If There Were No Angels....

...would there be no sin? I believe I heard it first in a Pearl Jam song, but at the time it didn't resonate with me. To me, at that time, it was simply a "cool" question. Well, would there be no sin? What constitutes a sin? Is something a sin because some religious figure dubbed it such, or because it is a commonly agreed upon standard for moral conduct. Think about this; do you not kill your mother/father because Jesus says it is wrong, or because you are aware of the moral and legal complications surrounding the issue? Let me put it to you this way (and I"m posing this question to believers, not Atheists like myself); If there were no God would you still refrain from lying, cheating, stealing, killing, etc? This is the conundrum of all time if you are a religious person. To answer the question "yes, I would refrain from all of the above even in the absence of a God," would undermine your religious doctrine in a profound way. But to answer "no, I would decline into a state of utter depravity", would expose you as an immoral person, and somewhat of a lunatic. It's the type of question that is described as a "conversation stopper" when debating this issue (if there is such a thing) with a believer. So to answer the question set forth above; Yes, if there were no angels, there would most certainly still be sin because sin is not just about religion. The word sin itself may be a religious derivative, but ultimately it comes down to scruples and a society's values. We often are made to believe that religion is about "higher principles". I, however, believe it is a higher principle to do what is right not because some "higher power" tells you what is right, but because it is simply the right thing to do. These are just a few simple thoughts I had on religion.