One of the tenets of faith is that destructive passions are conquered by virtues. This applies to all religions without exception. Whether it is about how to atone for sins in Islam or in Christianity, in Buddhism, or in a different faith, one needs to be guided by this postulate.
But before you atone for sins, you need to understand what it is. A lot is invested in the concept of sin, because the word itself in its primary meaning is “miss." That is, sin is a mistake made by man, his “non-compliance, inconsistency" with God's plan. This means that in the broad sense of the word sinful can be any thoughts and actions of people that run counter to the covenants and postulates of the religion professed.
How do sins arise?
In how to atone for sin, an important role is played by understanding the cause that gave rise to it. Sins are like circles on the water. At the same time, a person often sees only circles diverging along the surface of the water, but does not notice the stone thrown and sank to the bottom, which caused them.
This image fully reflects the mechanism of the appearance of sins. At the heart of each of the sins is what pushed the person towards it, that is, figuratively speaking, a stone thrown into the water and sank to the bottom. As a rule, the role of this stone is one of the seven deadly sins, which are the most serious and dangerous for the human soul.
Each of the deadly sins inevitably entails an abundant list of misconduct that is not virtuous. They often become a smokescreen that prevents a person from seeing the reason for their sinfulness. By refraining from them, a person cannot stop sinning and does not feel relief. This is because mortal sin continues to "drag to the bottom", destroy the soul.
What can be sins?
Although each religion is distinguished by a certain floridness and gentleness, the absence of straightforwardness, in the question of how to atone for sin, everything is extremely simple and clear. There is only one answer - do not sin. Do not sin from the very beginning, and if the misconduct was not avoided, then do not repeat or aggravate it.
Sin is like a disease for the soul. Accordingly, before thinking about its cure, that is, atonement, it is necessary to understand what sins may be. In the question of how to atone for sins, in Orthodoxy, as well as in Christianity as a whole, the clergy conditionally distinguish the main, primary causes of misconduct and secondary, following the main ones. That is, transgressions can be severe or mundane.
In addition, there are violations of God's commandments, which is nominally not a sin, but it becomes dear to him.
What are sins?
Christianity has seven deadly sins. The sacred seven, present in many religious texts, did not arise immediately. Initially, there were eight sins. However, over time, based on practical observations of the life of believers in general, the church leadership came to the unification of the two positions into one. Combined such concepts as “sadness” and “despondency”.
The list of mortal sins was drawn up by Pope Gregory I Dvoeslov and began to include the following concepts:
- pride;
- envy;
- anger;
- discouragement;
- greed;
- gluttony;
- lust.
They are the cornerstones of the sinfulness of man as a whole. Their presence pushes to the fulfillment of sinful acts and poisons the human soul.
Is violating the commandments a sin?
All believers, without exception, at least once in their lives reflect on this question. Indeed, in the modern world it is extremely difficult not to break the commandments. For example, the one that says about substituting the other cheek, if hit one at a time. After all, the first thing a person tries to do when they offend him is to answer, punish, and repay. Or the commandment “do not kill” - abortion, which is part of the routine paid services in all gynecological clinics, violates it. “Do not steal” - understanding it broader than simply taking other people's things, a person will inevitably be aware that the commandment is violated everywhere.
Nominally violating the commandments is not considered a sin in the church worldview. However, this does not mean at all that, violating the covenants left by the Lord, a person does not commit an offense. It commits, and moreover, this transgression needs atonement.
Violation of the commandments, not nominally, but in fact, is one of the most serious manifestations of sinfulness, if it is understood more broadly than the list of mortal offenses. God's commandments are by no means an accidental set of guiding postulates designed to streamline a person’s life and simplify the management of the flock for churchmen.
Their observance is necessary in order to avoid the fall, but violation is the direct and shortest way to mortal misconduct, which becomes poison, a deadly disease for the soul. Violation of the commandments leads to one of the deadly sins, which will inevitably affect the whole life of a person, will be reflected in his fate.
Thus, a pattern is observed - mortal sin becomes the root cause for everyday misconduct, but the violation of the commandments is the factor that gives rise to serious misconduct.
