Theme Of Sin In Life

One of the fundamental purposes of the idea of sin is to establish the threat of an eternity spent in Hell. The goal of this scare tactic is to encourage people to live a morally sound life in order to earn a worthy afterlife. But the idea that a happy afterlife must be earned by living a good life while alive is not a new concept. This idea has existed in several religions before Christianity and it’s (meticulous/precise) and specific list of sins to avoid. People do not need the specific notion of sin to encourage living a worthy life for themselves and others. Sin emphasizes the impact that life has on the afterlife instead of the impact one’s actions has on others while they are alive.Fear of the idea of Hell is not an effective way to …show more content…
I too shall lie/ Pushed down in turn when that other one has come:/ My abrupt question assumed that you were he.” (Canto XIX line 68) It is shown here that Pope Nicholas III shows no remorse for his sins in life, but instead an acceptance of his punishment. His punishment has not made Pope Nicholas a better person. His eternal punishment has become a waiting game for him until he can move onto the next stage of punishment, arguably a more painful fate, being crammed into a fissure of rock. So the idea that a worse punishment will inspire greater fear and suffering is not applicable here. Nicholas does not seem to lament the future, or even fear it and sees it as the inevitable. The hierarchy of punishment in Hell only makes sense if the damned find one punishment to be a worse fate and fear it more. But Pope Nicholas does not fear his future which contains greater pain than he is in now. Without a true and complete hierarchy of punishment in Hell, where greater sins equal greater punishments, then there is no difference in which punishment is associated with which sin. A person who has sinned much less may experience the same level of torment as a person who has sinned much more. If this is true, then people should not care about committing one sin versus another. They should instead be focused on the more general principles of leading a good and …show more content…
In the case of Dante 's Inferno the range of sins Dante describes in his journey through Hell pertain to those found in Christianity, outlined in the Ten Commandments and Bible. Although the concept of sin and the associated punishments are meant to motivate followers into living a just life, they also restrict people’s full potential for good. While focusing on sin and trying not to commit one is not creating bad people, a shift in focus onto a more general and secular view of morality would be much more effective. Focusing on trying not to stray onto a bad path is more negative and takes a greater energy than striving towards a positive goal to be good. Sin also establishes a selfish view of living a good life. This creates a focus on good deeds being beneficial for the individual instead of for others, because the threat of Hell and eternal punishment is an individual fear. One person could avoid sin and secure a happy afterlife for themselves but this causes them to live life selfishly, focused on their own future outcome instead of doing things for the good of other people in the present. A greater sense of virtue, both individually and as a whole could be achieved with a more secular view morality. People should be more focused on living and being an admirable person during life rather than getting distracted by how