How God Fits In, Part 3

This is the third post in a series, the topic of which is “how God fits in” with the content of The Catalyst of Confidence. If you have not read the first and second posts, or the introductory post, I encourage you to do so before continuing.

Up to this point we have discussed some of the more positive aspects of The Catalyst of Confidence as they relate to God. In this post, however, I would like to introduce a somewhat sinister topic to our discourse. Namely, sin. Most every major religion has an understanding of the concept of sin, but for the purpose of this post, we will define sin as simply wrong action. That is, action contrary to the ultimate good of a person. (I realize that this definition is, in many ways, a simplification. While it is true that the concept of sin entails much more than what has been said, a more generalized definition is necessary to fulfill our purpose in this post. After all, we will not be discussing how sin relates to God, but rather, how the concept of sin “fits in” with the content of The Catalyst of Confidence.)

In my opinion the most profound lesson in the book is Lesson VIII: Self-Deception and Learning. It's implications are seemingly limitless and inexhaustible. Self-deception is a concept that no person can honestly “close the book” on, as it is an inherent condition of humanity and must be guarded against at all times with vigilance and determination. The concept of self-deception is defined in two parts. First, as the betrayal of one's ultimate self-interest. Second, as the betrayal of one's true potential. To satisfy the objective of this post, we will concern ourselves with the former definition.

One will quickly notice that the definition “betrayal of one's ultimate self-interest” can easily be used as a definition of sin itself. If we define sin as wrong action or action which is contrary to the ultimate good of a person, we can see very plainly that this is a form of self-deception. In order to betray our ultimate self-interest, we must act contrary to it. In other words, though we may perceive a given action to be right and good, in reality it may not be good for us at all. Hence, the crux of self-deception being “the act of deceiving oneself.”

I would like to propose that sin itself is a course of action that we perceive as being good or necessary (perhaps in the moments we sin?), when in reality such action is neither good nor necessary. Sin, like all wrong action, is something that is damaging to oneself, even though it may not be immediately apparent. Many of those outside the realm of organized religion view the concept of sin as something which God arbitrarily mandates, and that when a person “sins” they are simply disobeying one of God's capricious “rules.” But such conclusions are erroneous because they ignore the fact that sin (irrespective of any supernatural consequences) is detrimental to the individual—as well as those affected by their actions—in this life, here and now. All actions have consequences—some immediate—some forthcoming, and if a person believes that sinful actions are right and good they are simply deceiving themselves.

It is also worth noting that many of the lessons contained in The Catalyst of Confidence may properly be utilized to avoid sinful actions.