How to avoid them?
Thinking about how to atone for sin, any thinking person invariably comes to the conclusion that the easiest option is not to commit it. Drawing an analogy with the disease, we can say that a simple way of redemption is prevention, prevention of the development and occurrence of sin.
This approach does not contradict religious principles, moreover, it is precisely for the prevention of sinfulness that the commandments were given to people. However, in order to avoid sins, you need to have a clear idea of their essence. It is impossible to understand the name of a sin superficially and literally, behind each name there are many phenomena that are characteristic of everyday life of a person. The probability of mortal sin can be encountered everywhere and every day, for this you do not even need to go outside the apartment. For example, the sin of laziness is not only the unwillingness to do any work, but also the lack of spiritual and intellectual development, care for oneself and the home, and much more.
About pride
This sin is often confused with excessive self-esteem and envy. However, pride has nothing to do with either an excessive sense of self-confidence or a desire to excel in anything else.
Pride is a way of life in which a person considers himself to be "the navel of the whole Earth", and also believes that his achievements are the result of his own and no other. That is, for example, if a person becomes a world luminary in a single field, then he sincerely considers it only his own merit, completely forgetting how much effort was put into by parents, relatives, and teachers. He also forgets that everything in life is given by the Lord.
About envy
This is a sin that lies in wait everywhere. However, do not confuse him with the desire to look or live no worse than others. Envy in its essence is a deep mental upset, at the root of which lies the denial of the Lord's plan.
A person subject to this sin does not notice what God himself has given, he sees only what others possess. In fact, envy is the everyday denial of one’s destiny and the desire to live a stranger. For example, a person has been given a talent for drawing, but instead of writing canvases and developing in this direction, he looks at the musicians with sighs and stubbornly knocks on the piano keys.
About anger
Anger is not just an uncontrolled outburst of emotions. This is a sick state of mind in which a person denies any opposition to his will or belief. Anger does not just lead to violence. He is violence itself in all possible forms. Many are subject to anger, he expressed in the dictate of his own will and rejection of everything that diverges from it.
For example, parents who force children to embody their own, adult ideas and nip in the bud all independence of the baby are subject to the sin of anger. Spouses who beat wives for fried cutlets from their point of view are also subject to the sin of anger. Rulers introducing laws prohibiting dissent are also angry. This sin is the most common. It has roots in the egoism of a person, in his closeness to everything around and fierce resistance to what is contrary to his own convictions.
About despondency
The most terrible and difficult of all seven deadly sins. Despondency is the most insidious sin; it quietly creeps into a person’s soul, disguising itself as a bad mood or sadness. Despondency, like a cancerous tumor of the body, captures the whole soul, and getting rid of it is incredibly difficult.
Depression, sadness, longing, or reluctance to get out of the couch is despondency. Reluctance to live - this is often interpreted by the concept of this sin clergy. However, despondency does not necessarily manifest itself in severe depression or other psychological personality disorders. Everyday fatigue, longing, sadness and lack of the ability to see something good are gloom. To distinguish sin from ordinary sadness or sadness is simple. Despondency is never bright; darkness reigns in the soul of a person subject to it.
About greed
This is not just a desire to “warm up” as much as possible. There is no sin in a person’s desire to live in comfort and satiety. Greed is the complete submission of all thoughts to the race for material goods that are not needed.
That is, if a person has a TV, but he goes to the store and gets a more modern, advertised and fashionable, but in terms of functions almost the same as that in the house, then this is greed. The sin of greed excludes the concept of responsibility. That is, a person spends, but does not earn. Greed in the modern world leads to an endless increase in material debts, and this, in turn, entails complete inattention to the spiritual side of one's own personality, because all thoughts are occupied only by the vain.
About gluttony
This is not just an abuse of food or wine. Gluttony is similar to greed - it is the consumption of the excess on the one hand, but the sins are different.
This sin is pleasing oneself, self-satisfaction in every sense. Indulging in our own passions and momentary whims, no matter what they relate to. For example, a trip to exotic countries to visit brothels with teenage boys is gluttony. Eating two or three servings of fried potatoes with lard with aggravated gastritis is also gluttony. This term has no exact boundaries; it implies indulgence in destructive passions in all areas of life.
