the Holy Bible.
The Bible simply defines sin as
the breaking of the law of God -
the transgression of God's spiritual
code of ethics. "Every one who com-
mits sin is guilty of lawlessness;
sin
is lawlessness"
(I
John
3:4). (Al!
scriptures are from the RSV.)
Sin, according to the Bible, is dis–
obedience to God and violation of
bis spiritual law.
But why does the Bible use the
word "sin" to mean the breaking of
the law of God?
The word "sin" is derived from
the Old English
synn.
It is akin to
the Old High German
sunta
and is
related to the Latín
sons, sontis,
meaning "guilty."
The ancient Hebrews called it
chat–
tah,
from the root
chata,
meaning to
"miss the goal or the way," "go
wrong."To the Hebrews, tosin meant
todo wrong, commit a mistake, make
an error, miss the mark or way.
What's
So
Bad
About Sin?
At first, to the human mind, sin
may seem enticing.
lt
is seductive,
like a prostitute who offers her body
for a price to a man.
It
seems enjoy–
able. But "enjoyrnent" derived from
sinning often turns into a nightmare
- perhaps a broken borne, alienated
children, VD, or a lost job, not to
mention the spiritual penalty.
Sin can be compared to heroin
addiction. The first few shots may
seem like pure heaven - blissful eu–
phoria - but befare long, the ad–
dict's life wastes away, and he is
"hooked." The telltale witnesses to
bis miserable condition are the
needle trackrnarks up and down bis
emaciated arm and a desperate look
in bis glazed, staring eyes. Sin, in
other words, causes one to miss the
mark or purpose of life.
Sin, therefore, is not something to
be ignored. "Do not be deceived,"
Paul told the Galatians, "God is not
mocked, for whatever a rnan sows,
that he wiU also reap. For he who
sows to bis own tlesh will frorn the
tlesh reap corruption; but he who
sows to the Spirit will frorn the
Spirit reap eterna! life" (Galatians
6:7-8).
A person may
temporarily
be able
to "enjoy" sin. Paul spoke of "the
fieeting pleasures of sin" (Hebrews
11 :25). But they don't last long, and
PLAIN TRUTH December 1973