sin
wrongdoing in religious perspective and not just illegal (against the law), or immoral (against what 'ought' to be). In Christian tradition it involves falling short from what is intended by God for our humanity at its individual or collective best. Thus the term has two aspects. It refers to a general condition, which may be translated as 'alienation' (so Hegel) or estrangement (so Tillich). On this account, we are estranged from each other, from ourselves and from God. Accordingly, we lack wholeness and in this fractured condition may be even more susceptible to specific sins. This second aspect of the term has been exemplified in the sevenfold form of deadly sins, such as greed, lust and pride. Again, by custom, some are more easily forgivable (venial) than others (mortal). Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount removes the basis for anyone to think that they are free from any sinning. Murder and thieving may be primary measures with which the law works. The true law, however, is deeper and more exposing than that. It extends to the thoughts and feelings, which go on inside us.
See also:
greed, pride, Sermon on the Mount