A friend says: I think if a society DOES NOT obsess over sin and depravity… then that leaves it vulnerable to the allure of idols. It’s only when you think less about good and evil than Hawthorne and the Puritans that you start to believe there might be individuals who are better than you — “good” people — celebrities, politicians. But there aren’t. No one should be in charge more than me. They’re not better. All men are gods. Guessing Orthodox Judaism is less prone to idol worship (in the form of persons) than Hollywood worshiping reform or atheist Jews.
Like when I hear Marc Maron fawn over President Obama, that’s grotesque to me. I don’t think anyone deserves that level of moral prostration. Trying to argue the upside of an obsession with sin. Even Obama would be there at Young Goodman Brown’s black mass.
Men worship the category “women” only when they assume women are more moral. And this worship gives women power. Same with Christians and Jews. Christians will only give Jews power if they worship Jews—and they’ll only worship Jews IF they think Jews are more moral.
So a person either focuses on sin and depravity or he is prone to hero worship and clings to one false prophet after another.
>>Japs seem to be doing ok without sin obsession.
You said there was no Illuminati level depravity in the SDA Church—nothing as bad as in Orthodox Judaism or Catholicism. But couldn’t that be *because* they obsess about sin? It makes them less prone to sin.
Hmm. Japs. Good question. Maybe it’s cuz they’re more communal… shame as opposed to guilt. Honor is not lost upon committing a sin. In Christianity, honor is beyond the reach of the world.
