What is the worst crime/sin?

I've marked this PG-13 to allow for more discussion...

I have this very vague idea for a novelette, which includes some sin or crime to be committed, only I'm struggling to really find out what it is that my character has done. I have to (heavily) blame The Scarlet Letter for inspiration, although adultery isn't something that sparks my thoughts. I thought a good way for me to gather some ideas was to ask everyone what they thought the worst crime, or sin, was.

EDIT: I'm turning this into a questionnaire to force you to answer all the questions. XD it will help me more that way...Please answer all the questions? ^_^

1. What is the most unforgivable sin?
2. What is the worst sin that can be forgiven?
3. What sin do you think would affect the sinner the most? (emotionally)
4. What is the worst sin that you could see yourself committing, and why? (I'm trying to find human vulnerabilities with this one... so, yeah.)

NOTE: the word "sin" could be replaced with "crime" just as "sinner" could be replaced with "criminal"

Denying God. The Ten Commandments. Abuse. Rape. Twisted and perverted things not discussed in polite society.

I agree with the things Twit said. However, Murder does jump to my mind...

Adultery: hurts far more than just the adulterer.

Rape: essentially steals a bit of the victim's soul.

Abuse: semi-permanently alters the victim

If you want to go with something a little less cliche, you could always start with the Ten Commandments and find one people don't often talk about, like Thou Shalt Not Covet. Coveting could lead to abuse (harassment) among other things.

Thanks for the responses ^_^ I'm certainly going to be taking a pick through the ten commandments and other specifically religious sins. It fits into the story nicely that way. Also, the seven sins are really nice. Hmmm...

I think doing horrible things to others and not having any remorse is pretty bad.

Child Molestation is pretty bad. So's rape. Then twisted, psychotic murder, then murder.

Depending on who you ask, loving someone of your own sex is a sin. And/or changing sexes/crossdressing. If you wrote a good story about that, I would quite possibly love you (platonically) forevers! This is were my mind goes when you imply your story is heavily inspired by the Scarlet Letter. "What sin would people not kill you for but still ostracize you?" Put that in a more modern Christian religious context, I get expressing homosexuality of some sort. You don't even have to be bi to be marked gay (meaning you could be heterosexual), you just have to be different from your gender role (aka, a little butch if you're a girl, a little feminine if you're a boy).

Religious persecution, as an atheist, the last thing I can stand is someone cramming their beliefs down my throat, makes me want to strangle theirs.

If I don't feel any remorse for not believing in the 10 commandments, is that doubly bad? But then that would only make sense, I can't feel remorse for something I don't care for, but that could be said the same for murder.

I'm tossed.

Word of Note: 7 deadly sins = cliche'd

1. What is the most unforgivable sin?
Killing yourself.

2. What is the worst sin that can be forgiven?
Adultery.

3. What sin do you think would affect the sinner the most? (emotionally)
Murder.

4. What is the worst sin that you could see yourself committing, and why? (I'm trying to find human vulnerabilities with this one... so, yeah.)
Undeserved hate. Something I hate about some people, but then I see it in myself all the time.

1. What is the most unforgivable sin?

In my opinion, any abuse concerning children is the least forgivable: sexual abuse, verbal, physical, it doesn't matter which. I find them all equally unforgivable. Children are a reflection of our more perfect selves, the innocence that makes us believe in hope or life. Children are the most sacred examples of God's own image - if we're to speak religiously - and the destruction of that sacredness deserves the most severe punishment that God or man can dole out.

2. What is the worst sin that can be forgiven?

I'm rather at a loss for this question; it's hard to determine to which lengths we would be willing to go to forgive. But in the end, I would have to agree with Gadi and say adultery, bearing in mind the difference between forgiving and forgetting.

3. What sin do you think would affect the sinner the most? (emotionally)

Murder, if he [the sinner] wasn't mentally altered or deranged. The realization that you have literally robbed an innocent victim of every hope and dream and future would be enough to ruin any normal person's emotional state for the rest of their lives. My dad has a machete in his bedroom - within easy reach - to be used in the event of someone breaking and entering. I asked him once if he would actually be able to use it on someone, and he told me that he would use it without hesitation on anyone who intended to hurt his family. But even in such a scenario, when the killing is at least partially justified by defense - would he be able to get over it? I think not.

4. What is the worst sin that you could see yourself committing, and why?

With complete honesty, I would have to say envy - I have the tendancy to pin my hopes on things that won't happen, and the result is that someone else attains them. I am not particularly envious as a matter of course, but there are instances where everyone can fall into the downward cycle: wishing what you owned was as nice as what the next person owns, wishing for someone else's luck or gain or circumstances or whatever else. The real sin occurs when you move past mere wistfulness and into the realm of anger. And while I have never hit that level, it doesn't make my childish bits of envy any more acceptable. And this is a terrible sin, if you consider it from a distance: not only are you disturbing your own inner harmony, but you're unbalancing the harmony of those around you. It helps to whack yourself on the head if ever you start thinking, See, now why couldn't I have done that, had that, been that...

