Can an animal sin?

[Yorda]

Inaccurate. My pet dog for instance knows full well when he's doing something naughty/wrong.

my country is so cold that all pets die except polar bears.

 

[Enmos]

Um, people, just because you're an atheist doesn't mean you CAN'T sin.

If there is NO god, then you cannot sin.
If there is a god who has created a moral system and punishes those who deviate, then you CAN sin, whether or not you worship him. In fact, 10 to 1 NOT worshipping this god is a sin.

Also: according to Hindus, animals can sin, because they (like all living things) will be given a new body based on their actions in the animal state once they die.

Um, Star_kindler...
1.) I dont accept any notion of a God. So i can do things that are morally wrong but it wont be a sin. 'Sin' is a theological concept. (See my earlier post)
2.) Animals have no notion of any God so they cannot sin either.
3.) If there is no God (and there isnt) religious people can still sin because they made it up themselves.

 

[Enmos]

my country is so cold that all pets die except polar bears.

What does this have to do with anything ?

 

[Star_Kindler]

Um, Star_kindler...
1.) I dont accept any notion of a God. So i can do things that are morally wrong but it wont be a sin. 'Sin' is a theological concept. (See my earlier post)
2.) Animals have no notion of any God so they cannot sin either.
3.) If there is no God (and there isnt) religious people can still sin because they made it up themselves.

1) I'm saying that IF there is a God, (ie, you're wrong), then yes, you can sin, whether you believe in him or not, because this God would have created a moral code by which to judge all, NOT just his followers.

2) I was pointing out what Hindus believed, not what I believed.

3) Of course they can, but their sins would mean very little in the long run.

 

[Enmos]

1) I'm saying that IF there is a God, (ie, you're wrong), then yes, you can sin, whether you believe in him or not, because this God would have created a moral code by which to judge all, NOT just his followers.

2) I was pointing out what Hindus believed, not what I believed.

3) Of course they can, but their sins would mean very little in the long run.

Ok, agreed. You have clarified the points for me, thanks.

Only thing that remains is the quote below:

Um, people, just because you're an atheist doesn't mean you CAN'T sin.

This only holds true if there IS a God.

 

[Star_Kindler]

This only holds true if there IS a God.

Correct, of course. I had just noticed several people seeming to think that being an atheist in a theistic world (or a theist of a religion that doesn't worship the correct god), made them "immune" to sin, so I thought I'd remind them that in a theistic universe, everyone has to account for sin.

Sorry for the confusion.