Editorial August 12, 1967 Issue

What Is Sin?

William Milford Correll

Because of all the challenges that are being raised in respect to moral standards both in public and in private life, it may be well to ask: What is sin? How do you determine what is right and what is wrong? There seem to be so many gray areas where there is no distinct definition one way or another. Imprecise thinking leads to obscure moral positions and to shady practices. What people invariably need are some definite fundamental guidelines by which they can determine their actions and be certain of their moral positions.

In defining moral standards, one must start with God, the absolute divine Principle of all real being. God is Love, Truth, and Life. Man in God's likeness is spiritual and perfect; he is forever at one with the Father. This is the ultimate of good—oneness, or unity, with God. Here we have the bedrock of spiritual fact upon which all true moral law is built. With these preliminary facts in mind, we can arrive at a definition of sin as that which claims to separate one from God, or good. Anything that interferes with one's unity with God can be classed as sin. Anything that interferes with one's unity with Truth, or one's unity with divine Love, infinite Life, may be classified as evil.

Mrs. Eddy says, "The real man being linked by Science to his Maker, mortals need only turn from sin and lose sight of mortal selfhood to find Christ, the real man and his relation to God, and to recognize the divine sonship."^{Science and Health, p. 316;} Jesus came to demonstrate Christ, the spiritual idea of man's sonship with God. He made war on sin because sin is that which separates one from God.

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