Thinking/Doing; Dealing With Sin

[Comanch09]

I am asking this here, because I would like to have an athiests perpective on this. I have argued this at a Christian thread, and wasn't proven wrong. I believe that it is not a sin to think about doing something. It might not be good idea, but not a sin. An example of this is murdering someone. If you murder someone in your head, your not commiting sin. It's not nice to think about, but still isn't literally doing it.

Any thoughts on this.

 

[Comanch09]

Someone posted this on another thread dealing with this. I really think its a good thing to think about:

The problem isn't whether or not thougts are sinful or not, the problem is that we divide our whole reality into those two categories; sinful or ok. It's not a good way to live.

 

[SackLunch]

Interesting thought. God's standards are very high though. I believe it says in the Bible that if we even LOOK at another woman with lust in our heart for her, we've committed adultery. So yes, I do believe thoughts can be sinful. I'm glad God, since His standards are that high, gave us Jesus as a way out. Look at www.christiananswers.net for more info.

The battle is always in the mind. The first thing that leads to sin is the thought.

 

[Toboe]

I am asking this here, because I would like to have an athiests perpective on this. I have argued this at a Christian thread, and wasn't proven wrong. I believe that it is not a sin to think about doing something. It might not be good idea, but not a sin. An example of this is murdering someone. If you murder someone in your head, your not commiting sin. It's not nice to think about, but still isn't literally doing it.

Any thoughts on this.

Think about having sex, insn't that lust.
Thinking about getting rich is that not Greed.

 

[Comanch09]

Well, the lust thing can be argued to with scripture:

Jam 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

Jam 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Jam 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Lust, just the thought, and thoughts bring forth sin, but are not sin in of itself. Might not be a good thing to be doing, but doesn't qualify as sin.

 

[Velo Princesse]

I am asking this here, because I would like to have an athiests perpective on this. I have argued this at a Christian thread, and wasn't proven wrong. I believe that it is not a sin to think about doing something. It might not be good idea, but not a sin. An example of this is murdering someone. If you murder someone in your head, your not commiting sin. It's not nice to think about, but still isn't literally doing it.

Any thoughts on this.

I find it interesting that you would want an atheist perspective on sin. As an atheist, I don't believe in sin. I believe in laws. Thinking about killing someone isn't against the law. You didn't do anything. Does that mean I think it's okay? Absolutely not. But that is mainly because thoughts like those will eat away at you and make you bitter and unhappy.

 

[jingwei]

when you think about "something" enough times. you will begin to blur the line between whether you've doen it or not.

 

[Comanch09]

I find it interesting that you would want an atheist perspective on sin. As an atheist, I don't believe in sin. I believe in laws. Thinking about killing someone isn't against the law. You didn't do anything. Does that mean I think it's okay? Absolutely not. But that is mainly because thoughts like those will eat away at you and make you bitter and unhappy.

Not so much from your belief, but from a Biblical perspective. The majority, if not all athiets, don't believe in sin, so why would I go and ask you what you think about sin? It doesn't exist or matter from your belief. But, you look at it different perspective, so what would you say from a Christian standpoint? Is it sinning under the Christan belief to think about a sin, but not do it? I don't believe so.

 

[jingwei]

the bible already says if you think about sinning you have sinned.
Look if you really want to kill soembody say it out loud to everybody. who is it what did they do??

 

[Comanch09]

the bible already says if you think about sinning you have sinned.
Look if you really want to kill soembody say it out loud to everybody. who is it what did they do??

Ok, it was an example. Hence the words:

An example of this...

in the OP. Did your dad beat you? Did your mom sexually rape you? Just curious.

Actually, here is a verse that would go against what you just said:

Jam 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

Jam 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Jam 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

It bringith forth sin. It isn't sin of itself, but may lead to sin.

 

[Velo Princesse]

Not so much from your belief, but from a Biblical perspective. The majority, if not all athiets, don't believe in sin, so why would I go and ask you what you think about sin? It doesn't exist or matter from your belief. But, you look at it different perspective, so what would you say from a Christian standpoint? Is it sinning under the Christan belief to think about a sin, but not do it? I don't believe so.

From a christian perspective, thinking about it is sinning because that is what the Bible says. That is, of course, assuming your fundamentalist christian. If you aren't, I suppose it's up to you. When I was a christian, I was fundamentalist... whatever the Bible says was how it was and the Bible says that that thinking and doing are the same. Personally, I think that is completely screwed up, but then, I'm also not a christian.

