On the Doctrine of Sin, Culpability, and the Association's Response Thereto

In the name of God the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.

Lord, do have mercy on us. Grant us peace.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord be with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

In the name of God the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

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PREAMBLE

The United Association of Americans, recognizing the sovereign authority of Almighty God over all human affairs, and recognizing that the moral order of creation is not a matter of opinion but of divine truth, hereby establishes this resolution as a doctrinal and procedural framework for addressing sin, culpability, and the Association's response thereto. This resolution is adopted in fidelity to Scripture, to reason, and to the eternal moral law written upon the hearts of men. All proceedings conducted under this resolution shall remain within the lawful protections of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, specifically the freedoms of expression and association.

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SECTION I: DECLARATION OF GRAVE SINS

Section 1.1 — Enumeration

The United Association of Americans hereby recognizes and codifies the following as grave sins, which are also grave wrongs:

1. Lust

2. Gluttony

3. Greed

4. Wrath

5. Heresy

6. Violence

7. Fraud

8. Treachery

Section 1.2 — Distinction Between Grave Sins and Deadly Sins

It is acknowledged that Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and Wrath appear among the seven deadly sins. Their presence on this list of grave sins requires explanation and clarification.

Those sins which are deadly but not grave are characterized by two things: first, the doer possesses actual or real hopeful repentance of them; and second, the sins do not cause observable and direct damage to the body of God's Church.

The grave sins enumerated in Section 1.1 are distinguished from the merely deadly by the opposite of those two things:

• The doer does not repent, nor possesses any real hope of doing so;

• The sins deserve fiery punishment as a result;

• The sins have directly damaged, or made a real attempt at damaging, God's holy Church, which is unbreakable and eternally virtuous in her consistency.

When Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and Wrath are committed under those conditions — without repentance, with destructive intent toward the Church, and deserving of fiery consequence — they rise to the level of grave sin and are properly placed upon this list.

Section 1.3 — On the Eternal Disposition of Souls

People who sinned but prayed for forgiveness before their deaths are found not in Hell but in Purgatory, where they labor to become free of their sins. Those in Hell are people who attempted to justify their sins and were unrepentant. This resolution takes note of that eternal truth as the foundation of its approach to accountability in temporal affairs.

SECTION II: THE THREE CATEGORIES OF SIN

Section 2.1 — General Classification

All sins recognized by this Association are organized into three major categories:

1. Incontinence

2. Violence and Bestiality

3. Fraud and Malice

Section 2.2 — Incontinence

Incontinence, sometimes called wantonness, is the phenomenon of acting against one's better judgment. It is the state in which a person intentionally performs an action while simultaneously believing that a different course of action would be better. It is often called weakness of the will.

The sins of Incontinence are:

• Lust

• Gluttony

• Greed

• Wrath

The incontinent are the lustful, the gluttonous, the hoarders and wasters, and the wrathful and sullen.

Section 2.3 — Violence and Bestiality

Violence, as a category of sin, encompasses willful, forceful harm directed against persons, institutions, or the sacred order of creation. It is characterized by a bestiality of conduct that exceeds the weakness of the incontinent and rises to a deliberate and savage assault upon what is good and holy.

Section 2.4 — Fraud and Malice

Fraud and Malice constitute the gravest category of sin. These are sins of the intellect and will — committed through deliberate deception, betrayal, and treachery. They represent a corruption of the rational faculty, which God gave to man to know truth, and a perversion of the social bonds that God established for man's flourishing. Heresy, Fraud, and Treachery find their place here.

SECTION III: THE DOCTRINE OF CULPABILITY

Section 3.1 — The Requirement of Willfulness

For the purposes of this Association, in order for a person to be guilty of a sin, they must have sinned willfully. A person sins willfully when they do so:

• With evil intentions, that is, with an evil or debased state of mind;

• Knowingly, understanding the nature of what they do;

• With either a debasement of heart or a gross negligence of temperament.

Such persons can and shall be held accountable by this Association.

Section 3.2 — Innocent Sin: Non-Willful Transgression

People who sin without an evil or guilty state of mind, who do so out of a profound and inept ignorance, have not sinned in the willful sense addressed by this resolution. These people have committed only an innocent sin. Innocent sin is not the subject of punitive action by this Association.

The people who commit innocent sins are forgiven. There must still be a price paid for this, but these people are not themselves directly guilty in the precise same way, for, as it is written, they knew not what they did.

Section 3.3 — The Association's Response to Innocent Sin

The Association's response to those who commit innocent sin shall proceed as follows:

1. The person shall be approached with calm and gentleness. There shall be no real anger or hostility.

2. An explanation of why their conduct is sinful shall be offered in a firm and strong manner — unyielding — but not accusatory, and not holding them directly responsible.

