First thing's first. . .
Hope you enjoy the little devil up above.
I know that it's been a long time since I last posted, but I've been having a "devil" of a time figuring out how to blog Inferno. Then I realized that I never asked you this simple question. I'd like you to post your answer, with explanation and examples, in the comments by 10pm Sunday.
What, exactly, is "sin"?
posted by Ian Anthony Godburn at 4:02 PM
18 Comments:
Heather Gossler
Pd. 4
To me personally I agree with the 7 deadly sins that are stated in the Bible. Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, and Wrath. Because all 7 of those sins embody the rest of what I believe sin includes. Envy includes wanting what others have, which can be lead to stealing. Gluttony includes eating and drinking and waning things in excess, because those things consume your life you are not able to accomplish any other things, Greed includes taking and wanting everything that’s around you, even if it doesn’t belong to you, you still want it to the point where you cannot think of anything but what you want and don’t have. Lust includes promiscuity and adultery, which can lead to many other problems than just having sinned. Pride is being so conceded and into yourself that you don’t think anyone is as good as you are or ever could be as good as you are. Sloth is doing nothing with your life in every sense of the word; you never even try to succeed in anything you try to do, if you even try something. Wrath is just pure anger and hatred to the extent of violence that seems unprovoked and without a specific target. Those 7 sins are written in the Bible to be “The 7 Deadly Sins” meaning that all those sins are things that if you do can kill you or if you let that sin consume you it will kill you. This is a sin within itself because God gave you life to do good with it, not to destroy it.
To me, a sin is doing an act that God would smite you for. I think that the seven deadly sins are a good start as to what a sin may entail, but there are some important sins that Dante touches on in the Inferno, for example, the suicides. Many people wouldn't think about places them in Hell, because when people think of someone killing themself, they think "oh, how tragic, they must have been really depressed to have ended their life" and they would take pity on them. Many people sin, but having a deal with the big man upstairs, people can repent for their sins.
Jenny La Van
Period 6
masha telishevsky period 6
To me "sin" means many things depending what side I look at it from. The Catholic in me of course immediately thinks of the Seven Deadly Sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed or Avarice, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. Actually all seven of these sins are represented in the Inferno. Gluttony as well as lust are portrayed in Canto v, Gluttony in Canto VI, Wrath and Greed in Canto VII and so on. The secular side of me views sin as something that is inherently wrong, like going off on a trip and cheating on your significant other. In the eyes of the liberal part of me, sin is an entity completely subjective to circumstances. Sin to me is something that is always inherently wrong according to the rules of polite society, but at least sometimes is inevitably tempting. If you refer to the 7 deadly sins, it is a sin of pride to brag over getting into
Princeton or Yale, but it is in the human nature to express prideful joy over the fact that something that they worked so hard to achieve, finally happened to them. Actually, I know this probably sounds odd, and in the eyes of the average religious institution, downright sacreligious, I believe that sin is necessary for the flourishing of human civilization. For example the same pride leads people to climb higher to reach the sky to have something to be proud of. Lust too is necessary for success for it is lust for money, fame and power that leads people to build universities named after themselves (i.e. Vanderbilt and Stanford), libraries, museums and the like. These institutions built by those who lust for fame and money, yet who spent fortunes creating these establishments are now remembered till the end of time and these establishments further culture, learning and create and overall benefit for civilizations. If Leland Stanford had not lusted after money and fame and had not amassed a fortune through his position as head of the Central Pacific Railroad, our ancestors would not have benefitted from the use of the railroad nor would we have had Stanford University, a brilliant University, thanks to whose name history will forever remember Leland Stanfrod
"Sin" is a number of different things in my mind. It is a defiance, a travestry, a rebellion, and a loss of reality all in one. a "sin" also depends on the person and how they view that instance, and wether they judge an act as sinful or not. Meaning that "sin" is in the eye of the beholder.
My pure definition of "sin" would have to be.. The state of abandoning all common sense in order to commit an act of complete immorality, which therefore affects others.
Tara Miller
Period 6
Sin is something one does with the knowledge that it is wrong.
