Is X a sin?

[CoreyD]

I'll have to give it some thought. Thank you.

You're welcome.
I just noticed you identify as Non-Denom. I guess that's Non-Denominational.
Would I be getting too personal, if I asked if you are active at all, in Christianity?

 

[Sabertooth]

Would I be getting too personal, if I asked if you are active at all, in Christianity?

If I may answer, non-denom does not mean "no church."
It means that one goes to a church that was established independently of a recognized denomination. Most that I have visited were similar to Baptists, Calvary Chapel or Assembly of God, but from talking to others here, they are even more diversified than that.

 

[CoreyD]

If I may answer, non-denom does not mean "no church."
It means that one goes to a church that was established independently of a recognized denomination. Most that I have visited were similar to Baptists, Calvary Chapel or Assembly of God, but from talking to others here, they are even more diversified than that.

Thanks for that reminder. I wasn't thinking in that direction.
I was more thinking of if @friend of might not have been actively involved with the church.
You are correct though, on both points.

 

[friend of]

Thanks for that reminder. I wasn't thinking in that direction.
I was more thinking of if @friend of might not have been actively involved with the church.
You are correct though, on both points.

I attend an "alliance" church. If I had to identify with a denomination, it would probably be baptist. They seem to be the most correct anyway. Nondenominational is just another way of saying that I prefer what the bible says to the traditions and institutions devised by fallible man.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I have allowed myself to watch a little bit of R rated content here or there after converting (not inappropriate content, mind)

I recently finished off a show called "better call saul." Maybe you've heard of it, it's relatively popular.

However my Christian friend chastised me for this. Apparently there was a sex scene and there may have been a frame of inappropriate contentography, although I doubt it. I honestly can't remember any sex scene in the show (I must have been on my phone or something). This issue has sort of marred our friendship.

So is this bad? Am I in the wrong? Should I avoid all television dramas that contain R rated content like drug use, swearing, and maybe even the occasional frame of inappropriate contentography and the like? Or can I use my discretion and Christian liberty to watch the occasional adult themed show? I don't condemn myself for doing this, but idk. What do you guys think?

As to movies the Catholic USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishops) maintains a movie rating system that could be helpful. It is independent of the standard movie ratings and lists movies as morally objectionable, recommended, or recommended for some circumstances. This rating system recognizes that some R movies might nonetheless be OK for adults and some PG movies are moral trash.

The current G, PG, R, X system evolved out of a much earlier Catholic rating system that was the norm for all movies in the 1950’s. There was a LOT of evolution or devolution which is why the USCCB basically invented their new system. Give it a look. Search for ‘USCCB’ and ‘movie’ and you will find it.

 

[chevyontheriver]

So the answers given in these fora are usually quite mixed, even on matters not at all trivial. Some Christians say X is a sin, other Christians that of course X is not a sin, other Christians that it depends on whatever.

Where is it written in Scripture that something is NOT a sin unless the Bible explicitly says it is a sin?

 

[CoreyD]

I attend an "alliance" church. If I had to identify with a denomination, it would probably be baptist. They seem to be the most correct anyway. Nondenominational is just another way of saying that I prefer what the bible says to the traditions and institutions devised by fallible man.

"alliance"? What's that - if you don't mind my asking?
It's good to hear you believe what the Bible says.
Would you say you are self taught?

 

[friend of]

"alliance"? What's that - if you don't mind my asking?
It's good to hear you believe what the Bible says.
Would you say you are self taught?

Self taught, taught by others, taught by this forum, taught by the Spirit. And I've still got a long way to go ;P

 

[FireDragon76]

One of the most common questions I see asked on these forums, and even outside of these forums, is some form of this question is [something or other] a sin?

The reason why these questions are asked are understandable. If, as Christians, we want to be faithful in our obedience to God and our witness to Christ, we desire to abstain from sinful thoughts and behaviors. The Scriptures tell us to seek the way of God, to have the mind of Christ, and to live justly. Sin is failing to do those things. Christ saved us from our sins, we shouldn't let sin reign in our minds, our hearts, or have dominion over our bodies. So, of course, we wouldn't want to do something if it is sinful and wrong.

But the common trend is very often whether something rather harmless or innocuous is a sin. In this sub-forum alone I can see two examples: Is wearing a hat a sin? Is playing video games a sin? These types of questions are extremely common. And, thankfully, most of the answers are, "No, of course not". Though, there are the occasional exceptions, claiming that something is sinful, and usually for some very strange reason. Usually "it's worldly", because there is a massive amount of confusion over worldliness is, and a number of terrible churches and awful preachers have tried to call certain things "worldly" with the intent to control the members of a congregation. My grandmother, as a child, attended a church like this; as such she wasn't allowed to play card games like "Go Fish" because card games were "worldly", because cards were used in some gambling games; she wasn't allowed to drink root beer or other carbonated soft drinks because root beer had the word "beer" in it--again, "worldly" because beer is alcoholic and "bad".


