How to atone for sin: what are the sins and how to atone for them

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

One of the tenets of the faith is that evil passions are overcome by virtues. This applies to all religions without exception. Whether it is about how to atone for sins in Islam or in Christianity, in Buddhism, or in another faith, you need to be guided by this postulate.

But before you atone for sins, you need to understand what it is. A lot is invested in the concept of sin, because the word itself in its primary meaning is a “miss”. That is, sin is a mistake made by a person, his “missing, inconsistency” with God's plan. This means that in the broadest sense of the word, any thoughts and actions of people that run counter to the precepts and postulates of the professed religion can be sinful.

How do sins arise?

In how to atone for sin, an important role is played by understanding the cause that gave rise to it. Sins are like circles on water. At the same time, a person often sees only circles diverging along the surface of the water, but does not notice the stone thrown and sinking to the bottom, which caused them.

This image fully reflects the mechanism of the appearance of sins. At the heart of each of the sins lies what pushed a person to him, that is, figuratively speaking, a stone thrown into the water and sinking to the bottom. As a rule, this stone is one of the seven deadly sins, which are the most difficult and dangerous for the human soul.

Each of the deadly sins inevitably entails a copious list of misdeeds that are not virtuous. They often become a smoke screen that prevents a person from seeing the cause of his sinfulness. When praying for them, a person cannot stop sinning and does not feel relief. This happens because the mortal sin continues to "pull to the bottom", to destroy the soul.

What are sins?

Although each religion is distinguished by a certain ornateness and softness, lack of straightforwardness, in the question of how to atone for sin, everything is extremely simple and clear. There is only one answer - do not sin. Do not sin initially, and if the offense could not be avoided, then do not repeat or aggravate it.

Sin is like a disease for the soul. Accordingly, before thinking about its cure, that is, about redemption, it is necessary to understand what sins can be. In the question of how to atone for sins, in Orthodoxy, as well as in Christianity as a whole, the clergy conditionally distinguish between the main, primary offenses and secondary, following the main ones. That is, sins can be serious or mundane.

Besides this, there are violations of God's commandments thatnominally not a sin, but it becomes a path to it.

What are the sins?

Christianity has seven deadly sins. The sacred seven, which is present in many religious texts, did not appear immediately. There were originally eight sins. However, over time, based on practical observations of the life of believers in general, the leadership of the church came to combine the two positions into one. Combined concepts such as "sadness" and "despondency".

The list of mortal sins was drawn up by Pope Gregory I the Dialogist and began to include the following concepts:

• pride;
• envy;
• anger;
• despond;
• greed;
• gluttony;
• lust.

They are the cornerstones of the sinfulness of man as a whole. Their presence pushes to commit sinful acts and poisons the human soul.

Is breaking the commandments a sin?

All believers, without exception, think about this question at least once in their lives. Indeed, in the modern world it is extremely difficult not to violate the commandments. For example, the one that says about turning the other cheek if you hit one. After all, the first thing a person tries to do when he is offended is to answer, punish, repay. Or the commandment “Thou sh alt not kill” - abortions, which are included in everyday paid services in all gynecological clinics, violate it. "Thou sh alt not steal" - understanding it wider than simply taking other people's things, a person will inevitably realize that the commandment is violated everywhere.

Nominally, breaking the commandments is not considered a sin in the church worldview. However, this does not mean at all that, violating the covenants left by the Lord, a person does not commit a misconduct. He does, and more than that - this offense needs atonement.

Violation of the commandments, not nominally, but in fact, is one of the most serious manifestations of sinfulness, if we understand it wider than the list of mortal offenses. God's commandments are not at all a random set of guiding postulates designed to streamline a person's life and make it easier for churchmen to lead the flock.

Their observance is necessary in order to avoid the fall, but violation is the direct and shortest road to mortal offenses that become poison, a deadly disease for the soul. Violation of the commandments leads to one of the deadly sins, which will inevitably affect the whole life of a person, will affect his fate.

Thus, a pattern can be traced - a mortal sin becomes the root cause for ordinary misconduct, but the violation of the commandments is the factor that gives rise to serious offenses.

How to avoid them?

