Tori's Personal Compendium: On Redemption + Sin

Any person, no matter their past sins, can learn to improve themselves and atone for their bad deeds.

If a person can demonstrate a willingness to change, and puts time and effort into doing so, they can be considered ‘redeemed’.

However, such redemption requires commitment, sincerity and effort. A person cannot be redeemed until they understand their transgressions and resolve themselves fully to change.

- Tori’s Personal Compendium - ‘Redemption + Sin’

Introduction

Sometimes, profound meaning is extracted from the most unexpected of places. The concepts and belief defined and discussed in this essay first became of interest to me while watching Hazbin Hotel, an adult animated series on Prime Video.

The series focuses on the concept of redeeming past sins, and cleansing the soul of a sinner. I found this concept deeply interesting, and so I began to investigate it in further detail.

The belief discussed has earned its spot as the first of my core beliefs listed in my personal compendium, and I do not think it is likely to change at any point.

I have, during my own life, made bad decisions and taken bad actions, and it is thanks to this belief that I am now able to write this essay. If I did not believe this, perhaps I would still be drowning in the guilt and pain of my past actions.

Sin

In order to discuss redemption from sin, we must first define what a sin actually is. In a theological sense, a sin is simple to describe - it is an act that violates a divine law.

For example, having sexual relations outside of marriage would be considered a sin in Abrahamic religions such as Christianity or Judaism, as it violates one of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not commit adultery.

However, I am an atheist. I do not believe in deities, and subsequently do not believe in divine law. As such, when I refer to the word, it must have some other meaning. Providing a concrete definition for such an abstract concept as morality and sin is difficult, if not impossible. The best definition of Sin I can come up with is as follows:

A sin is an unnecessary act that harms, whether directly or indirectly, a human or other living being; or is otherwise considered immoral or cruel.

For my purposes, and the purposes of this essay, this definition is sufficient, however imperfect it may be.

Redemption

Similarly, we must also define what it means to be redeemed from a sin. This is an even more challenging task, and I am still unsure if my own definition is sufficient, and whether it will change in the future.

In a biblical sense, a sin is redeemed if an individual asks God for forgiveness and repents their actions. As stated previously, this definition is not enough for me. I would like to attempt to define Redemption in a way that does not rely on any religion or deity to do so.

Redemption is the process through which an individual recognises, regrets, and takes actions to resolve a sin.

This definition is definitely not perfect, and I may end up changing it for my own purposes in the future if I eventually deem it insufficient. In that case, I will update this essay accordingly.

The Process: RRRR

That then begs the question - how can an individual achieve redemption? Naturally, they must be able to demonstrate some level of regret and repentance for their sins, and they must also show that they are willing and able to rectify it.

This brings me on to what I call the ‘RRRR’ process:

1. Recognition,

2. Regret,

3. Repentance,

4. Rectification.

I believe, that through these four steps, an individual can work to redeem and reform themselves. There is no set timeframe for this - someone may be able to do so within a few days for something minor, such as a small lie; or it may take several years or even decades if the crime is major enough.

Recognition

Firstly, an individual must be able to recognise their sin. They must understand their actions, the consequences of those actions, and the effect those actions had on other people around them.

This is, perhaps, one of the hardest parts of the process to achieve and maintain, as it requires a significant amount of self-reflection. However, should an individual be able to display recognition, they will no doubt be able to perform the rest of the process.

Regret

An individual must then be able to accept responsibility for their actions, and feel the guilt for performing their sin. In this stage, the individual must not attempt to pass blame to anyone else - they must accept that their actions were theirs and theirs alone.

Repentance

In this stage, an individual must accept any consequences that they may face for their actions. They must recognise them as fair and just, and carry them out without complaint.

The composition of these consequences itself is irrelevant - it could range from things as simple as losing friends, to spending time incarcerated or paying out a large fine. What matters is that the individual accepts these punishments as fair.

Rectification

Finally, the individual must be able to display their change by performing sincere and genuine actions that are antithesis to their sin. For example, if a person stole from someone else, they may be able to rectify that sin by donating items or money to charity, or helping the less fortunate.

This is the final stage in the process, and it must be maintained for the rest of an individuals life. If they cannot maintain this, then they cannot be considered truly reformed.

However, should this process be completed and maintained, I believe that an individual can be considered redeemed for whatever sin they may have committed.

The Process in Action: Larry Lawton

Larry Lawton was a criminal who is believed to have robbed, or attempted to rob, 20 to 25 jewellery stores, making him one of the most notorious jewel thieves of his time. He was involved in organised crime from a young age, and often acted as a loan shark and bookmaker, until he was arrested in 1996 in connection with his robberies.

He was given four concurrent sentences to serve 12 years in Federal Imprisonment, during which he would serve time in some of the most notorious Federal Prisons, such as FCI Atlanta (Formerly USP Atlanta), and FCI Edgefield.

Upon his release, Lawton resolved himself to avoid prison, and improve his life. He now actively works to rectify his crimes, and began public speaking. He is now well-known for the Reality Check program, which he started, through which he aids teenagers and shows them the consequences of crime. He also runs a YouTube channel, through which he discusses his experiences before and during his incarcertation.

Additionally, Lawton is a major advocate for prison reform in the United States, giving frequent speeches about it and raising awareness for the brutality within the prison system that he was exposed to.

I believe that Lawton’s reformation is a prime example of the process in action - he recognised his crimes, he regretted them, and he served his punishment in prison. When he was released, he worked to reform himself and now actively works with law enforcement to discourage crime.

A Conclusion

It is my hope that this essay has given you something to reflect on and consider. Perhaps, if you did not believe that redemption is possible for the worst of crimes, this could change your mind - even just a little.

Perhaps, it is not truly possible for some sins to be redeemed. Or, perhaps while a sin can be redeemed, the effects of it can never be reversed. Can the same process be applied to a murderer, or a rapist?

I will leave that as an open question to the reader. For now, I will sign off. See you next time, and thank you for reading!