The earthly version of holiness.
To be holy, by definition, is to be blameless, sinless, perfect. To be without fault.
On the other hand, by earthly standards, holy seems to be more of a "there's this list of rules, see? And if you live up to this here list of rules, well, we won't have to lean on you quite so hard, right, because instead you'll be helping us lean on somebody else, and maybe breaking their moral knee-caps, you see?"
Or...one can act morally. One can be clean, be pure, by following a list of rules.
This despite the biblical mandate "The only way to heaven is through belief in Christ and acceptance of His Grace"
We generally feel better about ourselves as humans, apparently, if we can compare ourselves to others and say "yeah, we're better than you!"
Even if we reach that conclusion by making up lists of rules for ourselves to follow.
And even if all it really does is separate us from each other and make people stop listening.
Examples of these rules would be:
- abstinence
- heterosexuality
- truthfulness
- charity
- Wearing the right suit
- Singing the right songs. At the right time.
- "being a nice person".