Being An Atheist, I Can't Sin - Right?

I agree that as an atheist you would have no reason to care if you sin but still you could still sin all the best, urban

I read recently that the Atheist's do have a moral code which they live by. Basically it is very much the same as a religious code of ethics just that God is ommitted. It all boils down to 'love one another' - in the broadest sense of course. So what values do you live by? Hedonistic? Or do you have moral values? It would be intersting to know. Can you sin? of course, but you would probably call it by another phrase such as ' I am sorry that I hurt you' rather than using the word sin. Because you would be aware that you did something very wrong.

Somewhat similar to discussions I've had before with believers, and I don't suspect the answers I'm about to read below will be much different. My take: If I choose not to steal, for example, or to love my neighbor, I am not necessarily following a god's laws. Religion doesn't own this stuff. Religion makes that claim, with the religious pushing this claim without one single shred of evidence beyond faith. But not stealing isn't a Religion X-specific concept. The religious take: Wrong. Even if you don't believe in god, and even if you choose not to steal for other reasons, you're still abiding god's law, because it's god's law. This is the trap. It is the shell game. It's how everything ends up. God is inserted into everything. And for the purposes of this discussion specifically, that's fine. But "sin" is a conceptual thing, not a tangible law. So what it boils down to is the people who want to attribute you with sin. For example: You might not subscribe to god X, but the person who does automatically puts god X as your personal creator, your personal savior, the universe's ultimate authority, etc. So they're the ones putting the "sin" label either on themselves or on others. Nothing else does it. The Bible doesn't come to life to say you've done it. It's a book that says A, B and C, but there's nothing to show that going with or against A, B and C leads to anything. So what's sin worth? Enough people have attempted to build law around sin. But we see the difference of a secular system requiring evidence, like the American judicial system, and a conceptual basis of reward/punishment which is not rooted in reality and can convict you for "sins" which range from thought crimes to simply not believing. You can only sin as long as religious people are around to call you a sinner. Without that, you cannot.

I have been at this game long enough to know when there is no point in engaging in a discussion like this, and this is one of those times its all been said before, yawn, and minds much cleverer than mine have bandied it back and forth, usually more interested in hearing themselves talk than in reason one way or another (sort of like taking verbal 'selfies') but your question amuses me because it makes me think of a joke....... 'if a man makes a mistake in the forest and there is no woman to tell him, is he still wrong?'[em]lol[/em

Usually the word is associated with religion just as any person that states they are an atheist is associating with religion otherwise what is there to talk about? So what is sin? It depends how you define sin. Without going searching for a definition I will myself define sin to mean to be imperfect. It means to make a fault. This easy to understand definition then implies every person is a sinner. Unless someone says they are absolutely perfect and never has made a mistake in their life, everyone regardless of religion is being described. If the word were to be used in a layman’s sense with absolutely no connection to religion it would have the same meaning.

Rob, you can sin everyday of your life. If you dont have god on your side you have nothing to fear. But now, if I was there.. youd have a big fear. Id keep you straight my friend.

Isn't that the same as saying "If I don't know the law, how can I break it!"?

For ease of reference I am a Christian who does not follow any formal religion but works at an Anglican Cathedral. I believe in a life force greater than ourselves who for ease of reference I call 'God'. I believe in right and wrong and gradations of grey in between. I follow a personal moral and ethical code that resembles the standards of this nation. Standards that undoubtedly have their roots in state religion. I'd never be so presumptuous as to suggest what God believes in though. Can you sin? Buggered if I know. But I'll bet someone will tell you "authoratively''!

Being an Atheist is not a reason to ease any sin that you committed because as long as man still in this world he committed sin. The only different with religion was that atheist don't mind anything whether he/she doing something wrong or not.

If you're truly an atheist, why are you bothering to be concerned with the possibility of being a sinner?

In fact there is another saying : God doesn`t believe in atheists. So if He is real what we think doesn`t count too much. He makes the rules and that`s it. You are not safe even if you never heard about God ( unless He wants you to be safe ).Even if we were created by a cruel God, one that will send the saints in hell and the sinners in heaven. It is his game and we are just the toys. If He is not real then there is no sin.

