What is sin?

[Wertbag]

The question came up "what is sin?", which I thought I knew but it turns out is a many faceted question.  The common answer would be the breaking of any of God's laws, but if that is true then the idea some Christians have of people being born into sin makes no sense. If the bible says all are sinners, but a newborn baby has no time or ability to break God's laws then we should be able to say a baby is sinless. Some do and some don't.

Some say that baptism is a requirement to wash away our sins, and yet if the statement is all are sinners, then even the newly baptised are included.

Some believe in inherited sin, but the bible also says each shall be punished for their own crimes and the child shall not be punished for their parent's crimes. So, if sin is breaking laws, then how do you inherit such a thing?

Many seem to treat sin like a disease. It's something we catch, it's always around and we have to work to cure ourselves of it. Doesn't matter what you do or how, you always have this virus in you. But with this kind of view it's no longer defining sin as an action against God's laws, which is what most people would say.

If sins can be forgiven, washed away or otherwise cleansed from us, then you have the possibility that Jesus being sinless was not unique, and that is something most would not be willing to accept.

 

I don't know.  Is there actually a coherent answer that covers this range of uses and types, or is it just another area where the whole idea is so ridiculous that there is no clear answer?

[TheRedneckProfessor]

I has always heard that sin was anything that would offend god.  But that doesn't make any sense in light of the problem of suffering.  Why would god be offended by somebody getting drunk; but not be offended by millions of children starving to death in Africa?  It almost sounds like "sin" is just a vague and thinly-veiled threat to assert control. 

[older]

2 hours ago, TheRedneckProfessor said:

It almost sounds like "sin" is just a vague and thinly-veiled threat to assert control. 

  ^  ^  ^

 

[◊ Weezer ◊]

It has been my understanding for decades, and from a quick Google search just now, that the word "sin" comes from archery.  It literally means, "missing the mark".  Whether by a little, or a lot.