{"id":365,"date":"2010-07-07T23:45:45","date_gmt":"2010-07-07T13:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asktheatheist.com\/?p=365"},"modified":"2010-07-07T23:45:45","modified_gmt":"2010-07-07T13:45:45","slug":"sin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asktheatheist.com\/?p=365","title":{"rendered":"Sin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question from Louis:<\/strong>
\nDoes an atheist believe in the concept of sin? Do they believe they can be punished for sin?
\n
\nAnswer:<\/strong>
\nNot usually.
\n
\nThe idea that we are punished for all our bad deeds after death requires the existence of an afterlife, and atheists generally don’t believe in an afterlife.
\n
\nThe competing idea that our bad deeds follow us around ethereally in life and cause misfortune requires the existence of either an interventionist god or an unknown and purposeful energy, which ancient Indian religions named karma<\/em>, and atheists generally don’t believe in that either.
\n
\nThis doesn’t mean that atheists think bad deeds go entirely unpunished. That’s what the law is for, to begin with. Besides judicial punishment for illegal deeds, other selfish and destructive acts turn other people against us, and provoke revenge and grudges. They also make us feel guilty and want to atone.
\n
\nThat’s why we don’t need a god to enforce our morals. We have other people, and we have ourselves.
\n
\n– SmartLX<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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