Thinking about how to atone for sin, any thinking person invariably comes to the conclusion that the easiest option is not to commit it. Drawing an analogy with a disease, we can say that a simple way of redemption is prevention, preventing the development and occurrence of transgression.

This approach does not in the least contradict religious principles,moreover, it is precisely for the prevention of sinfulness that the commandments were given to people. However, in order to avoid sins, you need to have a clear understanding of their essence. It is impossible to understand the name of sin superficially and literally, behind each name there are many phenomena that are characteristic of the everyday existence of a person. The probability of a mortal sin can be encountered everywhere and daily, for this you don’t even need to leave the apartment. For example, the sin of laziness is not only the unwillingness to do any work, but also the lack of spiritual and intellectual development, self-care and home care, and much more.

About pride

This sin is often confused with high self-esteem and envy. However, pride has nothing to do with overconfidence or a desire to excel in anything else.

Pride is a way of life in which a person considers himself "the navel of the whole Earth", and also believes that his achievements are the result of his own and no one else's. That is, for example, if a person becomes a world luminary in a particular area, then he sincerely considers this only his own merit, completely forgetting how much effort was made by parents, relatives, teachers. He also forgets that everything in life is given by the Lord.

About envy

This is a sin that lurks everywhere. However, do not confuse it with the desire to look or live no worse than others. Envy in its essence is a deep mental disorder, the root of which lies in the denial of the plan of the Lord.

A person subject to this sin does not notice thisGod to himself, sees only what others have. In fact, envy is a daily denial of one's fate and the desire to live someone else's. For example, a person is given a talent for drawing, but instead of painting canvases and developing in this direction, he looks at the musicians with sighs and stubbornly knocks on the piano keys.

About anger

Anger is not just an uncontrollable outburst of emotions. This is a sick state of mind in which a person denies any resistance to his will or ideas. Anger doesn't just lead to violence. He is violence itself in all possible forms. Many are subject to anger, it is expressed in the dictate of one's own will and the rejection of everything that diverges from it.

For example, parents who force their children to embody their own, adult ideas and nip all independence of the baby in the bud are subject to the sin of anger. Spouses who beat their wives for improperly fried cutlets from their point of view are also subject to the sin of anger. The rulers who introduce laws prohibiting dissent also show anger. This sin is the most common. It has its roots in the selfishness of a person, in his closeness to everything around him and his fierce resistance to what goes against his own beliefs.

About despondency

The most terrible and heaviest of all the seven mortal sins. Despondency is the most insidious sin, it imperceptibly creeps into a person’s soul, disguising itself as a bad mood or sadness. Despondency, like a cancerous tumor of the body, captures the whole soul, and it is incredibly difficult to get rid of it.

Depression, sadness, melancholy or reluctance to get up from the couch is despondency. Unwillingness to live - this is how clergy often interpret the concept of this sin. However, despondency does not necessarily manifest itself in severe depression or other psychological personality disorders. Everyday fatigue, melancholy, sadness and lack of ability to see something good - despondency. It is easy to distinguish sin from ordinary sadness or sadness. Despondency is never bright, darkness reigns in the soul of a person subject to it.

About greed

It's not just the desire to "warm up" as much as possible. There is no sin in the desire of a person to live in comfort and satiety. Greed is the complete subordination of all thoughts to the race for material goods that are not needed.

That is, if a person has a TV, but he goes to the store and gets more modern, advertised and fashionable, but practically does not differ in functions from the one in the house, then this is greed. The sin of covetousness excludes the concept of responsibility. That is, a person spends, not earns. Greed in the modern world leads to an endless growth of material debts, and this, in turn, entails a complete inattention to the spiritual side of one's own personality, because all thoughts are occupied only with vain things.

About gluttony

It's not just the abuse of food or wine. Gluttony is similar to greed - it is the consumption of excess on the one hand, but the sins are different.

This sin is self-pleasing, self-pleasing in every sense. Indulgence of one's own passions and momentary whims,no matter what they are about. For example, a trip to exotic countries in order to visit brothels with teenage boys is gluttony. Eating two or three servings of fried potatoes with bacon with exacerbated gastritis is also gluttony. This term has no exact boundaries, it implies the indulgence of harmful passions in all areas of life.

