Sin

Sin -  the transgression of divine law, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.

Synonyms: trepass, violation, wrong, wickedness

Sin- a word that conjures visions of hell and damnation but shouldn't. Many believe it is the nature of man - sinful and unclean. 

Perhaps the biggest problem with the word is our associating it with the old Christian beliefs in the misunderstood fall of Adam, and the misunderstanding of the Father as the Supreme Judge who demands justice, and of man as inherently sinful.

Those are NOT Restoration truths. The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ declares death to be the result of the fall of Adam. There is no such thing as "original sin".  Adam and Eve made the choice (as we all did in pre-existent councils) to become mortal and to learn from experience just exactly what good and evil were.

The Restoration teaches us that the Savior was chosen before the earth was created because God gave us our agency and knew we would sin and make mistakes. His plan which included a Savior was a message of His Absolute Love. The problems we experience and the messes we create during mortality cannot prevent us from progressing if we are sincerely trying to become a good person.

The restoration teaches HOPE!

Sin is experienced here on the earth. It is intended to teach us. We must know deeply that this is a moral universe and there are principles that create happiness. We are on earth to discover those principles.

To live in a world where sin is all around us is unbelievably difficult. The horrors created by man are unimaginable to most of us. But here we are and we all make mistakes. But we must see this as part of the process of perfection - of becoming like our Heavenly parents.

To emphasize sin and guilt and punishment is to distort God's plan. He has no desire to punish any of his children.

To substitute choice and consequence and resulting pain is a more accurate description of our state.

We need someone to rescue us, a Shepherd who will seek us out and carry his lambs, a Healer who will tend our wounds, a Savior who will save us from the things we do but can’t undo.

When we have a clear picture of the plan of a Loving Father whose work and glory is to bring us all home – then sin is redefined.

Sin – the act of making wrongful choices in a mortal state where you are learning from experience to know good and evil. Sin encompasses all the consequences of wrong choices and is meant to educate us so that we will learn to choose good and discover the principles upon which a life of true happiness is based.