A moral category going beyond that of simple wrongdoing by its implications of evil, disobedience, depravity, stain, and wickedness . Sin therefore requires atonement, penitence, and self-abasement. The abjection and lack of self-respect implied in the cluster of ideas serve to emphasize the importance of redemption. They are therefore an important buttress to the power of those who claim to know how to provide it. See also hell, original sin, predestination, Seven Deadly Sins.
Philosophy dictionary. Academic. 2011.