QUESTION: How does the structural sin affect us and what is the remedy for it? – Fr. Johnson P

ANSWER: Jacob Parappally MSFS

 All humans are in a net-work of relationships. Social scientists and psychologists may explain that it is necessary to live and believe in this awareness because it is necessary for one’s own survival in this world. John Donne wrote in one of his poems “No human is an island entire of itself; every human is a piece of the continent, a part of the main”. It expresses that one’s life is not only connected with the members of a society in which she or he lives but also with the entire humanity. A feeling that one is separated from a society or abandoned by other humans and is being condemned to live in isolation can make a person anxious, frightened and depressed . It may lead one to end her or his life. Social structures are evolved in the course of human history from primitive to the most complex ones which can be liberative or enslaving depending on the plans and purposes of those who create them and develop them in the course of time. Social structures can be used or abused for the advantage of one or a few at the cost of the many who may benefit from them. But none can deny that good social structures are necessary for a harmonious life of humans in any society.

It may appear that humans become social beings by being born into a human society. In fact, they do not transform themselves into a social being by a mere process of socialization. It is the outcome of their being social beings by their very nature. Humans become what they are. The Christian faith-experience is that humans are essentially communitarian by their nature because they are created in the image and likeness of God, the Trinity or the Absolute Communion. The communitarian dimension of humans can be considered both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing when humans have a share in the goodness of others and it is a curse when it is sharing in the corruption, evil, hatred and in fact everything that is sinful. The vulnerable situation of human being is that the solidarity in goodness of the entire humanity is intertwined with one’s solidarity with the evil of the society which we call the ‘sin of the world’. Through the hominization of the Word or God or God becoming human, the sinful situation of the world is overcome but not removed because humans continue to sin personally and collectively.

Power of Structural Sin

Structural sin is an overflow of the sins of the individuals that affect not only those who commit them but also the entire society and the world. It destroys the life of millions who do not have any part in creating sinful structures. Structural sin is not only constituted by the accumulation of individual sins but also by creating systems and structures of society which are sinful. Every system and structure that dehumanizes humans and would not let humans unfold themselves as humans is sinful. Those who manipulate structures to further their selfish interests not only destroy themselves, others and their environment but also contribute to the strengthening of the power of the evil inherent in the structures. Clear examples of such structural sins are racism, casteism, patriarchy etc.

Gerald West wrote: “The real danger of structural sin is that we usually do not recognize it. In order to see structural sin for what it is we need those who are the victims of particular structural sins to teach us. For example, women will teach us about the pervasive structural sin of patriarchy; black people will teach us about the enduring structural sin of racism; …and the poor will teach us about the structural sin of global capitalism”. What West says is really true about the caste system in India or even patriarchy. Centuries old tradition of caste system creates a structure of hierarchy among people based on their birth in a family which is assigned to a specific, predetermined group and which discriminates those who are lower in the hierarchy or even outside of it. A terribly inhuman situation arises when structural sins are not recognized as sins against humanity and are given religious sanction as something sacred and acceptable. Further, the practice of them is considered a religious duty. When any religion espouses itself to a political ideology, the struggle to secure power by manipulating religious beliefs, adds to the intensity of cruelty to humanity that structural sins can inflict on hapless people. When religious structures themselves become means to oppress and exploit people, they become the worst enemies of humanity. Unfortunately, many victims of these structural evils do not recognize it and therefore cannot revolt against their situation.

A legitimate question can be raised about the origin of structural sins. Both the individual sins and structural sins originate from the refusal of humans to submit themselves to the plan of God for them. A refusal to follow the way shown by God through his revelation for the full flowering of humans as humans and thus also become the glory of God is abandoned by humans when they choose to follow their own selfish designs deceiving themselves by a false belief that their independence from God, the source of their lives, would secure them identity, recognition, power and fulfilment of life. Independent of God, some humans assume that they are in power to control their own destiny as well as the destiny of others who are made to submit to their power. They create structures and systems that assist them to achieve their selfish ambitions. What are the consequences of the structural sins for humans and their world? Well-known moral theologian Bernhard Haering calls it the world of sin. He says, “The conflict of the world powers, the exploitation of the majority of people, and consequent class struggles, terrorism and violence, the general hysteria of consumerism in the realm of sexuality as elsewhere, all create a reality in humans’ psychological environment, beside which the dreadful pollution of air and water is relatively innocuous. The environmental pollution, the senseless violation and destruction of the resources of our planet, are evidently part and parcel of the sinfulness of the world” (Sin in the Secular World, p.103). Structural sins affect, individual persons, society and nature in such a way that they destroy harmony within oneself, in the society and in the nature with disastrous consequences. Though every one of us contribute to the intensity and variety of structural sins, they are mostly committed by those who wield power to create systems and structures that are designed to exploit, discriminate people, fragment societies and ferment violence.