About lust
Lust is usually understood as fornication. However, such a perception is oversimplified and narrowed.
Lust is soullessness, both in carnal joys and elsewhere. If we consider sin on the example of the intimate sphere of life, then it means the mechanics of action, providing a nervous spasm, giving a second pleasure. There is no soul in such sexual intercourse. That is, all manuals telling about what, where and how to “rub” to get arousal, are practical guidelines for the sin of lust. In an intimate relationship, human souls must participate, there must be an emotional component, that is, love, and not just sexual lust.
Accordingly, lust is soullessness, the predominance of flesh over emotions. This sin can manifest itself not only in the intimate sphere of human life, but also in any other.
What is meant by repentance?
How to atone for sins before God is stated in all religious texts. One must sincerely repent of the perfect. You can’t come to church, buy a prayer service, stand in front of an icon and become sinless.
Repentance is the first step to atone for sin. The first, but far from the only, although fundamental. It is impossible to accept recognition of sinfulness as a remorse. This is an extremely important point. Understanding by the mind of the unrighteousness of a particular act with repentance has nothing to do. Awareness leads to a show of repentance.
For example, a woman visits a gynecological hospital and gets rid of an unwanted pregnancy. After that, she finds guidance on how to atone for aborted children, visits a temple or monastery, orders prayers and defiantly repents of her deed. Is it remorse? No. Moreover, after a while the woman reappears in the gynecological hospital, and the situation repeats. Only the prayer service she orders no longer for one baby, but for two. And so on, the circle of vice does not break, only the number of babies commemorated by the priests changes. Similar examples can be found in any area of life.
True repentance does not mean tantrums and “beaten brow to the floor.” This is a state of mind in which a person is struck like thunder, it is similar to insight. True repentance excludes the possibility of re-committing the sin to which it relates. That is, repentance comes from the human heart, and not from the mind.
However, this feeling needs to be developed and consolidated. It is for this that special prayers, procedures for the remission of sins, and other spiritual rituals of atonement are needed.
How to atone for sins?
The main means of atonement for sin and the purification of the soul is confession. However, thinking about whether it is possible to atone for sin, you need to understand the readiness of your soul for this. You cannot just come to the temple, read the list of misconduct, receive forgiveness and become a “sinless creature.” In how to atone for sin, the decisive role is played by the spiritual need for this action.
Nominally, atonement involves attending confession. During a conversation with a clergyman, a person not only lists his misconduct, but also discusses and analyzes them. For example, speaking of marital infidelity, people start their speech with questions about how to atone for the sins of betrayal and gradually come to the conclusion that they tell about the situation in the family, the relationship of partners, about life and much more. This is a spontaneous development of the monologue, although, if necessary, the priest asks the questions necessary in order to stir up the person who came to confession, make him think about the causes of misconduct and exclude them, as well as make sure of sincerity and depth of remorse.
This approach to absolution is one. It is also relevant in how to atone for sin for aborted children, and in other cases. But in what needs to be done after confession, there are no uniform rules. Each case of sin is unique, because all people are different and their faith does not have the same depth. For this reason, prayer, atonement by which the priests recommend, in each case their own.
Who to pray, how and how much, that is, everything that excites people with a practical mindset, is determined by the clergyman during a confession, based on what he heard. One general “miraculous” prayer does not exist.
What not to atone for?
The path of atonement for sin is an inner work on oneself. You cannot think that there is a sin that can never be atoned for. There are no such sins. Only the internal spiritual efforts of a person differ, they depend on the depth and severity of the transgression. Any crime or sin is subject to atonement.
Of course, suicide is an exception. But this is not at all a sin that “cannot be atoned for,” such an understanding is not entirely true. Suicide is not "impossible" to redeem, but simply impossible. After all, a person who voluntarily left this world simply cannot repent of his deeds, come to the temple and pray. Because he no longer lives in this world. For this reason alone, sin cannot be atoned for, and the perpetrator must be torn away from the flock, that is, buried outside the consecrated land without observing church rituals.