Sin Versus Evil
Sin and evil arguably remain the most complex aspects of theology to flesh out. In my opinion, clergy use the two interchangeably, which I believe is a mistake. In a theology of the divine spark, I attempt to differentiate sin from evil. This differentiation results from a basic premise: all people are sinful whereas a subset designate as “evil.” Sinfulness equivocates to the human condition and all its inherent physiological and psychological survival needs. When these needs are not met, human beings suffer the culmination of their limitations or sinfulness; they die. In a previous posting, I argue that Jesus Christ inherited this sinfulness because he was a human being. The ultimate grace of God and gift of Jesus Christ was the resurrection, a transcending of the ultimate human sin — death — and realization and transformation of life. Conversely, Evil is a turning away from God; a choice if you will. This view is consonant with Arminianism, in some respects. Human beings can reject God’s grace. Just watch and listen to Bill Maher on HBO. Salvation also can be lost; that is, human beings must pursue God as God pursues them. This reciprocity, in my opinion, is required to establish a requisite relationship with God. For example, in Matthew 7, Jesus says:
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers (Matthew 7:21-23)!”
In previous postings, I write a polemic concerning the dangers of the “saved” litmus test. Believing to be “saved” equivocates to being part of an “elect,” those individuals whose salvation is guaranteed. Why is this relevant? More “evil” has been done by those who consider themselves to be “elect.” Currently, those elect promoting legal oppression and/or physical violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals advocate bigotry. Is bigotry God’s will? No. Other examples include selective ignorance of issues adversely affecting humankind. The American public’s indifference to the situation in Rwanda, arguably, enables the effective genocide of a major proportion of its people.
Sin
In previous postings, I conceptualize “sin” as limitation; that is, human qualities that prevent us from being God or even “god-like.” What are these qualities? Studying Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” sheds light on this issue. Viewing the image below reveals that human beings require sets of needs for physiological and psychological survival, ultimately arriving at “self actualization.” Unfortunately, few individuals ever attain a self-actualized state, except in brief moments.
The conceptualization of “sin” as “limitation” resolves a few difficult theological issues. There is no hierarchy of sin. All human beings inherently possess these limitations, all progress through these stages. Moreover, it views sin contextually. Much — if not most — human behavior results from a given level of needs not being met. Similarly, Lawrence Kohlberg posited stages of moral development based on person’s level of cognitive development, borrowing — to some degree — from Jean Piaget. To illustrate this development, Kohlberg posed the “Heinz Dilemma.” The higher the level of cognitive development, the more sophisticated the resolutions generated. Both of these conceptualizations — applied to the question of sin — imply that it is a limitation, both physiologically and psychologically. In context, sin becomes behavior exercised on the basis of a relative lack of physiological or cognitive resources. As such, sin requires a human context to render it as a meaningful theological concept.
Evil
Evil, also, must be considered in context. For me, evil represents a purposeful, turning away from God. The phrase “turning away” emphasizes “choice”; that is, I believe that evil emanates from a human choice to turn away from God. Evil, as such, is the responsibility of humans. It is one result of God’s gift of “choice” to human beings. The problem becomes, “what is turning away?” Purposeful implies a state of knowledge, acknowledging this state, then rejecting it, knowing the consequences of such rejection. Identifying the Adolf Hitler’s of the world is easy. The uncovering of the wolves in sheep’s clothing is difficult. The people who blithely ignore genocide, the companies who promote themselves as stores for working people while economically oppressing their employees, and the insurance companies refusing to cover individuals based on their sexual orientation leaving them with little or no “safety net” are some concrete examples of these wolves. We should all be alarmed. For the essence or potential for evil is within each of us. Evil, unlike sin that is a physiological and psychological given, resembles a bell curve with rarities of no evil to much evil representing the tails and most people expressing or being guilty of some evil. This is why pursuing God is a necessity; that is, we need to pursue God, constantly. As Matthew 7:21-23 notes, for Jesus to know us, God’s will must be done. Of course, this is not easy. What is God’s will? That is exactly why pursuing God, contemplating God, meditating about God, through understanding ourselves and others is requisite. It is a journey not a light switch. How does a pursuit of God initiate?
Currently, I am reading Barbara Bradley Hagerty’s, Fingerprints of God to examine the possibilities she describes. Some of the book’s content seems to suggest certain people receive certain experiences. Yet, it seems to be more related to being able to see, a view I espoused in an earlier posting. What is fascinating about this book is that it proposes transformation; a reciprocal event that changes a person on a “cellular” level. Moreover, this transformation is not easy, causing the loss of old jobs, relationships, etc., in pursuit of God. I believe what is essentially lost is the veneer of meaninglessness in lieu of the meaningfulness of God. We shall see.
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