Are there varying degrees of sin, or are they all equal?

No. Whacking someone is definatly a more serious sin than lying.

Unless one can ask God themself, how would one presume to know the answer to that question?

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Here's a good look at the issue:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/001/19.65.html

I have a hard time thinking that it's possible to assign specific values to sins. We don't live in a world where things are always black and white/right and wrong. A good example is that the Vatican (the head of the Catholic Church) has what is called a "Just war" doctrine. In other words, if a war is "just" then it is not sinful. If war is not sinful, then under the right circumstances, murder is condoned.

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I believe that in order to assign absolute values to certain sins, one must first at least learn how to spell words like "definitely."

'nuff said.

If a "value" was not assigned to a sin, making all sin equal in the eyes of God, then not one person on the planet would go to heaven. All would go the other direction.

So, even the little kid who takes a piece of candy from the candy bin or tells their mom they were at a friends house instead of taking that piece of candy, they would be as guilty as a person who commits murder.

Yes. All three are technically mentioned in the ten commandments. "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not steal," "thou shalt not bare false witness." However, I find it hard to believe a liar like Bill Clinton would burn in the same way as a cold blooded killer like Jeffery Dahmer.

MrAnderson,

The whole concept behind Christianity--and the entire point of this thread--is that if one is a Christian, then it doesn't matter what sins one has committed in the past. You are washed by the blood of Christ and are saved. Period. According to the bible, a serial killer who has asked for forgiveness WILL go to heaven. A compulsive liar who hasn't asked for Christ's forgiveness WILL NOT go to heaven. Get it? I hope so.

You're just pulling ideas out of your @$$. Nowhere in the bible does it say we should assign values to certain sins. It does say "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." This "assigning vallue to sins" concept (BS) was created by hypocritical Christians who want to justify why they ignore the plank in their own eye while they judge the spec in someone else's day in day out.

LOL Liar? How about adulterer? I sure hope people don't overlook that small detail

Yes. In the eyes of God, he did more than just lie. However, my point is the same.