Sin Definition: We explain what sin is according to the Judeo-Christian tradition, what original sin is, and what the cardinal sins are. Please read other MTV articles for more information. If you share it, it will be of little help to us.
What is sin?
A sin is a voluntary and conscious transgression of a religious law, that is, the act of failing to comply with the commandments proposed by the creed or doctrine of a religion. Generally, these laws are considered sacred or divine, that is, by God’s will or instruction to human beings, and therefore every sin corresponds to some type of punishment or compensation, whether in life or in the afterlife.
The word sin comes from the Latin peccatum, a term originally used by the ancient Romans as a synonym for stumble or mistake, without the same religious connotations, given that classical Roman culture revolved around the notion of honor, not guilt. Must Read About Greek Gods Once.
The concept of sin as we understand it today emerged with Christianity, a religion rooted in Jewish tradition (in Hebrew, the word for sin is jattá’th, which translates as “to err”). When Christianity became the dominant religion in the West, it began to change the meaning of many Latin words, giving them new moral, social, and religious meanings.
According to the Judeo-Christian tradition, sin should be understood as humankind’s distancing itself from God, or at least from the path God has laid out for it. However, in the New Testament’s vision of humanity, we are all sinners to some extent, and it is precisely the role of religion to provide us with comfort and reparation, that is, to return us to the right path through penitence and prayer.
At its peak cultural influence in the West and the world, Christianity not only defended this worldview but also developed an entire classification of sins, differentiating them according to their severity, nature, motive, or mode: there were mortal sins, sins of action, sins of thought, and so on.
Thus, a moral and cultural code was composed that was of great importance in the history of Europe and America, representing the emergence of guilt and atonement as supreme religious values in the West.
Original Sin
One of the most important forms of sin in the Christian imagination is the so-called “original sin” or “ancestral sin,” from which no human being is exempt. According to this doctrine, human beings bear the guilt of our fall from grace and expulsion from Paradise, which occurred at the beginning of time, as a consequence of the first human beings (Adam and Eve) disobeying God’s express will.
According to the biblical account, this disobedience consisted of eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, which was forbidden by God, offering them the rest of the Garden of Eden in exchange. Tempted by the serpent, a malevolent spirit, Eve ate the forbidden fruit and also fed it to Adam, and consequently, both were expelled from Paradise, losing their immortality and being punished with labor and painful childbirth.
The idea of this primordial sin arose around the second century and is attributed to the Bishop of Lyon, Saint Irenaeus (c. 130–c. 202). It has been the subject of study, interpretation, and debate by various Christian experts and religious authorities throughout the centuries, and it is what gives meaning to Christian baptism, the rite by which infants or new Christians are freed from the burden of original sin, initiating them on the path of redemption.
The Capital Sins
In the Christian hierarchy of human sins, capital sins, cardinal sins, or mortal sins are the most serious, as they are considered sins that engender other sins.
This category of sins has been defined and redefined throughout the history of Christianity, with the number and names of the sins varying: for John Cassian in the fifth century there were eight, while for Pope Gregory I in the sixth century there were only seven. This latter view has been held to this day.
The cardinal sins are as follows:
- Pride or arrogance: The most serious and primordial of the seven deadly sins is arrogance, as it is believed that all the others are born from it, in one way or another. It is the sin of Lucifer, who wants to dethrone God, and consists precisely in believing himself to be more or better than he is, placing himself above God and his divine commandments. Must Read: Pride
- Anger, rage, or rage: A sin understood as excessive rage or the inability to contain it, which can lead to violent, intolerant, or resentful behavior. It is considered a sin because it contradicts the divine command to love others as oneself. Must Read: Anger
- Avarice: A sin of excess, characterized by the uncontrollable and insatiable desire to accumulate wealth, or the fear of parting with one’s own possessions, that is, the diametric opposite of generosity. Must Read: Avarice
- Envy: Similar in nature to avarice, it is understood as the insatiable desire for the things of others, going so far as to rejoice in the misfortune of others or cause it, in order to deprive others of what they possess. It is a sin that contradicts love for one’s neighbor. Must Read: Envy
- Lust: A sin understood as an excess of sexual desire, or an uncontrolled sexual desire that cannot be satisfied, not by pursuing reproduction, but rather pleasure for pleasure’s sake. This sin manifests itself in behaviors such as adultery, promiscuity, or rape. Must Read: Lust
- Gluttony: This sin consists of an insatiable appetite or thirst, or in other words, the desire to eat, drink, and consume substances (such as drugs) without being thirsty or hungry, pursuing the pure pleasure of consuming. Far from moderation and survival, it expresses itself in behaviors such as drunkenness, gluttony, or addiction. Must Read: Gluttony
- Sloth: This sin is understood as the inability to take charge of one’s own existence, not due to a lack of resources, but rather a lack of motivation or determination. It manifests itself through neglect and passivity, behaviors that violate the divine command to care for one’s own life.
References
All the information we offer is supported by authoritative and up-to-date bibliographic sources, which ensure reliable content in line with our editorial principles.
- Sin on Wikipedia.
- Deadly sins on Wikipedia.
- Original sin on Wikipedia.
- Sin in the Dictionary of the Spanish Language of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- Sin in the Online Catholic Encyclopedia.
- Mortal sin (theology) in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