3. The explanation shall be made so as to bring the person to genuine and kind understanding through the light of their own reason and good conscience.

4. If they are true and just as they are represented to be, they will receive the light extended to them.

5. At that point, the person shall earnestly express remorse and confession for those sins, having caused harm.

6. The remorse required of such persons is not the same as that required of willful sinners. It shall be a profound remorse — not a remorse of direct personal guilt, but a grand remorse for the fact that sin exists at all in the world and came through them in any manner, even unintentionally.

7. Upon that expression of remorse, the person is forgiven. No purging or penance is required.

8. All memory of those sins having occurred shall be cleared.

9. The person shall then be reminded of all the goodness they have done, and finally encouraged to continue down that path, resolving toward goodwill.

SECTION IV: THE DOCTRINE OF WILLFUL SIN AND REPENTANCE

Section 4.1 — Two Classes of Willful Sinners

Those who do willfully commit a sin — knowing what they do, with an evil or debased state of mind — are divided into two classes:

1. Those who express remorse and repent;

2. Those who do not express remorse and who attempt to justify their sins.

Section 4.2 — Willful Sinners Who Repent

Those who willfully sin and subsequently express remorse can begin the process of forgiveness. They are forgiven, except that they must undergo a process of penance to reconcile their souls. The terms and conduct of that penance shall be addressed elsewhere within the works of this Association.

Section 4.3 — Willful Sinners Who Do Not Repent

Those who willfully sin and do not express remorse — who instead attempt to justify their sins without remorse — shall be subject to the punitive process of this Association.

The goal of that punishment is to encourage repentance and remorse.

SECTION V: THE PUNITIVE PROCESS FOR UNREPENTANT WILLFUL SINNERS

Section 5.1 — Right to a Fair and Impartial Trial

Every person, before being subjected to punishment by this Association, shall be given a fair and impartial trial before this Association. No person shall be shamed or subjected to social pressure before that trial has been conducted.

Section 5.2 — Permissible Punitive Measures

The following are the punitive measures this Association may employ against unrepentant willful sinners, following a fair and impartial trial:

1. Social pressure

2. Ostracizing

3. Shame

4. Declarations of accountability

5. Disassociation

These are peaceful means, expressed only within the lawful confines as protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States; specifically the freedoms of expression and association.

Section 5.3 — Purpose of Punishment

The purpose of all punishment carried out under this resolution is the encouragement of repentance and remorse in the offending party, not vengeance or destruction. The Association acts not as an avenger but as a body of accountability committed to the restoration of the moral order.

SECTION VI: THE DETERMINATION OF EVIL INTENT — STATES OF MIND

Section 6.1 — General Principle

Some persons will argue over exactly what constitutes an evil intention, or state of mind. This Association adopts the following method for determining that, just as a doctor does not need to establish a perfect treatise on the definition of health before making a prescription. The perfect treatise is established, but not here, except elsewhere within the works of this Association.

Section 6.2 — The Four States of Mind

For those willful sins committed by persons who do not express remorse, culpability shall be assessed beginning from the ground up, proceeding through the following four ascending states of mind:

I. Negligence

Negligence is the lowest layer. Negligence embodies:

1. Conduct that is judged by an objective standard — that of the reasonable man; and

2. Some degree of risk which the actor's conduct must create.

The risk must be substantial and unjustifiable. That is, the risk must be of such a nature and degree that failure to perceive it involves a gross deviation from the standard of care that a reasonable person would observe in the actor's situation.

II. Recklessness

Recklessness is above negligence. A person acts recklessly when they consciously disregard a substantial and unjustifiable risk that their conduct will result in sin or harm, where that disregard constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of conduct that a law-abiding and God-fearing person would observe.

III. Knowingness

Knowingness is above recklessness. A person acts knowingly when they are aware that their conduct is sinful or harmful, and proceed regardless, possessing full awareness of the nature and quality of what they do.

IV. Purposefulness

Purposefulness is the highest state. A person acts purposefully when it is their conscious object and aim to commit the sin, to bring about the harm, and to do so with deliberate and willful intent. This is the gravest state of mind and warrants the gravest response from this Association.

SECTION VII: CLOSING DECLARATIONS

Section 7.1

This Association affirms that all of its proceedings under this resolution are conducted in fidelity to the moral law of God, the Constitution of the United States, and the principles of justice, mercy, and truth.

Section 7.2

This Association affirms that the goal of all of its work in this matter is not condemnation but restoration — the restoration of the sinner to God, to the community, and to the truth written upon every human heart.

Section 7.3

This Association affirms that it acts under the authority and mercy of Almighty God, and in the name of His Church, which is holy, unbreakable, and eternally virtuous in her consistency.

In the name of God the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.