WHATEVER BECAME OF SIN?

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

Karl Menninger is known as the father of American psychiatry; founder the world famous Menninger Institute. Dr. Menninger was loved and respected by his students and colleagues; he died in 1990 at the age of 96. Interestingly, despite his fame, some turned against Menninger after the release of his 1973 best-selling book Whatever Became of Sin? To them the book repudiated their well-entrenched belief in the secular treatment of mental problems. Dr. Menninger’s book suggested an opposite position---that sin and immorality could be used to explain why some people suffer from depression, debilitating guilt and abject hopelessness.

Most psychiatrists and psychologists avoid using terms like sin, evil or immorality. And for good reason---many don’t believe in sin, evil or immorality. But Karl Menninger thought differently; he wrote extensively on the important role of parents in shaping the impressionable minds of their children; and that love was an essential element in good mental health. Disagreeing with Sigmund Freud’s godless philosophies, Dr. Menninger also came to accept the reality of sin (as outlined in the Bible) and the guilt it produces in the minds of people (Psalm 38:4).

Guilt is a powerful feeling; it is the Hebrew word asam pointing to the sense of indebtedness sin generates. Anthropologists tells us that even the most remote cultures practice some form of crude religion in which sin must be paid for (as in an animal sacrifice). And whereas most people hate the feeling of guilt (2 Corinthians 7:10), it is far worse to never feel guilt; because the presence of guilt is a sign your conscience is still operating within your spirit (Acts 24:25).

Whatever Became of Sin? was a controversial book that mirrors what the Bible repeatedly tells us---we are all sinners guilty before God (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10, 23). But the sin debt was paid when Jesus became the sacrifice for all (Hebrews 10:12). Don’t neglect sin in your life; take care of it often (1 John 1:8-10). Keep short accounts with the Lord. Whatever became of sin? It’s still here (unfortunately). Think about it.