I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine where she said to me, “Jennifer, I think we all know right from wrong.” The more I got to thinking about the subject, the more complicated it became. Surely, everyone knows what’s right, or what’s wrong….it all rolls along quite easily until you interject opinion and perception.

Abortion, politics, religion, foreign policy, financial matters, how to raise children, education, social programs, life and death, the death penalty, etc. etc….these are just a few of the subjects where right and wrong, and what is considered a sin in our society, can wave the geiger counter needle all over the spectrum. When one interjects their beliefs on the subject, that too can make the answer of right and wrong quite hazy. If two people have opposing points of view on a serious issue, if both believe they are right, then who’s wrong?

Why am I mentioning all of this? Take a look at the newspapers, and media in general…society has turned Sin into perception. The daily headlines constantly make us all voice an opinion on what’s right before our very eyes. The Iraq war, women having octuplets, the Stimulus Package, and Bernie Madoff….where do each one of us come down on these matters? And at what point do we stretch the line of Sin so far that Sin ceases to exist?

As the old saying goes, “If it feels so right, how can it be wrong?” What’s strange about this statement, for me, is if we as human beings can do whatever we want, then we should be able to eat, drink, drug, sleep, spend, indulge…as much as our hearts desire, without any consequences. If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you!!

So can we ask ourselves, are we at the point or are we approaching the point, where the word Sin is nothing more than someone else’s opinion we disagree with? Are we on the road of erasing the word “Wrong” from the public square? I hope not. As we live in an imperfect world, perception should never be looked upon as perfection. Disagreement and dissent are fine in a free society….but when we blur the lines of law, we are left with a book of empty pages to live by.

May Justice Prevail,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2009 Jennifer Avalon