What the CDC taught me about sin

One of the things I run into a lot in talking about faith with those who do not share the faith, is the question of sin. Some will go to the extreme and say that “sin” is just a social construct and there really is no such thing as sin. That kind of moral relativism is relatively easy to disassemble logically, usually without convincing the person who holds it.

But what I run into more often is a subtler version of moral relativism which acknowledges that there may be broad categories of, not necessarily “good” vs. “evil,” but maybe “good” vs. “not-so-good.” In this context, a lot of well meaning people find it hard to believe that “sin” can send people to hell.

Oh, of course, if there is a hell then folks like Hitler, Stalin, and maybe Donald Trump (or Hillary Clinton, depending on your political persuasion) belong there, but everyday, ordinary people like you and me? But mostly me? I’m not so bad. I don’t murder, I don’t rape, I don’t molest children. What right does the Church have to threaten me with damnation for something relatively minor, that doesn’t hurt anyone? Like pre-marital sex, or getting drunk from time to time, or divorce, or whatever? Why would you threaten me with eternal damnation, just because I violate your moral sensibilities?

Rather than address any particular “sin” and explain why it is sinful, I think it is helpful to begin with the fundamental understanding of what sin is in the first place, or at least, what the Church, and most religions, think sin is.

A lot of people think that sin is just a violation of a particular religion’s moral tastes, and a threat of punishment for that violation. However, that is not really how the Catholic Church, or Christianity in general, or indeed any of the major world religions that I have looked at (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism) view sin.

Religions do not view sin as a violation of a social norm, but as an action that is inconsistent with the optimum of human nature. To put it in modern terms, religions say that morality is a spiritually healthy lifestyle, and sin is a spiritually unhealthy activity. There is no question of the Church, or anyone else, inflicting eternal punishment upon people for committing sin. Their contention is that sin is inherently unhealthy and brings about its own natural consequences.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is an organization with responsibility for monitoring disease trends, collecting data on the etiology of both good health and of diseases, and sharing information with people on how to be healthy and avoid disease. Probably the most well known message of the CDC is that smoking causes lung cancer, among a host of other health issues. There is, of course, no question of a bunch of doctors and epidemiologists at the CDC sitting around and thinking, “You know, I really hate smoking. I don’t want anyone to smoke. We should punish people who smoke by giving them lung cancer.”

That is ridiculous. Of course the CDC does impose some penalties for smoking in the form of lobbying for legislation allowing insurance premium hikes for people who smoke. They try to create an anti-smoking culture that will allow prohibition of smoking in public places, and make smoking socially stigmatized. One may agree or disagree with their methods, but one should at least understand that their starting position is that smoking is an inherently unhealthy activity that intrinsically brings about a greater risk of lung cancer and other diseases.

Religion is the same way about sin. They make the claim that human spiritual health is as objective and real as human physical health, and there are certain actions that inherently build up that health, and others that inherently degrade it. They label the deleterious actions “sin” and try to point out the consequences of that sin, i.e. hell, damnation or reincarnation to a lower form, or remaining trapped in samsara.

They may also attempt other methods, such as influencing social and political norms, or dictating them where that is an option, to deter people from doing these actions. One may agree or disagree with their methods, but one should do so with an understanding of their underlying reason, namely the belief that these actions destroy spiritual health.

And of course, just as with the CDC, one may legitimately question any particular religion’s mandate, authority, competence and motive to make such pronouncements. This is all part of the process of seeking the truth. Just make sure you understand what they are saying and why before you decide whether you agree or disagree with it.