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Charles Mercieca, Ph.D.
President, International Association of Educators for World Peace
Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,
Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament
Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University
The New Webster Dictionary of the English Language describes sin as moral depravity, iniquity, wickedness, offence, and voluntary departure from divine law or command. The same dictionary describes transgression as the breaking or violation of any law. The one involved with such violation is called transgressor, which means an offender or an evildoer. Since sin is generally associated with the divine law, it is viewed as a source of moral aggression.
Divine Law in Perspective
In the Holy Scriptures we read that over 3,000 years ago or so God gave Moses the well known Ten Commandments, which became the code of moral behavior for all people throughout the centuries. Needless to say, such a code, which is found in all religions and cultures under a variety of names, will continue in operation till the end of times. These commandments are referred in theology by ascetical writers as the Divine Positive Law or simply the Divine Law. They deal with our obligations toward God, the source of our very own existence, and toward our neighbors who are viewed to be all children of the same Heavenly Father.
Some of the common sins we witness in society often deal with our tendency to deceive and mislead others through lies and a variety of manipulations. They are also revealed in our disrespect and disregard for others especially our parents, the elderly, the helpless and the sick. Besides, they are noticed in our disregard and disrespect for others’ modesty and privacy as well as in our destruction of the property of others. In our commitment of sin we do reveal vices of one kind or another, such as envy, jealousy, the harboring of hatred and revenge, selfishness, impatience, infernal pride, and imprudence, in addition to others.
Those who avoid sin by observing to the best they can the Divine Law are characterized by a number of virtues, which may include faith, hope, love and dedication to the needs of others. Those that try to avoid sin with remarkable success are generally viewed as good and holy. They shine with virtues that may also include patience and perseverance, love and kindness, as well as prudence and simplicity of mind and self-expression. Besides, those that develop the habit to avoid sin by all means are generally imbued with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit cannot be taken lightly as they tend to give us a tremendous spiritual strength. These seven gifts consist of: 1) Wisdom to see things into proper perspective without any deception or deceit, 2) Understanding to comprehend people and obstacles we come across, 3) Counsel that enables us to help others properly and effectively when they are in dire need, 4) Fortitude which gives us all the strength we need to overcome problems we encounter, 5) Knowledge that helps us form a clear concept of anything taking place around us, 6) Piety or compassion that enables us to share God’s love for all human beings, and 7) Fear of God, which consists of refraining from ever offending the One who is so much consumed with love and care for us.
Natural Law at Work
Sin is committed not only when we violate the Divine Positive Law but also when we defy the Natural Law by going against it. This is often known as the Law of Nature because it enables us to safeguard the environment from air and water pollution and enact civic laws that are conducive to the welfare of all people without exception. It inspires us to develop healthy dialogues when it comes to the solution of international problems instead of resorting to war that usually ends up with the massacre of tens of thousands of innocent people in addition to the destruction of the infrastructure of their cities.
By nature, people want to live a long and healthy life and no one should deprive them from such a sacrosanct right. They have a right to have a home, to eat adequately, to secure a good education, and to have proper medical attention. Government officials that prevent people from the free provision of such necessities could be classified, in the moral sphere, as sinners, as evil and vicious human beings. We may become sinners in two ways, namely, knowingly and unknowingly. Although the “sinful” action may be identical, the individual’s intention plays a big role in the moral sphere.
When we become sinners knowingly we may be classified as criminals and deserve to be held accountable and to be penalized accordingly. When we become sinners unknowingly, although in the sight of God we may not be held morally accountable, yet, the Civic Law may hold us fully accountable just the same, even though the punishment may be somewhat mitigated. The reason for this is simple. Those that were affected by our actions for the worse they undergo the same suffering and receive the same consequences regardless as to whether or not we were fully aware of our actions.
Let us illustrate this by example. Suppose a friend of ours comes to visit us from overseas and, while with us, he decides to go hunting. While in the midst of nowhere he sees a beautiful eagle flying over a tree that was not too far from him and he shoots it but he misses and so the eagle flies away. He returns home and the following day he goes again to his home overseas. Now let us suppose that when he shot the eagle there was a man lying in the shade of that tree taking a nap and hit him and killed him on the spot. But he never comes to know it till the end of his life. The life of that man is gone in no lesser way like a man who shot him intentionally to kill him. The Civic Law refers to the first episode as manslaughter while it refers to this second episode here as murder.
Either way, the sleeping man’s life was lost for ever and he will be missed by his relatives and friends till the end of their lives. In each case the same brutal action was committed by both the one that killed the man unknowingly as well as the one who performed the same identical action knowingly. Although the Civic Law may hold both accountable, yet the degree of punishment would be different. The one that committed a planned murder may be condemned to capital punishment while the other may be put in jail or on probation for a while and perhaps made pay a fine.
