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In reply to:
There is also the (yidish? or hebrew?)mitzvah (as a bar mitzvah)-- a good deed or act-- I don't know a single english word-- and mitzvah sounds more everyday than a cardinal virtue-- and could include something as simple as giving your (hard earned) seat on the subway to an elderly person-- or a pregnant lady.. small acts of kindness..
Sounds like chivalry, courtesy, gentility, manners. Just plain "the kind of thing you'd do if your mama raised you right."
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Carpal Tunnel
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bridget96 said: virtue?
Well, you can commit a sin...but can you "commit a virtue"???
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addict
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Good point, WO'N. What does it say about our unwillingness to admit to our faults that we consider virtues something we *have and sins something we just *do.
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Surely says more about the Christian tradition of original sin as the basic state, so have to make conscious effort towards virtue. I always thought that was a perverse and unuseful outlook, though.
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Hmmm, Flatlander....then, perhaps, virtue could be the antonym for ORIGINAL sin?
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Well, you can commit a sin...but can you "commit a virtue"???
Whitman...exactly.... A sin is an act of intent or omission, while a virtue is attributed to a "Good Deed".
This topic has made me think quite a lot (and reminisce) about that "old time religion", that RC upbringing that renders one guilt-ridden. The concept of sin is just our inherent nature to lean towards evil...when we quell or resist that urge our virtue shows - there should be a word for this!!!
And I Heartily agree with the "mitzvah" concept since Judaism is based on "good deeds" - the positive is reinforced more than the "Thou shalt not...."
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In reply to:
Judaism is based on "good deeds" - the positive is reinforced more than the "Thou shalt not...."
I agree mitzvah would be an apt sinantonym, if only it were an English word. But as I recall (and I concede my Talmudic lore is a little rusty), there are 365 negative (ie of the 'thou shalt not...' variety) commandments in the good OT, but only 248 positive ones. So statistically, Gatsby, I think you're on theologically shaky ground.
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(Cardinal Sin--geez, mav!  ) Okay-- I am with Bob, on pointing out that we need to differentiate between the uses of the word sin. No, you can't commit a virtue. But we can say that being virtuous is the opposite of being sinful. I do hesitate to aver that we can commit a virtuous act, though technically it is correct, commit meaning to do, perform , or perpetrate. We commonly hear 'perform' or 'does' good deeds. It does seem that commit has taken on more of the negative connotation. My brand-new Roget's thesaurus (hardback, even, and I never buy hardbacks if I can help it--they take up too much shelf space) gives these as antonyms for sin (n.): good deed, virtue, kindness. It gives a couple of interesting "sin"onyms, as well: "The breaking of one's own integrity"-D. H. Lawrence; and, "A departure from God"--Martin Luther. Hmm--just looked up virtue. One of the alternates listed is Christian values. No other religions are mentioned. Wonder if that means they think only Christians value virtue? Interesting, esp. when compared with Mr. Lawrence's statement.
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As a die-Hardy fan of Mr. DHL I succumb that his theory falls not far from the sinful crowd,,,(2many mixed metaphors)
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No, you can't commit a virtue.But, but, Jackie, when I was committed, they said it was by virtue of my being sinful!  Is not sin, X-tian theology-wise, a falling short of perfection? If so, then perfection is the antonym, as represented by "sinful" Earth (which, BTW, the perfect, infallible god created) and perfect heaven. Enter that French lunatic Jean Calvin, who said that everyone is condemned, and only god could pick and choose whom HE (never She, damn it!) wished to bless, the outward manifestation of which would be the possession of material wealth, as witness Abraham, Lot, et al. Thus entered into Western thought the idea that rich people would inherit heaven, and the rest of us would go to hell, so you'd better violate the OT and NT admonition that god would destroy those who destroy the Earth. Gosh, no wonder my Christian wife divorced me!
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