Sin

Wired Magazine reported an analysis of sin in the USA mapped geographically. It's not really scientific, but it's entertaining. Apparently the midwest, great plains, and parts of the Mountain West are pretty saintly places to live, while the South, southern California, and the East Coast are the sin capitals. Who knew?

Realistically, it's pretty much impossible to measure sin scientifically. I don't think "expenditures on art, entertainment, and recreation compared to employment" is a good description of sloth, for example. Sloth is intended to reflect one's resistance to act to peoples' benefit - both your own or other peoples'. It's more likely that the ability to afford art is a sign of industrious productivity. How else did you get all that spending money?

Gluttony is measured by fast food restaurants per capita. No consideration of obesity rates? I guess obesity has truly been redefined as an illness rather than a moral failing.

Envy need not result in material theft. One could just as easily envy someone's expansive free time, cool job, unique talents, or close family ties.

These are all very shallow definitions. More accurate, thoughtful definitions would inherently be more difficult to measure. How do you measure how much someone chooses not to work? One who gives into lust frequently may also be sufficiently familiar with health issues and prevention to avoid STDs.

In the end, sin is a deeply personal matter, one which is best seen in ourselves by ourselves by introspective consideration without preconceptions. To recognize one's own strengths and failings is to reverse denial and reject self-deception. Another person cannot possibly know you well enough to judge sin, but neither do you easily know yourself so well either. It takes continual effort.

In this introspective way, what are you looking for? You are looking for obvious malice, of course, but also for insufficient effort. To kill someone is a sin, but to neglect someone is, too. It is not enough to draw a line and say "I will never be more sinful than this." Rather, one should continually walk away from sin, away from the line, and towards righteousness.

It's a tall order, though, isn't it? There are constant temptations to walk the wrong way, to stop entirely, and to walk the right way slowly. No one is ever quite done, ever fully free of mistakes of some magnitude or other. It's a very tall order.