The Unpardonable Sin
Does unpardonable sin exist? Is there a behavior or attitude so malevolent that those who acquire it can never return to being a good person?
IMHO unpardonable sin does exist, and is simply the inability or refusal to acknowledge that there is an existence beyond our own feeble lives. We are part of a greater whole; the universe does not revolve around us. We are finite, created beings, and to function harmoniously must seek help and guidance outside ourselves. If we do this, then we can live at peace with ourselves and others.
Conversely, if we rebel and attempt to make the universe a slave to our will, misery and disaster will inevitably result. The futile attempt to "set ourselves first" gives rise to a desire for power, a never satiated lust that drives those who suffer from it to seek more and more and more of the same, until the inevitable arrival of death.
As Mao and Stalin amply demonstrate, Lord Acton was absolutely correct: fixating on power will corrupt your mind. Ignore his warnings, and like Nietzsche you may wind up in an insane asylum wrestling with your unrequited love for your sister.
Which leads to the fact that all of us must eventually yield our will to a higher authority. Failure to do so inevitably results in the distressingly common abuses of power seen not only throughout history, but right now, in current times.
Consider the allegory of Lucifer. Lucifer was the best and brightest created being in the universe, yet his refusal or inability to acknowledge his limitations and submit to the will of God led to his downfall. If Lucifer, with abilities far beyond those of humans, failed horrifically in his attempt to set himself up as Prime Mover of existence, what pitiful results should we expect when we vainly attempt to do the same?
The universe is a wild, unimaginable expense of the unknown and unknowable, and you and I are mere momentary creations quickly flickering in and then out of existence. Whether you consider the source of this universe to be bearded Jehovah sitting on his heavenly throne, or a magical "Big Bang" spontaneity, you need to acknowledge that you were created, that you will die, and that you are part of something bigger than your own life.
The truth that can be told is not the eternal truth.
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