SIN IS TOO IMPORTANT A SOCIAL ISSUE TO BE LEFT TO THE RELIGIONS
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It is not known who first said: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing." There is no evidence of it, but it is often attributed to Edumund Burke.

Regardless, his contribution to social justice is well worth knowing about. Had his advice been heeded, perhaps the whole of North America, today, would be a constitutional monarchy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke
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MORE ON SIN
Evil and sin thrives when good people do nothing, especially about their own sins of commission and omission.

SINS OF COMMISSION
When we deliberately commit sins which result in evil, or harm, being done to other persons, or to society in general, it follows that we can be charged and judged on the basis of the evidence of others.

SINS OF OMISSION
However, the sin of omission--the failure to do the good that we ought to do--is a far more complex matter. When we commit sins of omission, we may be aware of it immediately. For example, when we see a crime in the making and choose not to report what we saw.

But sometimes we may only become aware of it later, when we realize that we are deliberately choosing not to get involved.

For example, you have a suspicion that certain children, seniors, animals, whatever, on the street are being abused and yet you choose to look the other way. Later, when you hear arrests have been made and serious charges of assault, even murder, are laid. We are not civilly or criminally responsible, but most of us would feel we had been sinful. As basically good people we know we ought not to bury our heads in the sand.

Meanwhile, we need to be made aware that not all sins of omission are without real consequences.

Married people with children, people with socially responsible jobs, civil servants, soldiers and the like can be held responsible for failing to do their duty to one another and to society. If we choose to bury our heads in the sand, there are consequences.

Sinners of the world, UNITE! We have nothing to lose but our pains.

Last edited by Revlgking; 11/16/09 06:47 PM.