To Sin or Not to Sin
There has been a lot of talk about sin lately, especially by Christian conservatives applying the label to homosexuals and others who do not conform to certain behaviors or beliefs. Sin, according to the accepted religious thinking, Christian or Jewish, refers to anything that specifically goes against the commandments said to be given Moses by God. Most of those commandments are a matter of common sense behavioral standards necessary for people to abide by when living in peace within a large group.
If obeyed, most of these commandments allow people to peacefully co-exist without fear for their physical well-being or property. If totally obeyed, there would be no killing, no stealing, no adultery, no swearing, no lying about another person, no elder abuse, and so on. Mankind, however, being given free will by the Creator, has the choice to follow these commandments or not, as his or her conscience dictates. Those who choose to ignore or defy the commandments and the agreed upon political laws based on said commandments usually find themselves paying a price for the sins or crimes they commit when the judicial system requires they make amends for their crimes against society.
We agree, in a civilized society, that it is wrong to take material goods belonging to another without permission. We agree that it is wrong to take a human life except in matters of defense of ourselves or those needing protection, such as children or the elderly. We agree on certain rules of the road to maintain a common safety, such as the need for traffic lights. In a three dimensional physical world these things are needed to guarantee a smooth operating base for our society.
That is the three dimensional world’s take on the concept of sin. What is the higher view, the spiritual perspective on the concept of sin?
In the metaphysical world, this current lifetime in which you are reading these words is but one of many lived throughout time as we know it. The purpose for multiple lives is to experience all that we can of life in its myriad variety. I have recalled lives spent in ancient Egypt, Tudor England, revolutionary France, Palestine, and the American Civil War, to name a few. I have lived as male and female, rich and poor, wise and respected and lowly and despised. In other words, I have lived many different lives in many different ways.
Metaphysically speaking, one of the purposes of three dimensional life is to allow the Creator to experience through our eyes and soul memories the fascinating abundance of colors, textures, and emotions that life on this planet has to offer. What better way for Him/Her to experience all that can be experienced than through the eyes, ears, hands, and emotions of millions of souls at any one time?
In that our purpose is to experience and to learn from those experiences, it makes sense that we each choose to immerse ourselves in the whole gamut of possibilities. We are the hero and the villain, the victim and the abuser, the tortured and the perpetrator, the slave and the master. We have suffered degradation and death at the hands of the infamous and the depraved. We have languished in prisons though innocent and been executed for our property and power.
On the other hand, we have been the executor, the pirate, the cutthroat in the alley, the prostitute, and the ruthless business person who thinks only of the bottom line profit in dollars and cents, not the human part of the equation. We have been dictators and despots, murderers and cheats. Yet all of these experiences and actions have served the higher purposes of God and those fellow souls who accompany us on the journey to greater learning and soul development.
Please do not think I am condoning any of the behaviors and actions that hurt another or deprive someone of their goods. I believe that each person is entitled to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as long as that pursuit does not harm or take away the rights of others. I would ask, however, that before you condemn another for his or her actions, behaviors, opinions, or beliefs, that you bear in mind the greater truth and the bigger, cosmic picture of the workings of the Universe.
Every soul on the planet, man, woman, or child, is in the precise place that s/he is supposed to be. Each one of us is at the level of soul development that we are meant to be and no one else can judge that level for another, especially by outward appearance. The level of wealth or poverty, beauty or ugliness, sophistication or crudeness is not a measure of the level of soul progression.
Sometimes a person’s position in a situation derives from love for another. Please stretch your perceptions for a moment and suspend your judgment to consider this premise: In every case of abuser there must be a victim. Judy decides to experience the role of victim for the growth and development of her soul, needing to experience a feeling of helplessness challenging her to learn the courage to stand up for herself. Judy cannot manage this scenario without help, however. Someone needs to play the part of the abuser for this act of the play called life. Who better to play the part than Frank, who has traveled many times with Judy through life after life trading parts and genders, as she has, to learn all he can about life’s ups and downs. So Frank agrees to be the abuser in this latest chapter and incarnates to become Judy’s abusive husband.
On a higher plane and from a spiritual vantage point, think of the immense love that Frank must have for Judy to agree to inflict physical and emotional abuse on her for this lifetime, knowing that instead of reciprocal love from her, he will receive only fear and loathing in return. What love it must take for someone to agree to play this kind of part in a person’s life. We are talking about agape or unconditional spiritual love that has nothing to do with the romantic definition. Remember, also, that Judy is doing Frank a favor by agreeing to be his victim so he can experience being the abuser. Both will learn from the experience and hopefully advance on their soul journeys. So it goes in the reincarnation cycle of lives. That is not to say that any form of abuse is to be condoned. This is just another way of looking at it.
Crime is behavior that violates the law of the land, laws made by man intended to make society a safe and civilized place to live in relative peace and cooperation. A sin is an act against the wishes of God. If God has created the vehicle of reincarnation to live varied experiences through us, and S/He has given us free will, then where is the sin?
This is the subject of many a philosophy class and has been discussed and debated by metaphysicians through history. There are no real answers to this question regardless of what Christian theologians say. The Bible was inspired by God much like modern metaphysicians channel wisdom from Spirit. With any channeled or inspired work, however, the beliefs, opinions, and prejudices of the channel or prophet influence the interpretation of the information and the more a work is translated from one language to another, the farther it can veer from the original intent of the message. So those who fight to the death over the interpretation of the King James version of the Bible and the wording of the prophets cannot be sure that the words they staunchly defend truly reflect the wisdom as it was given. The message channeled is also intended for a specific audience in a specific place and time and is not necessarily intended to be venerated for the rest of eternity. After all, things change.
Sin is the refusal of man to see that all are one with God and thus are all interrelated. Sin is the refusal to acknowledge that we are our brother’s keepers and are spiritually, morally, and ethically responsible to serve, defend, and assist those in need. Sin is the extermination of a race of people or the extinction of a species of plant or animal for greed, profit, or hatred. Sin is the rape and pillage of the planet’s resources by short-minded politicians and business people who see only as far as the next election or the next quarter’s profits and dividends. Sin is the obscenity of a starving child, repressed woman, or disenfranchised person anywhere on the planet.
Sin is the failure to speak out against repression, violence, ignorance, and cruelty wherever it is found. Sin is the lies told to the masses for two centuries in order to repress and control spiritual growth and ensure the wealth and continuity of religious organizations.
Sin is the failure to love your neighbor as yourself. Sin is the failure to love yourself.
“Go forth and sin no more.” Jesus of Nazareth.
May the light of wisdom shine within your heart and the love of the Creator abide with you always.