About lust

Lust is usually understood as fornication. However, this perception is oversimplified and narrowed.

Lust is soullessness, both in carnal pleasures and in anything else. If we consider sin on the example of the intimate sphere of life, then it means the mechanics of actions that provide a nervous spasm that gives momentary pleasure. There is no soul in such a sexual act. That is, all manuals that tell about what, where and how to “rub” to get arousal are practical guides to the sin of lust. Human souls must participate in an intimate relationship, there must be an emotional component, that is, love, and not just sexual lust.

Accordingly, lust is soullessness, the predominance of flesh over emotions. This sin can manifest itself not only in the intimate sphere of human life, but also in any other.

What is meant by remorse?

How to atone for sins before God, said in all religious texts. You need to sincerely repent of what you have done. You can't come to church, buy a prayer service, stand in front of an icon and become sinless.

Repentance is the first step to atone for sin. The first, but not the only one, although fundamental. It is impossible to take for repentance awareness of sinfulness. This is an extremely important point. Understanding by the mind of the unrighteousness of this or that deed has nothing to do with repentance. Awareness leads to ostentatious repentance.

For example, a woman visits a gynecological hospital and gets rid of an unwanted pregnancy. After that, she finds a guide on how to atone for sin for aborted children, visits a temple or a monastery, orders prayers and defiantly repents of her deed. Is it remorse? No. Moreover, after some time, the woman again finds herself in a gynecological hospital, and the situation repeats itself. Only she orders prayers not for one baby, but for two. And so on, the cycle of vice is not interrupted, only the number of babies commemorated by priests changes. Similar examples can be found in every area of life.

True repentance doesn't mean tantrums and "beating the forehead on the floor". This is a state of mind in which a person is struck like thunder, it is similar to insight. True repentance excludes the possibility of re-committing the sin to which it refers. That is, repentance comes from the human heart, and not from the mind.

However, this feeling needs to be developed and consolidated. This is what special prayers, absolution procedures and other spiritual rituals of atonement are for.

How to atone for sins?

The main means of atonement for sins and purification of the soul is confession. However, thinking about whether it is possible to atone for sin, you need to understand the readiness of your soul forthis. You can't just come to the temple, read the list of wrongdoings, get forgiveness and become a "sinless creature." In how to atone for sin, the spiritual need for this action plays a decisive role.

Nominally, atonement includes going to confession. During a conversation with a clergyman, a person not only lists his misdeeds, but also talks about them, analyzes them. For example, speaking about adultery, people begin their speech with questions about how to atone for the sins of adultery and gradually come to the fact that they talk about the situation in the family, the attitude of partners, about life and much more. This is a spontaneous development of the monologue, although, if necessary, the priest asks the questions needed to stir up the one who came to confession, make them think about the causes of misconduct and exclude them, and also make sure of the sincerity and depth of repentance.

This approach to absolution is one. It is also relevant in how to atone for sin for aborted children, and in other cases. But in what needs to be done after confession, there are no uniform rules. Each case of transgression is unique, because all people are different and their faith does not have the same depth. For this reason, the prayer, with the help of which the priests recommend to atone for sins, is different in each case.

Who to pray, how and how much, that is, everything that worries people with a practical mindset, is determined by the clergyman during confession, based on what he heard. There is no one common “wonderful” prayer.

What can't be redeemed?

The pathatonement for sin is an inner work on oneself. It cannot be thought that there is a sin that can never be atoned for. There are no such sins. Only the inner spiritual efforts of a person differ, they depend on the depth and gravity of the sin. Any crime or transgression is subject to atonement.

The exception, of course, is suicide. But this is not at all a sin that “cannot be redeemed”, such an understanding is not entirely correct. Suicide is not “impossible” to expiate, but simply impossible. After all, a person who voluntarily left this world simply cannot repent of his deed, come to the temple and pray. Because he no longer lives in this world. For this reason alone, a sin cannot be expiated, and the one who committed it is subject to rejection from the flock, that is, burial outside the consecrated land without observing church rituals.