Classification of Sin
Theologians tend to classify all sins into two major categories: mortal and venial. Mortal is derived from the Latin word “mortalis,” which means death. The dictionary describes this word “mortal” as deadly, destructive to life, or fatal. When used it always have the connotation of death. In the spiritual sphere this refers to the death of the soul. When human beings die in the state of mortal sin without repentance theologians tell us that they will go to hell where they will suffer eternal damnation. Hence, the concept of mortal sin cannot be taken lightly. Mortal sin always represents a sign of desecration of the Divine Law or the Natural Law.
The word “venial” is derived from the Latin word “venialis,” which the dictionary describes as pardonable or excusable. Nevertheless, it still remains a transgression of the Divine Law or the Natural Law but such a transgression would be viewed as light. For example, if we were to destroy substantially the property of another person that may constitute a mortal sin. But if we were simply to scratch slightly the property of another person that would be hardly noticeable, that would constitute a venial sin, which is viewed pardonable. This means if we were to die shortly afterwards we will surely not be condemned to the eternal pain of hell in the spiritual sphere.
In the realm of mortal sins, theologians tell us that there are various degrees of guilt. Although the committing of one mortal sin would be spiritually as deadly as the committing of several mortal sins combined, yet the personality of these two types of sinners does not deteriorate at the same level. The one that commits more sins has his personality deteriorate at a faster speed than anticipated. This explains why the instigation and promotion of wars is vicious and it is to be condemned. Those responsible should be brought to justice in this very same life because of the tremendous pain and enormous massacre of so many innocent people, let alone the destruction of their homes and the infrastructure of their cities.
Regardless of the good intentions they may sincerely have, those that resort to wars to solve local, regional, national and international problems may be viewed all as sinners. In terms of their destructive results, it would not matter much as to whether or not they were in good faith or bad faith in their intent of waging a war. Actions speak louder than words. If their actions brought negative and destructive consequences, they should be viewed as sinners, as criminals in the strict sense of the word. There was a time when wars were justified under certain conditions, like during the time of the crusades.
Nowadays times changed. During his second year of his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI, a great spiritual leader of our time, made it clear that war is no longer justified in no way whatsoever. In order for us to establish a new era of peace, we need to have all politicians who choose to continue to solve problems through the instigation and promotion of wars be viewed as evil and vicious. We should pray incessantly for their replacement and for a way to be all brought under full control. The Master Teacher of Nazareth stressed that “with prayer we can move a mountain.” And the Blessed Virgin May in Medjugorje asserted that “with prayer we can suspend the laws of nature.”
Source of All Problems
All problems we have could all be traced to one source, commonly known as sin. A careful study of history reveals that people always rejoiced and were happy in the absence of sin but they suffered greatly when they were guided by elements of sin. The Holy Scriptures tell us that through sin Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden and had to suffer and work hard to survive as a result. During the time of Noah, sin has prompted God to send the deluge, which wiped out all people from the surface of our planet except for Noah’s big family. Through the sin of hatred and revenge wars were waged periodically over the centuries that left millions dead or maimed.
The urge for the “big fish to swallow the small fish” always led the more powerful nations to exploit the less powerful ones. Power-abuse has played a big role in the confiscation and destruction of the property of others. Ascetical writers have always identified Satan with sin, which has become characteristic of so many leaders. Pope John Paul II was asked in Mexico as to whether or not peace would ever be achieved. He did not hesitate to say: “World peace would be come only after two of the greatest evils of the 20th centuries are gone.” He quickly singled these as “communism and capitalism” because, he said, “they both achieve their objectives through the exploitation of people.”
When communism collapsed the world took a sigh of relief because they taught peace was then at hand. But, in order to prove that the Pope was correct in his assessment, the United States embarked upon the largest military build-up in history. A corporate trinity of evil came into the open consisting of the weapons industry, the construction companies, and the oil enterprises that were bent to control the economy of every nation. Their objective is achieved through the manufacture and sales of weapons, the waging of wars, and the confiscation of the national resources of other nations.
To this end, the US government became entrenched in sin through the building of military bases in countries all over the world, under the guise of national defense and security. We need to have all those that still carry in their mind and heart a sense of righteousness to provide the world with needed guidelines. This way we will enable us to work together for the eradication of sin that is especially existent in the leaders of our respective governments and big corporations. We are eventually witnessing a fierce open war between God and Satan, between virtue and vice, between good and evil. The choice is in our hands and we are fully responsible for the consequences of the choice we make.