And so many believers are out there struggling with these questions. Their consciences are being shredded with unnecessary guilt because there are those out there, pretending to be pastors, in religious groups pretending to be churches going around trying to control every facet of a person's life. What kinds of clothes they can wear, whether it is okay to listen to music, or watch a movie, or read a book, play a game, what they can eat or drink. All this unnecessary nonsense that isn't important in the slightest.

This is called Moralism. It's a lot like Legalism, except where Legalism is concerned with the Law and is about trying to tell Christians that they need to have their own righteousness by observing God's commandments (regardless of whether or not those commandments are still binding in the New Covenant or not). Moralism takes a step further, and proscribes standards and stipulations entirely unrelated to anything God has ever said.

Moralism is the proscription of laws as though they were from God, but which God Himself has said nothing. The idea that being a Christian means upholding a kind of standard of holiness, but that "holiness" has nothing to do with being holy, but only having an appearance of holiness by following arbitrary man-made rules.

So here's a few guidelines I'd like to offer, a sort of rule of thumb if you will, about whether "X is sinful".

1) What do the Scriptures say? If the answer is nothing, or if the answer is that it only applied in a limited capacity to a specific situation (such as to the Jews as part of the Old Covenant), then the answer is probably no.

2) What is the normative outcome of the thing in question? Does it hurt someone? Will my doing something cause my neighbor to suffer? This can be phrased another way: Is this failing to love my neighbor? Is this hateful toward my neighbor? Is this what I would want someone else to do in regard to me? If the answer to this is that yes, it will hurt my neighbor, it is intrinsically un-loving toward my neighbor, the answer is probably yes. Otherwise the answer is probably no.

3) What is the difference between doing it or not doing it? If the answer is nothing, that there is no real difference, it won't affect me, or affect others, it isn't contrary to God's stated commandments, then it probably isn't sinful.

4) Use your conscience. And let others have their liberty of conscience as well. Maybe you have decided you don't like something, or aren't comfortable with it, perhaps you have your own reasons to avoid or abstain--or instead you feel you are comfortable with it. Perhaps you aren't comfortable eating meat because you view the meat industry as unethical, or you just have an ethical issue with eating animals; or perhaps you are comfortable eating meat. Let you be convinced in your own conscience, and grant your fellow Christian their own liberty of conscience on this matter. That is, after all, what Scripture teaches us to do with such things.

So, is it sinful? If God says it is, then it is. If God says it isn't, it isn't. And if God is silent, then use your God-given empathy, reason, and conscience to make that determination for yourself.

-CryptoLutheran

It's a fundamentally self-absorbed attitude beneath a surface concern for righteousness.

Rarely does somebody ask "What more could I be doing to help my neighbor in need?".

 

[CoreyD]

Self taught, taught by others, taught by this forum, taught by the Spirit. And I've still got a long way to go ;P

I hope you get there.

 

[ZephBonkerer]

I've found that it helps to read ethical matters in terms of principles and not rules. Most ethical questions cannot be answered in terms of some legal formula. This doesn't mean that there is no absolute standard (there certainly is), only that you can't always approach these matters the way a Circuit Court judge would approach matters of secular Law.

I believe we all can agree that the tenets of basic morality are constant and do not change. The Jews in the Old Testament did not have any laws against drunk driving or wire fraud. Why was this? I believe it was because the means to commit these crimes did not exist in those days.

 

[Tranquil Bondservant]

It's a fundamentally self-absorbed attitude beneath a surface concern for righteousness.

Rarely does somebody ask "What more could I be doing to help my neighbor in need?".

Trying to be obedient to the one you love is not self-absorption. Many people who are new to the faith are working through these things and will understand greater in time. So lets not malign those who desire to practise righteousness by claiming they're self-absorbed, I don't think that's fair even if you believe it's the root of the thing.

 

[ViaCrucis]

It's a fundamentally self-absorbed attitude beneath a surface concern for righteousness.

Rarely does somebody ask "What more could I be doing to help my neighbor in need?".

I think it is important to make a distinction between someone having a serious grief of conscience and someone trying to engage in faux piety.

