First, neither Anthropologists nor the Anthropological studies are solely guided by assumptions ... this is more about looking for empirical evidences.

It is a commonplace of anthropology to distinguish between a ‘sin’ and ‘shame’. While considering ‘shame’, Anthropologists focus on social mores revolves around the related ideas of honor, duty, country, glory, loyalty, name, praise, and reputation. It may be concerned with group-identity as well as individual-identity to understand about the cognition and social constructs about ‘shame’. ‘Sin’, on the other hand refers to anything that does not ‘obey the rules’ of the social construct at super structural level.