The sin of incontinence is an uncontrollable sin. Like an addiction; you can't control it. But if you can't stop yourself than who can? One still has the knowledge that their actions are wrong, so no matter how hard it is you can break the "addiction." Violence, ambition, malice and fraud are sins made by choice. I don't think that fortune telling is a sin, at least not in modern day, because the fortune tellers think that they are telling the truth unlike fore example the flatterers whom aren't really doing anything wrong, but they do know that they are lying, sodomy shouldn't be a sin either because homosexuality is not a choice, but then again both fortune telling and sodomy where probably perceived to be wrong in 1300 so these people did choose to do or show something "wrong."
Hannah Kaufman Per.6 :D
Brad Goran- Period 6
Sin is something that has multiple definitions throughout multiple periods of time. In the Inferno, we see the roots of sin, defined as doing against G-d's decree. We had evil people like Fillipo Argenti, but we also had souls like those of Vinge in the wood of the suicides that were actually really nice. The fact of the matter is that our interpretation of sin has had to change for the time we are in. As we now enter a period in the United States where the dollar is the most accepted currency how could we not change? The fact is that G-d might not be dead, but he has taken a back seat to financial wealth and the desire to have a good life. So we must then define sin in modern times. I think it is to hurt your fellow man to a point where he cannot pursue happiness. The fact that sin still flourishes shows that humanity might be forever doomed to do bad acts. Yet me must hope, in another period of time, we won't remember what sin was at all.
I agree with Heather on this one. When I hear the word sin I think of the 7 deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, pride, wrath, envy, and lust... which makes me think of The Great Gatsby. I would like to have been able to quote Webster's Dictionary, but Sam beat me to it! (rude)
Let's first start of by quoting W. H. Auden. "All sins tend to be addictive, and the terminal point of addiction is damnation." This is what is happening in the Inferno. Not a single sinner is off the hook. No matter if it is small or big, he will wind up in hell.
I believe in the Bible it states that all people sin. Why should we all go to Hell if we were created to sin? I think a sinner is a person who only thinks in himself when making a decision. This ties into every one of the seven sins. Gluttony - constant consuming of food and drink, leaving nothing for someone who may need it. Greed - taking all for youself. Envy - wanting something another person has. Lust - Wanting something sexual for yourself. Pride - gloating about yourself. Sloth - Being lazy and not helping another person out. Wrath - Anget towards others because they made YOU feel bad. I feel that if you have other peoples needs and feelings in consideration, you are not a sinner, even if you do make the wrong decision.
I think that "sin" is when you do something that is wrong or not doing what is right according to God's rules. For example, when God said to Adam and Eve not to eat from a specific tree, they still did which is a sin. Another example could be the 10 Commandments; if someone breaks one of those commandments, then they are sinning.
Dani Schwartz
Period 6
Well, now that we've gone through the seven deadly sins at least 3 times and quoted websters dictionary, I'd like to add in some original and borrowed thoughts.
What Mr. Godburn said really made sense to me. It is something that people of different creeds can agreeably say is wrong. Because if you think about it, who is to say what is right and what is wrong? Different values and ideas are taught in different cultures but there are many things in different cultures and religions that can be agreed upon to be sins; murder, theft, rape to name a few.
I think a sin is the abuse of your gifts. Life is a gift and it all depends what you plan to do with that gift. You can use it or throw it away but if you want to return it then you should make sure that it is in good condition. :)
Norbert
Period 6
Carly Lepp
Period 6
4/1/07
Journal Entry: Sin
Sin is the root of all evil. When we sin, we have the ability to interact with our inner decisions that according to Sigmund Freud; he says that we can't have. As human beings, we tend to have an urge to conquer what is unconquerable. When we watch criminals on the news, we always wonder, what kind of mind psychic do they have that enables them to commit the certain acts that they do. Sin enables us to experiment with the decision of what are the consequences of evil and good. In a capitalist society, people are judged on what kind of sins that they do in order to get ahead in life. Sin in today's society seems to be the more appropriate act to "fit in." Have you ever noticed that all magazines have the front cover of Paris Hilton committing a DUI, or Brittany Spears escaping from rehab? People in society are driven to make the front pages of a magazine; celebrities that are suppose to be setting an example for young teens in America, set an example that it's okay to break the law, and ultimately delineating to teenagers that it's okay to sin. I believe that people need to sin in order to learn from them. When humans have the ability to commit a sin and after learning the consequences decide that they will never commit that sin again, humans have the ability to create better judgment and better renewal for their life.