President, International Association of Educators for World Peace
Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,
Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament
Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University
The New Webster Dictionary of the English Language describes sin as moral depravity, iniquity, wickedness, offence, and voluntary departure from divine law or command. The same dictionary describes transgression as the breaking or violation of any law. The one involved with such violation is called transgressor, which means an offender or an evildoer. Since sin is generally associated with the divine law, it is viewed as a source of moral aggression.
Divine Law in Perspective
In the Holy Scriptures we read that over 3,000 years ago or so God gave Moses the well known Ten Commandments, which became the code of moral behavior for all people throughout the centuries. Needless to say, such a code, which is found in all religions and cultures under a variety of names, will continue in operation till the end of times. These commandments are referred in theology by ascetical writers as the Divine Positive Law or simply the Divine Law. They deal with our obligations toward God, the source of our very own existence, and toward our neighbors who are viewed to be all children of the same Heavenly Father.
Some of the common sins we witness in society often deal with our tendency to deceive and mislead others through lies and a variety of manipulations. They are also revealed in our disrespect and disregard for others especially our parents, the elderly, the helpless and the sick. Besides, they are noticed in our disregard and disrespect for others’ modesty and privacy as well as in our destruction of the property of others. In our commitment of sin we do reveal vices of one kind or another, such as envy, jealousy, the harboring of hatred and revenge, selfishness, impatience, infernal pride, and imprudence, in addition to others.
Those who avoid sin by observing to the best they can the Divine Law are characterized by a number of virtues, which may include faith, hope, love and dedication to the needs of others. Those that try to avoid sin with remarkable success are generally viewed as good and holy. They shine with virtues that may also include patience and perseverance, love and kindness, as well as prudence and simplicity of mind and self-expression. Besides, those that develop the habit to avoid sin by all means are generally imbued with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit cannot be taken lightly as they tend to give us a tremendous spiritual strength. These seven gifts consist of: 1) Wisdom to see things into proper perspective without any deception or deceit, 2) Understanding to comprehend people and obstacles we come across, 3) Counsel that enables us to help others properly and effectively when they are in dire need, 4) Fortitude which gives us all the strength we need to overcome problems we encounter, 5) Knowledge that helps us form a clear concept of anything taking place around us, 6) Piety or compassion that enables us to share God’s love for all human beings, and 7) Fear of God, which consists of refraining from ever offending the One who is so much consumed with love and care for us.
Natural Law at Work
Sin is committed not only when we violate the Divine Positive Law but also when we defy the Natural Law by going against it. This is often known as the Law of Nature because it enables us to safeguard the environment from air and water pollution and enact civic laws that are conducive to the welfare of all people without exception. It inspires us to develop healthy dialogues when it comes to the solution of international problems instead of resorting to war that usually ends up with the massacre of tens of thousands of innocent people in addition to the destruction of the infrastructure of their cities.
By nature, people want to live a long and healthy life and no one should deprive them from such a sacrosanct right. They have a right to have a home, to eat adequately, to secure a good education, and to have proper medical attention. Government officials that prevent people from the free provision of such necessities could be classified, in the moral sphere, as sinners, as evil and vicious human beings. We may become sinners in two ways, namely, knowingly and unknowingly. Although the “sinful” action may be identical, the individual’s intention plays a big role in the moral sphere.
When we become sinners knowingly we may be classified as criminals and deserve to be held accountable and to be penalized accordingly. When we become sinners unknowingly, although in the sight of God we may not be held morally accountable, yet, the Civic Law may hold us fully accountable just the same, even though the punishment may be somewhat mitigated. The reason for this is simple. Those that were affected by our actions for the worse they undergo the same suffering and receive the same consequences regardless as to whether or not we were fully aware of our actions.
Let us illustrate this by example. Suppose a friend of ours comes to visit us from overseas and, while with us, he decides to go hunting. While in the midst of nowhere he sees a beautiful eagle flying over a tree that was not too far from him and he shoots it but he misses and so the eagle flies away. He returns home and the following day he goes again to his home overseas. Now let us suppose that when he shot the eagle there was a man lying in the shade of that tree taking a nap and hit him and killed him on the spot. But he never comes to know it till the end of his life. The life of that man is gone in no lesser way like a man who shot him intentionally to kill him. The Civic Law refers to the first episode as manslaughter while it refers to this second episode here as murder.
Either way, the sleeping man’s life was lost for ever and he will be missed by his relatives and friends till the end of their lives. In each case the same brutal action was committed by both the one that killed the man unknowingly as well as the one who performed the same identical action knowingly. Although the Civic Law may hold both accountable, yet the degree of punishment would be different. The one that committed a planned murder may be condemned to capital punishment while the other may be put in jail or on probation for a while and perhaps made pay a fine.
