Can Sin Decide Eternal Fate?

Sin

Can sin really decide a person’s eternal fate? For thousands of years, people have

accepted that sin is a breach of the religious laws set out in the bible and an offense against

God that can result in a permanent place in hell. However, there has never been any solid

proof of that. Really, sin is not only a violation of religious laws, but good morals, and

does not necessarily decide anyone’s eternal fate.

In the Catholic religion, there are two types of sin: mortal and venial. Mortal sin is

considering condemning unless it is confessed and absolved by a Priest. A venial sin will

not eternally damn someone, but it still needs to be forgiven (Catholic Online). The

relatives on my father’s side are all extremely religious Berean Christians, while on my

mother’s side they are Catholics. In my immediate family we are nondenominational

Christians. I have been educated about sin since birth from different positions since birth.

In the book of Exodus, the second book in the Bible, Moses writes the Ten

Commandments for people to follow. These religious laws are the mortal sins in the

Catholic religion. “Thou shall not kill,” “Thou shall not commit adultery,” and, “Thou

shall not steal,” (Bible) are a few examples of mortal sins. The Lord supposedly told

Moses that none were to commit these sins under any circumstances. In order to be

forgiven, people basically must go through the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation,

more commonly known as confession to a Priest, and he must absolve them of their sins.

In general, the Ten Commandments are also considered good morals. Even though

not everyone has heard of them, a lot of them are basically defining the most acceptable

behavior in today’s society. While Commandments like, “Thou shalt have no other gods

before me,” “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” (Bible) and that having false

icons is a sin are not considered good morals to most people, most of the others should be

almost instinctive.

Christianity is not as common in other cultures as it is in our own. There are places

where people have no way to learn about sins and what they can mean. Many people are

also raised in their beliefs. They believe that their religion is correct, just like Catholics

think that everything about the Bible is true. While sin is a major part of most religions, it

obviously will not be identical. For example, there are seventy sins laid out in the Qur’an,

which is the Islamic religious book. (Modern Religion) Their sins are not identical to

Christianity’s and they have other consequences, but should these people go to hell just for

believing in a different god? Yes, one of the Ten Commandments has to do with having no

other gods, but if that is the only god a person knows, why should they be persecuted?

This leads me to the problem of illegal Christianity. There are countries in Europe,

Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia where people can be punished for

being any type of Christian. In Saudi Arabia, Christian proselytes are given the death

sentence if they do not become Islamic. Members of Al-Shaabab, an extremist group in

Somalia, beat or kill the few openly practicing Christians in their country. In North Korea,

“Reports indicate that many Christians are in labor camps; some estimates are as high as

200,000 imprisoned” (Persecuted Countries). People in countries like these have little to

no chance of learning about the Christian faith, let alone practicing it. They do not have a

choice when it comes to religion, so it is not their fault that they cannot repent for their

sins. If they do not know better, they should not go to hell.

Sin should not be the only deciding factor in a person’s eternal fate. If someone

leads a moral life they should go to heaven, whether or not they are Christian. It should not

be religion that decides whether they go to hell forever, but how someone leads their life.

Hell seems like something created to scare people into becoming religious. If people are

only turning to Christ because they are afraid to end up in hell, they are not doing it for the

right reasons. People should live morally because they are good, and should only be

religious if they truly believe. No one should be terrified into Christianity.

Everyone sins; there is no way around it. If somebody says that they have never

sinned, then they are lying. It is in the human nature to mess up, and not all people will ask

for forgiveness and confess to a priest. There are too many different forms of faith for only

one to go to heaven. No one wants their loved ones to go to hell, but there is no way to

force someone to change their beliefs. People should not be persecuted.

Different religions have different sins, but they are always a breach in religious

law. Sin should also be considered breaking good morals, and is not necessarily a religious

thing. Fate should not be decided by the simple mistakes people make, and not necessarily

the big ones either. People should be able to decide their fate through their actions rather

than beliefs.