Letter to CCV Editor! Does Sin Exist?
People are afraid, I should rather say Christians, specially Catholics, to discuss publicly sin and punishment – in heaven or hell. Why? Because they are thought-controlled by the Church, by their “infallible” high priests: Bishops and priests. The simple faithful are literally enslaved, brainwashed from tender age by parents and then by catechism teachers.
Sin and punishment are instilled in 90% of believers by the clerical class and people believe what the Pope and priests say will happen. To correct this mistaken view do you know what John XXIII, the saintly pope told, theology students at the Gregorian university? In substance he said:’I am infallible only when I say the truth; sitting on the Cathedra won’t make my pronouncements infallible.’
Rubbish Mental Slavery!
Illiterate blindly believing Christians should liberate themselves from this mental slavery. People belonging to other religions also are enslaved by their priests.That is why all of them make pilgrimages, temple visits and bathing in Ganga to atone for their sins. Only the aheists who believe in no religions are free from such stupid thinking. So they are mostly the free thinkers.
What differentiates man from animals is his ability to think and act, his rationality. Humans should be led by the light of his reason, not by feelings and sentiments or what the priestly class dictates for their professional financial gain.
Get rid of Guilt feeling!
The biggest achievement of the Catholic church, they say is, that they succeeded to instill the “feeling of sin and guilt’ in all humanity. Churches have become “shops selling Faith in religions” and what they say for a pay. This is what simple pious people should liberate themselves from. They should instead learn to be led by the light of their rational thinking. That is the only way to become human, rational and free.
So stop believing in SIN and paying priests to get their advice. There is no such thing called SIN! Become free by giving up all blind faiths. Just as a little Fire-fly finds its way in the dark by its little light, humans should be led by the light of their reason, while animals are led by their instinct.
Boycot Business of SIN!
That is why enlightened persons like George support and say that “Christian faith will go out of business, if Sin and Soul are abolished.” Sin and soul are like intoxicants in liquor. If liquor loses its intoxicating power will anyone buy it? That power of belief in sin, hell, heaven and attonment is what makes Church men to create a demand for the religious beliefs priests sell for a profit for themselves.
That is why Marx rightly said “Religion is the opium” of the people. So stop going to Churches and temples in the name of faith or paying respect to God. Your own heart and soul is the temple of God as Jesus and all religions, especially the Hinduism teaches. Hence we quoted Vedanta and said: “Akam sat behuda vadanti”, Being is one and each soul is fully that being not just part of it.
Domestic Church!
In other words, your soul, your heart, your own home is the temple or Church of God. That is what we now speak of as the Domestic Church. Then why spend precious money to build costly churches and maintain faith-selling maintenance staff — like liquer-shops – priests there, when you yourselves are the temples of God. So give that money thus saved to the poor and hungry; that is the best way to worship God in any religion. ‘When you did it to my little ones you did it to me!’
It is the same this old scribe wish to my friend PC Joseph, from Chennai, the second letter writer. Yes Jose, I don’t remember your face, but remember your name – all due to old age.
Bouquets & brickbats
Thank you for admitting at least part of my article on SIN helped you and some condemned me on my view on FREEDOM. Yes you have to expect both bouquets and brickbats for your honest views. Imitate the bee that goes to all flowers but takes in only the sweet honey and throws away what is bitter.
One word on FREEDOM! Is it due to your choice you were born? Is it left to your choice to die when, where and how? If a God created you he will see to it, you surely reach your creator’s goal set for you. Otherwise god is stupid like us humans. Do you worship a stupid god? We are like our pet dogs on a leash held by our creator. That is why great minds like Einstein came to the conclusion, that man is not free but “determinism” controls him, as we control our pet dogs.
Providential Happenings!
I came to that conclusion and called it “providential happenings”. Earlier I had believed in “accidents” and later I found there are no accidents but only providential happenings, guided by an eternal intelligence whom some call God, others the First uncaused CAUSE!
Otherwise think of what would happen in the universe where so many planets. big and small like Sun, Moon and stars whirl around, but all in their set path, so no collision takes place, all guided by an eternal Designer whom many call GOD. So there are only PROVIDENTIAL HAPPENINGS, no accidents.
Criticize me, CCV!
So I appeal to all who read these lines, please react without fear or favour. Your criticisms are more valuable than your praises. They urge me to search, find and correct my weakneses. We have to learn from all, even from a Grave digger.