Classification of Sin
Theologians tend to classify all sins into two major categories: mortal and venial. Mortal is derived from the Latin word “mortalis,” which means death. The dictionary describes this word “mortal” as deadly, destructive to life, or fatal. When used it always have the connotation of death. In the spiritual sphere this refers to the death of the soul. When human beings die in the state of mortal sin without repentance theologians tell us that they will go to hell where they will suffer eternal damnation. Hence, the concept of mortal sin cannot be taken lightly. Mortal sin always represents a sign of desecration of the Divine Law or the Natural Law.
The word “venial” is derived from the Latin word “venialis,” which the dictionary describes as pardonable or excusable. Nevertheless, it still remains a transgression of the Divine Law or the Natural Law but such a transgression would be viewed as light. For example, if we were to destroy substantially the property of another person that may constitute a mortal sin. But if we were simply to scratch slightly the property of another person that would be hardly noticeable, that would constitute a venial sin, which is viewed pardonable. This means if we were to die shortly afterwards we will surely not be condemned to the eternal pain of hell in the spiritual sphere.
In the realm of mortal sins, theologians tell us that there are various degrees of guilt. Although the committing of one mortal sin would be spiritually as deadly as the committing of several mortal sins combined, yet the personality of these two types of sinners does not deteriorate at the same level. The one that commits more sins has his personality deteriorate at a faster speed than anticipated. This explains why the instigation and promotion of wars is vicious and it is to be condemned. Those responsible should be brought to justice in this very same life because of the tremendous pain and enormous massacre of so many innocent people, let alone the destruction of their homes and the infrastructure of their cities.
Regardless of the good intentions they may sincerely have, those that resort to wars to solve local, regional, national and international problems may be viewed all as sinners. In terms of their destructive results, it would not matter much as to whether or not they were in good faith or bad faith in their intent of waging a war. Actions speak louder than words. If their actions brought negative and destructive consequences, they should be viewed as sinners, as criminals in the strict sense of the word. There was a time when wars were justified under certain conditions, like during the time of the crusades.
Nowadays times changed. During his second year of his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI, a great spiritual leader of our time, made it clear that war is no longer justified in no way whatsoever. In order for us to establish a new era of peace, we need to have all politicians who choose to continue to solve problems through the instigation and promotion of wars be viewed as evil and vicious. We should pray incessantly for their replacement and for a way to be all brought under full control. The Master Teacher of Nazareth stressed that “with prayer we can move a mountain.” And the Blessed Virgin May in Medjugorje asserted that “with prayer we can suspend the laws of nature.”
Source of All Problems
All problems we have could all be traced to one source, commonly known as sin. A careful study of history reveals that people always rejoiced and were happy in the absence of sin but they suffered greatly when they were guided by elements of sin. The Holy Scriptures tell us that through sin Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden and had to suffer and work hard to survive as a result. During the time of Noah, sin has prompted God to send the deluge, which wiped out all people from the surface of our planet except for Noah’s big family. Through the sin of hatred and revenge wars were waged periodically over the centuries that left millions dead or maimed.
The urge for the “big fish to swallow the small fish” always led the more powerful nations to exploit the less powerful ones. Power-abuse has played a big role in the confiscation and destruction of the property of others. Ascetical writers have always identified Satan with sin, which has become characteristic of so many leaders. Pope John Paul II was asked in Mexico as to whether or not peace would ever be achieved. He did not hesitate to say: “World peace would be come only after two of the greatest evils of the 20th centuries are gone.” He quickly singled these as “communism and capitalism” because, he said, “they both achieve their objectives through the exploitation of people.”
When communism collapsed the world took a sigh of relief because they taught peace was then at hand. But, in order to prove that the Pope was correct in his assessment, the United States embarked upon the largest military build-up in history. A corporate trinity of evil came into the open consisting of the weapons industry, the construction companies, and the oil enterprises that were bent to control the economy of every nation. Their objective is achieved through the manufacture and sales of weapons, the waging of wars, and the confiscation of the national resources of other nations.
To this end, the US government became entrenched in sin through the building of military bases in countries all over the world, under the guise of national defense and security. We need to have all those that still carry in their mind and heart a sense of righteousness to provide the world with needed guidelines. This way we will enable us to work together for the eradication of sin that is especially existent in the leaders of our respective governments and big corporations. We are eventually witnessing a fierce open war between God and Satan, between virtue and vice, between good and evil. The choice is in our hands and we are fully responsible for the consequences of the choice we make.