Most of the kinds of "is X a sin?" questions I see around here come from people who are legitimately struggling and are suffering from a burdened conscience. The goal should be, then, to move them in the right direction not only by giving comfort to the conscience by assuring them that (usually) the things they are worried about are really of no concern at all; but also by presenting the more biblically grounded understanding of morality as being relationally driven. Scripture presents what is right and wrong as less about arbitrarily fiat pronouncements and more about what happens within relationships. Because, fundamentally, sin is a wounded brokenness that affects relationships, our relationship with God, our relationship with one another, our relationship with the rest of creation; affecting every aspect of how we live, breathe, think, and feel as human beings in the world.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Ain't Zwinglian]

One of the most common questions I see asked on these forums, and even outside of these forums, is some form of this question is [something or other] a sin?

The reason why these questions are asked are understandable. If, as Christians, we want to be faithful in our obedience to God and our witness to Christ, we desire to abstain from sinful thoughts and behaviors. The Scriptures tell us to seek the way of God, to have the mind of Christ, and to live justly. Sin is failing to do those things. Christ saved us from our sins, we shouldn't let sin reign in our minds, our hearts, or have dominion over our bodies. So, of course, we wouldn't want to do something if it is sinful and wrong.

But the common trend is very often whether something rather harmless or innocuous is a sin. In this sub-forum alone I can see two examples: Is wearing a hat a sin? Is playing video games a sin? These types of questions are extremely common. And, thankfully, most of the answers are, "No, of course not". Though, there are the occasional exceptions, claiming that something is sinful, and usually for some very strange reason. Usually "it's worldly", because there is a massive amount of confusion over worldliness is, and a number of terrible churches and awful preachers have tried to call certain things "worldly" with the intent to control the members of a congregation. My grandmother, as a child, attended a church like this; as such she wasn't allowed to play card games like "Go Fish" because card games were "worldly", because cards were used in some gambling games; she wasn't allowed to drink root beer or other carbonated soft drinks because root beer had the word "beer" in it--again, "worldly" because beer is alcoholic and "bad".


And so many believers are out there struggling with these questions. Their consciences are being shredded with unnecessary guilt because there are those out there, pretending to be pastors, in religious groups pretending to be churches going around trying to control every facet of a person's life. What kinds of clothes they can wear, whether it is okay to listen to music, or watch a movie, or read a book, play a game, what they can eat or drink. All this unnecessary nonsense that isn't important in the slightest.

This is called Moralism. It's a lot like Legalism, except where Legalism is concerned with the Law and is about trying to tell Christians that they need to have their own righteousness by observing God's commandments (regardless of whether or not those commandments are still binding in the New Covenant or not). Moralism takes a step further, and proscribes standards and stipulations entirely unrelated to anything God has ever said.

Moralism is the proscription of laws as though they were from God, but which God Himself has said nothing. The idea that being a Christian means upholding a kind of standard of holiness, but that "holiness" has nothing to do with being holy, but only having an appearance of holiness by following arbitrary man-made rules.

So here's a few guidelines I'd like to offer, a sort of rule of thumb if you will, about whether "X is sinful".

1) What do the Scriptures say? If the answer is nothing, or if the answer is that it only applied in a limited capacity to a specific situation (such as to the Jews as part of the Old Covenant), then the answer is probably no.

2) What is the normative outcome of the thing in question? Does it hurt someone? Will my doing something cause my neighbor to suffer? This can be phrased another way: Is this failing to love my neighbor? Is this hateful toward my neighbor? Is this what I would want someone else to do in regard to me? If the answer to this is that yes, it will hurt my neighbor, it is intrinsically un-loving toward my neighbor, the answer is probably yes. Otherwise the answer is probably no.

3) What is the difference between doing it or not doing it? If the answer is nothing, that there is no real difference, it won't affect me, or affect others, it isn't contrary to God's stated commandments, then it probably isn't sinful.

4) Use your conscience. And let others have their liberty of conscience as well. Maybe you have decided you don't like something, or aren't comfortable with it, perhaps you have your own reasons to avoid or abstain--or instead you feel you are comfortable with it. Perhaps you aren't comfortable eating meat because you view the meat industry as unethical, or you just have an ethical issue with eating animals; or perhaps you are comfortable eating meat. Let you be convinced in your own conscience, and grant your fellow Christian their own liberty of conscience on this matter. That is, after all, what Scripture teaches us to do with such things.

So, is it sinful? If God says it is, then it is. If God says it isn't, it isn't. And if God is silent, then use your God-given empathy, reason, and conscience to make that determination for yourself.

-CryptoLutheran

This is real good.

 

[FireDragon76]

Luther thought even the desire to be righteous ultimately was just the Old Adam desiring to find something in themselves worthy of salvation.

But I think VC is also correct to point out that this kind of thing can also be the byproduct of a certain kind of religion. The two aren't mutually exclusive. Broken people are often attracted to authoritarian religion, because it alleviates them of personal and existential responsibility.