the more you cry, your ashes turn to mud...

Today is Ash Wednesday. What does that mean? Today is the day that Catholics everywhere are supposed to get ashed to remind them of death, of the sorrow they should feel for their sins, and of the necessity of changing their lives (indeed, this is why it is also the first day of Lent, which is a time of penance and prayer in preparation for Easter). Since sin is such a focal point of the next 40 days, I now present Nietzsche's take on the Christian concept of sin:

Psychologically considered, "sins" become indispensable in any society organized by priests: they are the real handles of power. The priest lives on sins, it is essential for him that people "sin." Supreme principle: "God forgives those who repent"--in plain language: those who submit to the priest. (The Antichrist § 26)

[...]

Sin, to repeat it once more, this form of man's self-violation par excellence, was invented to make science, culture, every elevation and nobility of man, impossible; the priest rules through the invention of sin. (The Antichrist § 49)

It is no wonder that Walter Kaufmann famously labeled Nietzsche as "Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist."