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The worst sin

The Ten Commandments is the most morally influential piece of legislation ever written. To give a good idea of how relevant each of the 10 is, take the third commandment, one of the two most misunderstood commandments (the other is “Do not Murder,” which I explained in a recent column).

Is there such a thing as “the worst sin” — one sin that is worse than all others?

In fact, there is.

I am aware that some people differ. They maintain that we can’t declare any sin worse than any other. “To G-d, a sin is a sin,” is how it’s often expressed.

In this view, a person who steals a stapler from the office is committing as grievous a sin in G-d’s eyes as a murderer.

But most people intuitively, as well as biblically, understand that some sins are clearly worse than others.

We are confident that G-d has at least as much common sense as we do. The G-d of Judaism and Christianity does not equate stealing an office item with murder.

So, then, what is the worst sin?

The worst sin is committing evil in G-d’s name.

How do we know?

From the third commandment. This is the only one of the 10 that states that G-d will not forgive a person who violates the commandment.

What does this commandment say?

It is most commonly translated as, “Do not take the name of the  L-rd thy G-d in vain. For the L-rd will not hold guiltless” — meaning, “will not forgive” — whoever takes His name in vain.”

Because of this translation, most people understandably think that the commandment forbids saying  G-d’s name for no good reason. So, something like, “G-d, did I have a rough day at work today!” violates the third commandment.

But that interpretation presents a real problem. It would mean that whereas G-d could forgive the violation of any of the other commandments — dishonoring one’s parents, stealing, adultery or even murder — He would never forgive someone who said, “G-d, did I have a rough day at work today!”

Let’s be honest: That would render G-d and the Ten Commandments morally incomprehensible.

As it happens, however, the commandment is not the problem. The problem is the translation. The Hebrew original doesn’t say “Do not take”; it says “Do not carry.” The Hebrew literally reads, “Do not carry the name of the L-rd thy G-d in vain.”

This is reflected in one of the most widely used new translations of the Bible, the New International Version, or NIV, which uses the word “misuse” rather than the word “take”:

“You shall not misuse the name of the L-rd your G-d.”

This is much closer to the original’s intent.

What does it mean to “carry” or to “misuse” G-d’s name? It means committing evil in G-d’s name.

That, G-d will not forgive.

Why not?

When an irreligious person commits evil, it doesn’t bring G-d and religion into disrepute. But when a religious person commits evil in  G-d’s name he destroys the greatest hope for goodness on earth — belief in a G-d who demands goodness, and who morally judges people.

The Nazis and communists were horrifically cruel mass murderers. But their evils only sullied their own names, not the name of G-d. But when religious people commit evil, especially in G-d’s name, they are not only committing evil, they are doing terrible damage to the name of G-d.

In our time, there are, unfortunately, many examples. The evils committed by Islamists who torture, bomb, cut throats and mass murder — all in the name of their G-d — do terrible damage to the name of G-d.

It is not coincidental that what is called the New Atheism — the immense eruption of atheist activism — followed the 9/11 attack on America by Islamist terrorists.

In fact, the most frequent argument against G-d and religion concerns evil committed in G-d’s name — whether it is done in the name of Allah today or was done in the name of Christ in the past.

People who murder in the name of G-d not only kill their victims, they kill G-d, too.

That’s why the greatest sin is religious evil.

That’s what the third commandment is there to teach: Don’t carry G-d’s name in vain. If you do, G-d won’t forgive you.

Copyright © 2015 by the Intermountain Jewish News



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Columnist | Conservative Lens


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