The Sin As A Crime And Sickness - 2259 Words

Christian theologians have tried to figure out the best way to interpret why people sin and how they should repent ever since the bible was written. Some theologians explain sin as a sickness, in which people are driven to do wrong by an unknown internal urge. Theologians also use the sin as a crime method to explain sin as defilement against God and Humanity (Taylor 54-57). In addition to the sin as a sickness or crime theories, some religious scholars say each theory should be used but both are never used in the same church (Taylor, 57-59). Although I agree that churches should include both sin as a crime and sickness, I don’t think both methods for explaining sin are used equally in churches. In fact, I think the sin as a crime theory is used more often than sin as a sickness. Accordingly, sin as a sickness ought to be emphasized as much as sin as a crime is, because the sinner will know they are not completely at fault. As a result of knowing the degree of their fault, the sinner will learn their true responsibility for their actions. Sin As a Crime and a Sickness Sin as a crime can be illustrated in various ways but always maintains specific themes: sin is viewed as an offense against God and Humankind, people attend church to face punishment for their wrong doings, and the cause for people’s sins is known. First of all, the popular theologian St. Augustine portrays sin a crime through a story from his childhood, in which his friends and him steal fruit for the soleShow MoreRelatedHow Does The Justice Of God Fit With The Love? Essay800 Words   |  4 Pagesjustice to the world’s justice. We look at our court systems and see how people can get away with a crime by bribing a judge. Erickson states that â€Å"The justice of God means that he is fair in the administration of his law. He does not show favoritism or partiality.† (p.101) God cannot be bribed or bought. The penalty for the crime must be paid. And the Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 â€Å"For the wages of sin is death†. (New International Version). S o how is God loving? 1 John 3:16 â€Å"This is how we knowRead MoreEssay on Guilt in Crime and Punishment1266 Words   |  6 PagesGuilt in Crime and Punishment  Ã‚   In Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky tells a story of a young man that has been forced out of his studies at a university, by poverty. In these circumstances, he develops his theory of an extraordinary man (Frank 62). This conjecture is composed of the ideas that all great men must climb over obstacles in their way to reach their highest potential and benefit human kind. In Raskolnikovs life, the great obstacle is his lack of money, and the way to getRead MoreSummary Of Dostoevskys Crime And Punishment792 Words   |  4 Pagesthe other it firmly grasps sickness, jealousy, and fear. In Dostoevskys work â€Å"Crime and Punishment† he uses yellow as an indicator for the sinfulness and filth that permeates and surrounds the characters. To compound the sinful filthy nature of the characters yellow also adopts the form of sickness, manifesting in both mental and physical states: a sentiment that is mirrored in Perkins Stetsons’ work â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† Dostoevskys depiction of sin and sickness is prevalent throughout hisRead MoreThe Pastor As A Nouthetic Counselor-1447 Words   |  6 Pagescounselors are only interested in feelings and attitudes, accepts and not frowns upon sin, does not give advice, and encourages a lack of responsibility. Nouthetic counselors on the other hand are rooted in the word and are guided by the Holy Spirit. Its proponents therefore listen in order to gather data about which to advise, show interest in the whole person, insist on clients being responsible, and require confession of sin. T I agree when Adams pointed out in this chapter that feelings cannot be alteredRead MoreThe Mrs. Andrea Yates Trial801 Words   |  3 Pagesher increasing responsibility for her children. He decided that his mother would come over in the mornings after giving Mrs. Yates an hour to be alone with them. On the morning of June 20, 2001during one of these hours, Mrs. Yates committed her crime. From the background information it is obvious to see that Mrs. Yates suffered from mental illness. Leading up to the murders she had stopped taking her medication because she and her husband wanted to have more children. This was also not recommendedRead MoreEssay on Make a Life Worth Living with Another Soul803 Words   |  4 Pagesimprove their lifestyle by moving to the New World. â€Å"Being thus left to our fortunes, it fortuned that within ten days, scarce ten amongst us could either go or well stand, such extreme weakness and sickness oppressed us† (Smith 72). They knew if they didn’t leave to the Americas then theyd die of sickness, not having enough of the essentials, nor their freedom. One good choice that the people made was to go to the Americas to seek help, get their freedom back, and to get away from the old dump theyRead MoreA Clockwork Orange By Anthony Burgess1410 Words   |  6 Pagesviolence at it’s very nature. However, upon closer exami nation, there are many references to religion, Christianity in particular. â€Å"A Clockwork Orange† is a testament to the importance of free will in God’s creation, and inspects the nature of evil/sin. The movie opens with Alex, the leader of a violent gang, and his ‘droogs’ (gang members) Pete, Georgie, and Dim, viciously attacking an old man singing in an alley. Committing violence gives them a sort of high, and they move onto another target.Read MoreThe Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne1127 Words   |  5 Pagesdo everything in his power to preserve and shield his real identity. To the citizens of the colony, Dimmesdale is an extremely sympathetic and holy reverend who strays from sin entirely, but behind closed doors it is clear that Dimmesdale is more than just upset with his character. This is evident because the guilt of his sin causes him to lash himself with a whip at night. It is hard to tell if Dimmesdale is a good person because on one hand, Dimmesdale wants to care for his daughter Pearl, butRead MoreAnalysis Of Equus By Peter Shaffer1214 Words   |  5 Pagesfurther depth. Consciousness and community are themes that reoccur in the classroom settin g and the classroom readings. Equus, by Peter Shaffer is a good example that relates to the course’s theme. In the reading Equus, Alan Strang commits a horrible crime. He stabs the eyes of six horses, blinding them, because he thinks they are watching him. Alan Strang’s mother, Dora Strang, tries to force her Christian beliefs onto Alan. His father, Frank Strang, blames his son’s bizarre actions on this. BecauseRead MoreThe Character of John Proctor, Elizabeth and Reverend Hale in The Crucible647 Words   |  3 Pagesone of the reasons John ended up having an affair with their servant, Abigail. Since then she has fired her, and the coldness in her relationship with John continued up until the witch trials. As shown in the story, this seems to be his only severe sin so she still believes him to be a good man otherwise. She later starts to blame herself as seen on page 126 for the incident and she lets John decide whether or not he wants to confess to witchery so that he may feel he has any good left in him. She