Carly Lepp
Period 6
4/1/07
Sin is really complicated when you get into semantics and classification of sin, especially when valuing the severity of one sin versus that of another.
But I think sin is pretty simple. Sin is an abuse of the gifts that God gives man. There's a sort of a moral contract God makes with humanity--I'll give you the ultimate power of free will and individual discretion as long as you guys don't use it in ways of which I'd disapprove. I guess you could say that God outlines what he'd hold in disdain in the Bible. So if you break the moral code set forth in the Bible, you've committed a sin--or misused your gifts in a selfish or evil way.
"Sin" is also "without" en espanol.
Sin is something which was created by religious circles in order to keep people in order. It was, in a way, the first form of government. It represents universal detrimental attitudes and actions towards society, which under most religions are banned. In Catholicism it evolved and took on a more extensive and clear-cut form. Dante manages to outline every single type of sin in the Inferno using the circles and the punishments. In Dante's terms, sin is defying, ignoring, abusing, or corrupting God or his creations. In a broader and more modern sense, sin is for many people a social stigma - whether it be sex, violence, or various dramatized scandals. For a few, it is defying their own personal morals. However, I still believe that for most people sin is closely tied to defying religion and its basic principles which were set forth by our ancestors.
-Alex Ringe
period 6
Most people associate sin with a religious definition and I do not believe that most of the definitions that religions come up with for sin should be its definition. I think that basically sin is going against ones morals but everyone has their own set of morals. So I do not think that there is one definition for it. Where one person might think it is ok to smoke pot and then another person who says no drugs. The one person does not see pot as a sin whereas the other one does but if the pot smoker goes and does other drugs but does not believe he should then that would be a sin. Another example would have to do with the idea of lust since when you want to be with someone so badly but have never felt that before and always thought oh i wouldnt do it and now you want to, would that really be considered a sin. In religion the definition for sin and morals that go along with the religion never change and that makes me believe that sin should not be defined solely on a religion based definition. I feel everyone has their own set of morals but the morals people have are not set in stone and change as they grow older and maybe wiser. Just like the definition for sin is not set in stone it will change as we grow and change.
Laura Lascoe
Period 6
a sin is somethign that is forbidden by "god." in other words, something bad. but if you think about it, it seems like everything is bad according to big guns upstairs. the only way that you are granted access to heaven is by sitting around praising the almighty for the food on your table, and then you have to go to a church to praise him somemore, and for some reason he is always broke! i think that a sin back then was just about everything, a sin now is like murder or stealing. and i just ahve to say this. god is self-centered. he calls himself "almighty" and "the all powerful." that agrivates me. he comes across as TO... and i hate TO.
andrew goldstein
per.4
sin:Noun 1. A transgression of a religious or moral law, especially when deliberate.
I agree with the dictionary deffinition of a sin. i think there are two types of sins. the religious and the moral. an example of a religios sin could be killing some one. that is a religious sin because according to the 10 commandments killing is prohibited. an example of a moral sin would be a vegitarian wearing a fur coat or eating meat. those wouldnt be sins to everyone but some people may feel they are sining if they eat meat or wear fur coats.
Sami Gross per4
I think sin is a direct rejection of gods gifts. I also think that a sin is only a sin if you believe its a sin. I completely agree with Tara in that sin is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone commits sin, and I dislike the people who view sin as the end all be all of life. I think badgering someone about how they have sinned should be a sin.
Brian H.
Per.6
I think a sin is an act or various acts that a person commits wilfully even though he or she knows it is/are wrong. The seven deadly sins are perfect examples of what I think a sin is. Each of them are things that can be controlled but when they arent they are thought to be sins. I dont view sin in regards to God because I think sin still exists even for those who dont believe in God. I dont think the entire premise of a sin is punishment. Regardless of whether or not God will be punishing a person for a sin, sins can still be committed.
Tori Cusick
period 4
p.s. sorry its late. i checked the blog at like 10:15 =/
To me "sin" has only one meaning to it. It is going against the guidelines set by God. The seven deadly sins are just the major rules that we must not break if we want to go heaven. Now although the dictionary definition of sin says it is an act that offends God, I believe that as long as the offender shows true remorse and asks forgiveness he/she shall recieve it.
Phillip Wang
Period 4
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