2012-09-17 – Can you believe in sin if you don’t believe in God? Of course you can. People get hung up in metaphysical arguments and forget the reality of pain. Pain that we cause in others. God is not required to feel sorry for the pain you have caused. It is a normal human emotion.

Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which begins a 10-day period of reflection ending in with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It’s like tax season for sin. A time to take a personal accounting of where you are. A time to be accountable.

The focus is on sins we commit against one another. Sins against God are secondary, those are the easy ones. God is powerless to forgive our sins against our fellow human beings. We can only ask each other for forgiveness. Even for a nonbeliever, this is inspiring.