Discussion: The fine line between sin and unlawful

Participants of Socrates Café discuss the meaning of sin at Kuch Khaas.

ISLAMABAD:

The fine line between sin and unlawful formed the theme of Socrates Cafe at Kuch Khaas on Tuesday.

Former FM89 DJ Hassan Kilde Bajwa, the moderator, began the discussion in an informal style by giving the dictionary definition of the word: “an act of immorality in relation to religion.”

The participants, however, were of the view that the word had a broader scope. They said that people often confuse sin with unlawfulness. First, they spoke about the term in its relation to religion. Bajwa said that sin is the only word that implies moral imperative while unlawful is against the law, which is a human construct, there is no morality involved in it.

The discussion then turned towards whether sin is individual or communal. Bajwa explained that if one looks back, the word originated in an environment when there was no difference between science and religion. Anything that was not good for the community was termed as sin.

The discussion then turned towards the word’s implication for Pakistan and later how countries such as Denmark are progressive because they do not blend sin with unlawfulness.

Despite being a popular feature, the Socrates Café discussion session pulled a thin crowd.

“We usually have bureaucrats, intellectuals, students, journalists [making for an interesting] debate,” said Bajwa. The reason for low participation, he said, was that they had not announced the topic in advance.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2012.