When Sin Helps

News Item: A week or so ago the U.S. Supreme Court decided that corporations, under the understanding that they are legal entities like a person is, have every right to contribute as much money as they want into election campaigns (within the “soft money” limits). Many theoreticians think this may be the worst blow dealt democracy in our history, or at least possibly so. I am choosing to believe, or at least passionately hope otherwise, although I am referring my friends to www.movetoamend.org.

The thing that fascinates me though about this is the perspective behind this ruling. Remember the bank bailout? It came from an idea called deregulation, which posits that banks and other corporations will do what is good for us because it is in their self interest. Notice what is missing? Will they fool themselves into doing foolish things? Should someone watch out for their dumbest inclinations if they do? Who should that be (since stockholders typically have no way to influence the corporate system)? An understanding of sin in the ancient meaning is what is missing from this theory.

Now we have corporations buying elections. They won’t ruin democracy since that is not in their self interest. They won’t buy up all the press so you can’t even hear the other side, now will they? They won’t misjudge and self justify their most egregious behavior. Or will they? Or will I if given enough unchecked power? Or will you?

The ancient idea of sin, unlike our modern prurient one, contended wisely that we can all fool ourselves. While having divergent ideas about traditional faith, the early American founders had no doubt about this principle, thus establishing the three branches of government to check each other, and blessing a free press to challenge even them.

We are helped to humility by the ancient view of sin. It reminds us we can be self deceptive, even to the point of self destruction (can I get an “amen” from my twelve step friends!). The newer view of sin is mostly self assault and judging others for personal flaws. That is not what the concept taught originally. It taught we can all misfire. We need checks and balances. We need a system for rigorous self examination or we can lose everything.