Making Up for Wrongdoings

This first question regarding making up for wrongdoings, I find, is an interesting one. I think that most Americans should say yes, one should be able to make up for wrongdoings. It is not because that is my belief, or because it is the right belief, or because it is the majority world belief. Rather, it is because this belief is the ABSOLUTE BASIS of Christianity. You are born a human sinner, and you try to make it up by doing the sacraments. Basically, if people don't believe this, their existence as Christians is pointless, because their fate is already set. Those that don't believe you can make up for wrongdoings are more along the lines of fatalists. Just some thoughts on making up for wrongdoings from the perspective of a Christian.

Personally, I think that one bad deed should not cross out a life of good deeds, nor should a life of bad deeds by waved away by one good deed. The best way I can say my beliefs, I think, is that everything should be taken at face value. For example, Arthur was a good king and did much for his people, and in that respect he is good, but he did try to drown children, in which case he is selfish. So he is a leader that is partly selfless and partly selfish. Both should be recognized, rather then them both simply nullifying the other. In another, better example, say you have a man who served his country as an activist for civil rights and did community service and then robbed a bank. He should not be excused from robbing the bank because of his past deeds, nor should his good deeds go unrecognized for his robbery. Rather, he should be jailed for a time for robbing a bank and praised and given awards for doing his community service for 30 years. Someone is not good or bad, which is why each action should be handled appropriately, rather than the total of all actions being composed into one blanketing description of "good" or "bad."

~Tyler