That way all are superior to us and our teachers whom we are to respect as our GURUS! I am a bit upset, every time you guys address me as Dr. That is why I sign myself a ‘know-nothing’ always in the lower case compared to you all. So call me just james only. james kottoor, editor ccv
Please read below George’s letter and react!
Dr. James' recent article is interesting, as every article of his is. It stimulates the reader's thought process, provoking him or her to deliberate on their blind beliefs.
Dr. James says that he has been waiting since the age of 60 for the opportunity to be able to experience for himself the sort of life after death.
When you wait for something, Dr. James, it takes eternity to come by. In my days as a bank employee back in the 60's and 70's in Mumbai, I used to run out of cash 20 days after receiving my salary. The next 10 days waiting was excruciating and gave the feeling that it took more than 24 hours for one day to pass to the next.
So, if I may say so, Dr. James, you keep on waiting so that you may get to continue doing what you do best – putting sense in the mind of your readers and keep them challenged every time with your thought-provoking style of writing.
As for Sin, the Christian faith will go out of business if Sin and Soul are abolished. I believe that science does not acknowledge the existence of the soul in a human body. Soul remains, therefore, a purely religious fantasy that helps the faith industry to capitalize on human's unwillingness to die.
Death being inevitable, however, the believers are delivered something to hope for that the soul does not die with the death of a person. The very idea of having a life after death is the fertilizer for the belief industry. The belief industry otherwise known as faith industry or churchanity thrives on delivering "clean-all solutions" for the soul to ensure eternal life. Only thing that the believers do not realise is that in the process their pockets are slowly and gradually getting emptied up and that of the industry getting fatter and fatter.
The narrative goes that God sent his only son to die for the sins of many. That death of the son is stated to have taken away the sins of the world. Christian faith sings praise of the great sacrifice of God in allowing his "only" son to suffer and die and the obedience of the son in getting on board with God's plan.
I am not sure whether any thinking person can subscribe to this kind of an atonement theology. Surely there ought to have been some other way for the all powerful God to deal with a situation where he felt that his people were not obeying his laws and living in sin.
According to present day standards, this is a fit case to be considered as child abuse. Back in the olden days, when Jesus made his appearance, it may have been a great deed. Not any longer to any unblinded thinking person.
What sins has Jesus taken away anyway? That was left for the interpretation factory to invent on in the absence of more clarity in this matter within the gospels. I believe that Christians are divided on it. Some believe that Jesus took away the "Original Sin" that is attributed to Adam and Eve for disobeying God's commandment to them not eat a particular fruit.
If that is the case, why put the tree in the first place and equip the creation to have weakness for getting tempted? In this case, one may be pardoned for asking "Did God want to atone himself and hence did it through a sacrifice"? That could have made some sense in that that part of the world everything revolved around animal sacrifices. A step further or greater could not have been anything but a human sacrifice.
Some say that 10 Commandments were not observed and Jesus' death cured the shortfall of many arising out of such violations. Whatever it is, has sin disappeared from the world? All things that are stated in 10 Commandments, including the alleged doctoring of them by Catholic Church, are merrily being violated all over the world day in day out. I would imagine such trespasses continued from day one after Jesus' death.
Who will atone for such sins that happened after Jesus' death? Or, Jesus' death has taken away future sins as well? There being no clarity on it, there enters the faith industry to make a killing. Whichever way one looks at it, Sin is the lubricator that keeps churchianity running and thriving.
With or without churchianity humans are perfectly capable of making right choices as humans are born with certain inbuilt faculties to distinguish rights from wrongs. This ability to discriminate right from wrong is humanity's best hope to survive as a civilization.
Dr. James, you can wait but be warned that your wait is not going to end anytime soon. Keep on writing.
George Nedumparambil
Please read another friend, PC writing from Chennai ON THE SAME TOPIC
P.C.Joseph, peeceej@hotmail.comOn 9 Jul 2020 7:52 p.m.
Dear Dear Kottoor.
Your article Does Sin Exists? has answered many questions I had in my mind but was afraid to ask. I read it many times and was satisfied with the first two paragraphs.
I sent the first paragraph as whatsapp message to few friends. Some condemned. Some said they are waiting for the continuation.
Today I sent the second paragraph Is Man free? So far no one has reacted. I am P.C. Joseph and I reside at Chennai. I had a notion that you have failed to recognise me from one of your mails.
Any way thank you for keeping me on your mailing list.
Congratulations on walking on territories were angels fear to enter.
Regards!
P.C. Joseph.
