Homo incurvatus in se. Human beings curved in on themselves. That's how Martin Luther defined "sin." That picture, of a human being in it for himself/herself, is still the most widely used caricature of sin in use today. One is sinful primarily when one considers his/her own good. It's a very individualistic, atomized picture. It's a straw man. Let's face it, there are very few individuals who are so sinful as to focus only on their individual selves. It's a picture that we can easily look at and say, "Whew, that's not me." Most of us care genuinely about, at least, our immediate and extended families, our communities, our religious and social groups. Most of us would sacrifice, to some extent, our selves in furtherance of the good of those larger circles. If we do, and do so consistently, are we not then sinners? We certainly are, to the extent that we do so under the rubric of caterva incurvatus in se , groups curved in on themselves (BT...