No. I mean the answer is as simple as that. I am not Christ but I am not an atheist and I don't believe in heaven or hell. I am wiccan. To Christians this is a sin and thus their God and their devil will send me to hell. But I don't believe in that. I don't go around killing people. Not because of some fear of divine punishment or anything like that, but because no one has really upset me enough to want to kill them yet... Oh... I mean it's against my own personal morals of course. lol. (It is against my beliefs for anyone crazy enough to think otherwise.) But in all seriousness... religions only affect those participating in them. Most people want to believe their religion is the one true religion, and if you don't follow their set of man written laws by their man written holy book in which there is no proof of... then you are sinning. As a wiccan... the Christian devil is their form of evil but it has nothing to do with me same as their heaven and hell. As an atheist, in which you have stated, dying and becoming part of the elements (my belief) and going to heave because you were "a good boy" (Christian belief) has no affect on you. You don't believe in it.

Rob, have you killed someone? Have you offended anyone... Have you stole something even a piece of candy from a store? Have you done anything that can't you sleep at night? Run over a mouse while you were driving or hit a gorilla on the hi-way? IF ALL ANSWERS ARE NO... You are not sinner. You are just fine. There is no argument needed here.

Paul did say that if it weren't for the law (commandments) he wouldn't know what sin was. You apparently know what the law says so therefore you are held accountable to obey them.

If you do not belive in God, then you won't probably have to worry whether you are pleasing him or not. But then as humans we are of different cultures, and religions, and beliefs, yes. that is correct. but then we should have our concept of right and wrong. trusting our own self when it comes to decisions we make to be a person in the society that does what is expected of him.

your life is yours your sin will be yours too if you pray to God, then God will happy but remeber He doesn't need any of your pray He can easily screw you if He wants to and whether your pray or not pray, God still exist with his power

the meaning of the word in the original language, as I understand it means 'to miss' or I guess you could say 'fall short of' sin in that context isn't so much a conscious doing of something perceived as wrong (by whomever) its more like an illness now this is according to the Bible, so you may just want to skip my post, but I'll soldier on anyway in case someone else may find it of some interest, as descendants of the first human pair, we could only inherit fro m them what they had unfortunately, by the time they had children, they had already , of their own accord, chosen to decide what was right and what was wrong they became imperfect, they missed the standard set for them by their creator we inherited 'sin' or that defective gene if you will, just like any other genetic disorder and you're right, it is very unfair, just as a child born with any defect is unfair I would have liked the chance to say you know what? I think the creator's given us a pretty good deal here pretty nice digs, nice weather, lots of grub (no horsemeator kitty fritters) I'm ok with livin' by the old man's rules (I'm a dutiful daughter that way) how do I know he exists? well for me, and this is just my thought here, not trying to push it on you, love .......seems weird maybe, but I read this scripture We love because God first loved us... I mean, love in many ways is so contrary to survival of the fittest and it is a learned response - forming attachments is difficult if not impossible unless a child learns what it is and how to respond to it that's, for me, anyway, what does it use

I see it the way as Lamb does. That eventhough you do not believe in God's existence, you can still commit a sin. It is only through your own belief that you are not.

Hi Rob , i am respecting everyone's affiliations and beliefs . I am a christian and i believed in God. Our church teachings says that as human being we are tailored by God in His image and likeness but we are not like Him perfect ! Human being are with full of imperfections therefore we are subject to commit errors and mistakes in life. We also prone to commit a sin and our religious teachings says also that if we don't believed in God it is a sin ! I have nothing and have a respect for those unbelievers of God but i am so sad for them , why in this modern age still many don't believed to my God. How i wish to bring you to my God. I want you to meet my God . He is the greatest God ! A protector , a savior and a father of humankind.

Sin has developed a looser definition over the years, so by breaking a moral law and not a divine one it could be considered sinning. So by extension you could still sin however now we are on the loose footing of morality and what constitutes breaking a moral law. Since you are not looking to a God figure to define it for you, I would assume that you would care if you sinned because it would be a break with your own principles.