Questions for fellow Christians....

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Can obsession be considered a sin?
And can the same be said for self-consciousness?

Please cite any verses from The Bible
and elaborate on this as you will...

Sin is defined as an act that separates us from God. Obsession could be considered idolatry, if you are putting attention into you interest when you should be giving it up to God, then idolatry has occurred.

Dont sweat it too much, We live under grace, not law. Jesus fulfilled and satsified the law of God. It is still important to keep the law, to be as Christlike as possible, but Jesus knows that we suck at following rules.

As for Self-conciousness, i think its a positive. If we are more aware of our flaws, we can better resolve them. I am self-concious in that i often notice myself in the act of sin or about to sin. If you can know what actions or thoughts led up to that sin, you are better equipped to prevent them from happening again

As for self-consciousness...I think there is a difference between being self-aware and being self-loathing. Truly becoming aware of one's sins is a process that has to be undertaken in a levelheaded manner that neither tends towards self-flagellation nor towards turning a blind eye. Done in this levelheaded manner, I agree it's very much a positive. Excesses, though, can be destructive.

As to obsessions...I agree with whoever said that we have to be careful not to place our special interests above God. I have experienced both having interests that are under control and those that are not, and there's definitely a difference. Having special interests in general though is not a sin, and I think there's a reason that some of us are designed that way...those interests can become a means of service.

What I meant was obsession/self-consciousness not being a sin, but a form of sin.

Ok, I just got out of church, and the deacon was giving
a homily about greed and materialism, which were the
themes in the readings today.

I didn't understand what "idolatry" meant?
Can someone explain that?

This leads to my next question:

Can any of the following be seen as a form of sin?
-Exercise

-Travel

-Compulsive spending {I'm a compulsive spender, BTW}

-Compulsion in general

...I could only come up with four so far, if you
want to add to the list, go right ahead.

Idolatry is ANY act associated with worshiping false gods. The more OBVIOUS ones are making carved images of gods and worshiping them. This doesn't seem to be very common practice these days, but the other idolatrous actions ARE common and widespread--so much so we may not even recognize them.

Some of those things are hideous even by today's standards. For example: Bestiality. Incest. Child sacrifices. They are simply taboo--we'd NEVER do that. Also: Temple prostitution/rituals involving sex. Many so-called "sex magick" rituals don't actually involve intercourse but do represent a "symbolic" paring of a priest and priestess. So those kinds of things would also fit within the realm of idolatry. The Bible makes mention of specific practices of idolatry, but one might also logically conclude that divination, sorcery, necromancy, and various other forms of witchcraft would also fall under the same rubric as general idolatry.

Some of those things which are idolatrous are much more subtle because they appear generally accepted or at least tolerated within society to varying degrees. Homosexuality is one example. I would personally also include any kind of abortion, and here's why:

Temple prostitution was a prominent feature of Molech worship. Because the ancient Canaanites did not have the luxury of birth control, unwanted pregnancy and disease would have been rampant among these women. Offering an unwanted newborn to Molech would have been a perfect and convenient solution. But this practice was forbidden among the Israelites as idolatry. And since ALL forms of idolatry are to be avoided, abortions of the present day CAN be seen as a continuation or extension of Molech worship, even if the one receiving abortive services has no clue who Molech even is. The Bible gives no indication that a person has to actually be consciously worshiping a false deity (false meaning anything other than Yahweh) to be guilty of it. Therefore such things as homosexuality and abortion would rank as those egregious practices involved in idol worship.

Disclaimer: My purpose is not to denigrate abortion or homosexuality, but simply answer the question as to what constitutes idolatrous practices as described in the Bible.

I heard a speaker at a Christian conference give a really good illustration of this. Read Psalm 63:

1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.

9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
(New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, from http://www.biblegateway.com)

The speaker asked us to think about if we could fill in this blank with a word from our lives: "You, _______, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you," etc... If those feelings apply to something else more than God, then it is an idol.
Many people might fill in the blank with words like money, comfort, popularity, affection, sports, or power. For aspies, we might have different idols. I have to confess that, as a compulsive daydreamer, I often feel that way about my daydreaming world: "You, fantasy world, are my God, earnestly I seek you, I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you... On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night."

I have struggled with this A LOT, and I continue to struggle with it. My daydreaming and other obsessions are so captivating, they keep me from prayer, Bible study, and lots of other important activities. Sometimes I sit down to read my Bible or pray, and I can't think about anything except my obsessions. Is this a sin? Is it my fault or is it an illness? I don't know, but I know that it is a sin when I stop trying.
It's hard because I am fighting against the way my brain is wired, but it is basically the same as a person with strong sexual desires trying to live a sexually pure life. It occurred to me a few weeks ago that this is really a fight between "the spirit" and "the flesh"- we are literally fighting our own flesh, our neurology. When we reach the perfection of heaven, our brains with function perfect and we will have no problem focusing on God. Until then, we have to keep fighting to stay focused on God. Sometimes we will fail and loose focus, but that is what Christ's sacrifice is for.

Yowza...does this mean I can't want anything fervently? (not being sarcastic, this is a genuine question) Like I've got exams coming up, and I really want an A. It's literally almost all I think about, because a.)I haven't really got much else to think about anyway and b.)got to study everyday man. Doesn't mean I stop thinking about God...

But I really want/need that A!