 

[Comanch09]

From a christian perspective, thinking about it is sinning because that is what the Bible says. That is, of course, assuming your fundamentalist christian. If you aren't, I suppose it's up to you. When I was a christian, I was fundamentalist... whatever the Bible says was how it was and the Bible says that that thinking and doing are the same. Personally, I think that is completely screwed up, but then, I'm also not a christian.

Thanks for the reponse. My view that it isn't a sin. I can even get Biblical backing on it:

Jam 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

Jam 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Jam 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

It bringeth forth sin, it isn't sin in of itself. Taking action on the thoughts is where sin begins.

Also, on the Bible and Bible Thumpers, I question the Bible. I don't say it is all BS and such, but you have to understand this. The Bible has different versions. Different faiths have different books, Ex. Catholics and Protestants. The Bible has also had books in it taken out, called the "lost books" or something like that, because someone believed "something about them" and tossed them. THAT action right there goes against near the last lines in the Bible. Rev. 22:18-19 "I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book." I believe there are some things missing possibly. It's not that I say the things are incorrect in them, I say that there are possibly information that is missing from the Bible that should be there.

 

[Faith In God]

Think about having sex, insn't that lust.
Thinking about getting rich is that not Greed.

Here is what to watch out for: to lust is, literally, to "desire", namely, the opposite sex (for the most part). To covet is to desire someone else's goods. Now, just having the idea is not inherently evil. Humans just have a rotton nature, and God helps us with the emergency break: a 'bad' thought enters our minds and He hits the break before it can fester. The sin comes in when you allow it to have a dominion in your mind and not kick it out.

 

[DewdInChrist]

First, Jingwei, you need to get a hold of yourself and ask if that is Christ-like what you are saying.

EDIT: Thank you mod for deleteing posts made by lingwei.

Second, what purpose does this debate have? If a thought leans to sin it leans to sin. And the only purpose the law has is to show how sinful we are (since God know we can't follow it) so we see that we need Christ. If you break one command you break them all, so why argue about what is a sin and what is not, since we've broken them all already?

 

[Uphill Battle]

We are commanded to take every thought captive to Christ. todays thought is tommorows action.

dwell on sex long enough, and you will fall to the temptation (illicit sex, of course. wives, PLEASE continue tempting your hubbies.

God doesn't want us dwelling on things that are unhealthy for us, it give Satan a foot in the door. I know. I've let Satan's influence in many many times, because I didn't purge the thought from my head before it became action.

So, when is it sin? My opinion, is when you are not willing to let go of something that God doesn't approve of. Such as in the OP, killing someone.

my 2 cents, probably worth 1.

 

[DewdInChrist]

We are commanded to take every thought captive to Christ. todays thought is tommorows action.

dwell on sex long enough, and you will fall to the temptation (illicit sex, of course. wives, PLEASE continue tempting your hubbies.

God doesn't want us dwelling on things that are unhealthy for us, it give Satan a foot in the door. I know. I've let Satan's influence in many many times, because I didn't purge the thought from my head before it became action.

So, when is it sin? My opinion, is when you are not willing to let go of something that God doesn't approve of. Such as in the OP, killing someone.

my 2 cents, probably worth 1.

Good points! Agreed!

 

[Uphill Battle]

Good points! Agreed!

thanks.

 

[Cerberus~]

my 2 cents, probably worth 1.

Hey, we agree about something after all.

 

[Uphill Battle]

Hey, we agree about something after all.

and if we put together all of my contributions, and all of yours, we might have enough to buy a coffee and a newspaper.

 

[Comanch09]

We are commanded to take every thought captive to Christ. todays thought is tommorows action.

dwell on sex long enough, and you will fall to the temptation (illicit sex, of course. wives, PLEASE continue tempting your hubbies.

God doesn't want us dwelling on things that are unhealthy for us, it give Satan a foot in the door. I know. I've let Satan's influence in many many times, because I didn't purge the thought from my head before it became action.

So, when is it sin? My opinion, is when you are not willing to let go of something that God doesn't approve of. Such as in the OP, killing someone.

my 2 cents, probably worth 1.

If you are saying thinking about something, like murder, is a sin, I disagree, and have scripture backing that up. If you are saying that a thought of sin isn't a good idea, but not sin, and it may or may not lead to sin, then I agree.