In 2015 I participated in an Interfaith forum, the subject of which was, "What is Sin." Here are the notes which I had prepared for the forum.
What is Sin – Through the
Perspective of Earth-Based Spirituality
10/25/2015
Within Earth Based
Spirituality there are many branches, and a broad range of beliefs. Paganism can be a rather individualistic
approach to religion, so the perceptions I share may not be the same as those
of other Earth Based people. Much of
Earth Based Spirituality is subjective and it would be presumptuous to try to
speak for all Pagans.
Sin is a theological concept,
but not all moral or ethical concepts necessarily deal with sin. Sin, morals, and ethics all involve” right
and wrong,” while it is immoral to commit an act against humans, it’s sinful to
commit a transgression against God.
Luther said, “Sin is, essentially, a departure from God.” Personally by that definition I would
interpret sin as being out of alignment with the Divine. The opposite of being in a state of grace.
Theologically Pagans do not
usually address the concept of sin. We
do have value statements, and we do have morals. I
believe we do not have a concept of sin because we are for the most part
without doctrine. In my experience the
spiritual goal of many Pagans is to be one with the Divine.
One of the most well known Pagan
value statements is a verse from the Wiccan Rede. In short it says, “An it harm none, do what you
wilt.” In my experience this does not mean
that anything goes, or do whatever you feel like doing.
My interpretation of this
phrase hinges on the word, “will.” The
concept of will is critically important to many Pagans. It has to do with personal
responsibility. I believe that in this
context, the writer is talking about divine will. It doesn’t mean, “Act according to
whim.” It means, in my view, to be in
alignment with your higher self. The
Rede means to discover what you are here on this earth to do, and then do it
without intentionally interfering with the will of others. In order to do as you will, you must know
what that is. That isn’t always as easy
as it sounds.
In addition to this, there is
the law of threefold return, also called the rule of three. It simply means that whatever a person does
will come back to him or her three times as strongly. In some traditions, the belief may be that it
will come back in multiples of three, or perhaps ten times as strongly, but I
do not think it matters – what matters is the idea that there are consequences
for our choices.
There are other value
statements within Pagan belief systems. For
example, in Norse Paganism, 9 Noble Virtues are:
Hospitality, Courage,
Truth, Loyalty, Honor, Self Reliance, Hard work,
Perseverance, Discipline
Perseverance, Discipline
Another value statement that
some UU Pagans rely upon is the seven principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association. They are:
The inherent worth and dignity of every
person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human
relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement
to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and
meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the
democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace,
liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all
existence of which we are a part.
These value systems may not
necessarily address the concept of transgressions against God, or a state of
separateness from God. In order to
extrapolate the concept of sin from a Pagan standpoint, first we need to
understand the nature of Divinity through the Pagan lense. There are many viewpoints within Paganism and
it would be impossible to cover it all in this time frame. I would say that one of the most prevalent
experiences of divinity for earth based people is the All–Mother, the
Goddess.
One of the most well known
written pieces about the Goddess is called The Charge of the Goddess, Written by Doreen
Valiente
Here are some excerpts:
Listen to the words of the
Great Mother, who was of old also called amongst men Artemis, Astarte, Diana,
Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis, Bride and by many other
names.
Notice that she says that she is one who is called by
many names. In other words, in many
languages, cultures, and eras, she may be viewed differently by different
peoples, but she remains the same.
The charge also says:Keep pure your highest ideal, strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside,
Which seems to support the idea about will
I who am beauty of the green Earth and the white Moon amongst the stars. And the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul. Arise and come unto me, for I am the soul of Nature who gives life to the universe.
Now, I ask you, how does a person commit a transgression against the beauty of the green earth? Or against the soul of nature?
From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return. And before my face, beloved of Gods and men, thine inmost divine self shall be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
Let my worship be with the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
How does one separate oneself from a Divinity who says all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals? I believe it’s possible to separate one’s self from the divine, but according to my faith pleasure is not a sin because it does not separate us from divinity.
And you who thinks to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail you not, unless you know the mystery, that if that which you seek you find not within thee, you will never find it without thee. Behold I have been with you from the beginning and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
I’ll leave it up to the individual to decide how a person would sin, or be separate from this experience of divinity.