When major religions of the world depart from their original purpose of proclaiming liberation and salvation from the misery of this world promising a peaceful life beyond this world collude with political powers and ideologies, they become an ally to create, sustain and promote structures of sin and structural sins. The Hindutva politics adopted by the ruling party using Hindu symbols and rites to promote a political party to secure power, the political Islam that justifies terrorism and violence to establish Islamic states in the name of God, Christianity’s overt or covert support to tyrannical governments and autocratic rulers, the Buddhists’ support to governments to use violence to suppress the legitimate demands of the Tamils to secure their rights in Sri Lanka are some of the examples to show how even religions contribute to structural sins.

Confronting Structural Sin

Humans are created to be in right relationship with themselves, with God their Ultimate Source, with others and with nature. In this right relationship or communion humans can unfold themselves as humans, find a meaning for their lives and finally reach their destiny. However, when there is alienation or separation within oneself, or when one is not in harmony within oneself, separating oneself from God, others and nature, then that person is in sin. Though every human being is born into a situation of sin created by all those lived before and are still living when one is born and is affected by the evil consequences of the structural sins of the society one can choose to continue in it lured by the apparent material benefits they bring or can refuse to be a part it. It is a choice one makes that determines one’s life and destiny. Evangelist John says, “The light has come into the world, and humans loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19). As long as humans make wrong choices abusing their freedom they go on committing personal sins and create structures that are sinful. But is there not a way out of this situation of sin and the misery it produces? According to Christian faith the only and most important way of overcoming or remedying the situation of structural sin is conversion from sin and reconciling with God in the personal level and creating life-promoting and humanizing structures by those with deep faith in God and human values and rights. It is the mission of the Church not only to raise its prophetic voice denouncing structural sins but to confront the structures of sin.

Prophetic Church and Structural Sin

The vocation of the Church is to continue the mission of Jesus Christ her Lord and Master guided by the Holy Spirit. Jesus confronted both the structural sins and the structures of sin created by the Pharisees, the Scribes, the priestly and political classes to discriminate, dominate and exploit the people especially the poor and the marginalized. They divided the people into ritually pure and impure, righteous ones and sinners, rich and poor, insiders and outsiders etc. and created structures to ensure that such evil practices are continued. As the Spirit-anointed prophet with deep communion with God, whom he addressed Abba Jesus courageously denounced oppression, injustice, discrimination, dehumanization and exploitation in the name of those structures created by religion and society. Certainly, he had to pay for it with his life. But by his death and resurrection he reconciled the world and opened the possibility of individuals to experience wholeness through conversion and reconciliation and transformed structures of religion and society to be means of human welfare and for the care of entire creation if they let themselves be guided by the Spirit of God. If they choose to refuse the invitation of God offered through Jesus Christ and effected through the Holy Spirit they continue to be means of sin and oppression.

The Church needs to continue the prophetic mission of Jesus Christ confronting and denouncing structural sins and the structures of sin in this world as well as creating structures that bring wholeness to people and promote communion among all people. For this, the Church itself must be a credible witness to God’s Kingdom which Jesus preached and lived. To be a credible prophetic voice in the world the Church needs to be self-critical about its own institutions and structures that create structural sins as they are run by the officials of the Church who are fallible humans. What the traditional theology’s view on this matter is summarized by Charles Journet when he says, “The Church is not without sinners; however, she is without sin”. It can be considered true in a sense but when popes, bishops, priests and the rest of the members of the Church are committing sins we cannot say that the Church is not involved. But the Church gets its visibility and credibility in the world through its leaders. When the leaders of the Church live a credible life and stand for the values of the Kingdom, their prophetic voice against structural sins can challenge the structures to become aware of the evils they perpetrate and thus confront those who operate these structures to change their evil ways and transform structures of sin into structures of goodness and human values. Only God’s Spirit can transform and make everything new. But the Spirit of God needs human cooperation to change darkness into light!