1. What is the most unforgivable sin?

I'm going to say abuse, because it's such a broad category: domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse, emotional, verbal... they all scar people deeply and almost permanently. As Dream Deep said, child abuse is especially vile, as is generally subjecting children to pain and trauma, even if it couldn't technically be defined as abuse. For example, in Darfur, Sudan, young boys are fighting alongside rebel soldiers, risking their lives for the political and religious struggles of adults. They are too young to even grasp what they are fighting for. I find that appalling.

2. What is the worst sin that can be forgiven?

Hmm... it would really depend on the individual situation. I suppose adultery.

3. What sin do you think would affect the sinner the most? (emotionally)

Again, this one really depends on the specific circumstances... murder, obviously, would be absolutely haunting-it's the most dramatic and permanent sin you can commit. But murder's also really complex... does self-defense qualify as murder? What if you killed someone to stop them from committing an equally horrific crime against you, such as rape? Would you still feel remorse? What if you were protecting a loved one? What about war? Even though you're taking innocent lives, if you felt it was ultimately for the greater good, would you feel guilty? It all depends on the person and the situation. Lol, one of those questions that just raises more questions.

4. What is the worst sin that you could see yourself committing, and why?

I'll second Dream Deep- envy. I am constantly comparing myself to others and resenting them for their talents and qualities.

Fascinating topic! Good luck with your story. I agree with Perra that homosexuality would be interesting to explore because some so vehemently believe it to be a sin, while others find it totally acceptable and natural. what ever you come up with, I'd be interested to read it! ^_^

1. What is the most unforgivable sin?

Well, it depends on how you think about it. The thing that comes to mind is child molestation, but then, whatever you could do to someone that left them alive, is it really the worst thing you could do? I think that damaged is better than dead.

2. What is the worst sin that can be forgiven?

By me, personally? I'm with the rest of the world on this one: adultery. I having a feeling that people go on Oprah to forgive a lot worse, though. And then there was that woman on sixty minutes who forgave that guy for hacking up her family with a machite (look, I live with my grandmother, OK? It's not my fault that I'm subjected to Oprah and 60 Minutes.) I'd like to believe that if you've done something that you're truly sorry for, and you have done everything in your power to make amends, you should be forgiven, but then I think about some of the things you could do... and no. I couldn't forgive anyone anything. to say I could would be ridiculous.

3. What sin do you think would affect the sinner the most? (emotionally)

That would depend on how thoroughly he grasped what he did, and if he understood why it was so horrible. Murder - real, cold-blooded murder - should make you feel sick, but if you had it in you to do it, would it?

4. What is the worst sin that you could see yourself committing, and why?

I think that under the right, or wrong, circumstances, I could be capable of a lot of really horrible things. There are some things that I know for certain I would do; it just depends whether you consider them sins or not. It's like what Dream Deep said about the machete - I'm protective of my younger siblings, and if someone was going to hurt them, I would do whatever I could to make sure they didn't.

1. Return to nothingness. A desire for that is unforgivable. This is an affront to not only anything in existence, but any higher power. Suicide is up there with it, as well as killing, but they are mere facets of the true sin of nothingness.

2. Any of the sins can be, but it depends on how it was done. If I tore apart your little sister and raped her in front of you then sodomized every hole with a drill or a gun then tortured her for hours and hours of the worse pains imaginable, I doubt that even as murder/rape is forgivable. And I was being nice cause this is PG-13...but there is far FAR worse and degrading things that don't count as the 7 'deadly' sins. Lets just say some of those are beyond forgiveness, but at the same time are forgivable without being witness.

Witnessing it and hearing of it are two completely different things.

3. Any sin on the innocent or ones undeserving of it, those notably will affect the sinner the most due to realization of it. The stronger it was the stronger the affect.

4. Lets not travel down that road today...

Blasphemy is the one sin that can not be forgiven. ex. Satan knowing and loving God and then denying Him.

In Gods eye all the ten commandents ae the same to him. all can be forgiven except one.

we as humans chose what is the least and the worst.
I think murder is the worst, God gave the life, we have no right to take it.

also abusing children, taking their future from them.

Suzanne wrote:1. What is the most unforgivable sin?

Rape/torture. (ie: extreme sexual sadism)

(*has probably just gone beyond PG13*)

Suzanne wrote:2. What is the worst sin that can be forgiven?

Murder, depending on the circumstances.

Suzanne wrote:3. What sin do you think would affect the sinner the most?

Hn, unless they're a sociopath, probably murder.

Suzanne wrote:4. What is the worst sin that you could see yourself committing, and why?

Of all of the "biggies," probably murder, because if I got pregnant, I would have an abortion. I, personally, wouldn't call it murder, but there are people who would.

1. What is the most unforgivable sin?

Well certainly anything against children. That is just so wrong. Also deliberately lying about God and trying to get other people to believe your lie. Very Bad

2. What is the worst sin that can be forgiven?

Well, I think most sins can be forgiven, however there is this one unforgivable sin, not totally positive, however I think it is blasphemy? Should look that one up.

3. What sin do you think would affect the sinner the most? (emotionally)

any sexual sin

4. What is the worst sin that you could see yourself committing, and why?

probably lying and then lying to cover up the lie. I hate getting in trouble, so sometimes I will lie to get out of it.