I've always found the conept of original sin to be a complete joke. A hoax. A lie perpetuated to make us believe that somehow we thru the actions of ancestors that we cannot take back ourselves, are now hopelessly separated from God's grace- that is unless we take the "miracle cure".
Yes, things for us changed as we came to understand our actions in terms of the "Big Picture". But that change didn't happen just that one time, it's a PROCESS. We grew into our "Knowledge of Good & Evil" then, just as we continue to grow in our understanding now. Just as a child grows. Kids don't wake up one morning and know right from wrong, and even seminal epiphanies can take a while to bear their fruit.
And what's more, I believe that this is how WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE.
God is pretty big, and kind of clever. I don't see how He/She could have made us to be sentient and soulful and then set up a game where our own curiosity would damn us and our kin thru one silly temptation.
I just don't think that God is that foolish or that mean. Among other things it runs counter to my experience of "A sea that refuses no river."
I don't think this Biblical Parable is wrong, per se, just that we're getting the wrong lesson from it and have rewritten the ending retroactively. Yes, as we become more aware of what we are and what we do, things will change.
But God is always there, and we will never ever be separated from that Grace and Love except by our own blindness or willingness to believe things which really don't make much sense.
It's all right there in the punchline: "Who told you that you were naked?"
The Joke's on us and we don't get it. That's our burden, not sin. Sins can be forgiven.
(NB: I'm not a Christian, but I am a medievalist. :)
God is pretty big, and kind of clever. I don't see how He/She could have made us to be sentient and soulful and then set up a game where our own curiosity would damn us and our kin thru one silly temptation.
I just don't think that God is that foolish or that mean. Among other things it runs counter to my experience of "A sea that refuses no river."
Well, there's the gnostic doctrine of the Fortunate Fall, which goes: the Eve eating the apple was a happy thing because it ultimately resulted in God sending Jesus: no apple, no cross. "Ave fit ex Eva" and all that.
Ne hadde the apple take ben The apple taken ben Ne hadde never our lady A ben hevene queen Blissed be the time That apple take was Therefore we moun singen "Deo gracias!"
"Fortunate Fall" Still buys into the Doctrine of Original Sin, tho, which is (in my opinion) just so much Rubbish.
It's fine that Jesus came with a good message, but to make buying into that message a precondition of being put back into Grace? Rubbish!!!
So it's a *good* thing that God stacked the deck in favor of mortals' *inevitable* damnation just so His Children could celebrate their Saviour? Rubbish!
What(non-dysfunctional)parent would DO THAT kind of crap to their beloved child?
I still say that if we feel separated from God's grace, it's because WE are making ourselves blind to it. It's there. How can it not be?
I still say that those who propogated the notion of "Original Sin" were hucksters and charlatans who were greedy for wealth and power. They thought to get it by exploiting people who-longing to be in touch with the Divine, had trouble getting past the challenge of doing so on a Material plane.
All of those beautiful words about Love and Forgiveness twisted into one big lie to enable a power grab. So sad that it still works.
"Original Sin" is the snake oil of organised Christianity and human marks are still lining up to buy it.
(no subject)
A hoax. A lie perpetuated to make us believe that somehow we thru the actions of ancestors that we cannot take back ourselves, are now hopelessly separated from God's grace- that is unless we take the "miracle cure".
Yes, things for us changed as we came to understand our actions in terms of the "Big Picture". But that change didn't happen just that one time, it's a PROCESS. We grew into our "Knowledge of Good & Evil" then, just as we continue to grow in our understanding now. Just as a child grows. Kids don't wake up one morning and know right from wrong, and even seminal epiphanies can take a while to bear their fruit.
And what's more, I believe that this is how WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE.
God is pretty big, and kind of clever. I don't see how He/She could have made us to be sentient and soulful and then set up a game where our own curiosity would damn us and our kin thru one silly temptation.
I just don't think that God is that foolish or that mean. Among other things it runs counter to my experience of "A sea that refuses no river."
I don't think this Biblical Parable is wrong, per se, just that we're getting the wrong lesson from it and have rewritten the ending retroactively. Yes, as we become more aware of what we are and what we do, things will change.
But God is always there, and we will never ever be separated from that Grace and Love except by our own blindness or willingness to believe things which really don't make much sense.
It's all right there in the punchline:
"Who told you that you were naked?"
The Joke's on us and we don't get it. That's our burden, not sin.
Sins can be forgiven.
(no subject)
God is pretty big, and kind of clever. I don't see how He/She could have made us to be sentient and soulful and then set up a game where our own curiosity would damn us and our kin thru one silly temptation.
I just don't think that God is that foolish or that mean. Among other things it runs counter to my experience of "A sea that refuses no river."
Well, there's the gnostic doctrine of the Fortunate Fall, which goes: the Eve eating the apple was a happy thing because it ultimately resulted in God sending Jesus: no apple, no cross. "Ave fit ex Eva" and all that.
Just figured I should throw that out.
‘
(no subject)
The apple taken ben
Ne hadde never our lady
A ben hevene queen
Blissed be the time
That apple take was
Therefore we moun singen
"Deo gracias!"
(no subject)
It's fine that Jesus came with a good message, but to make buying into that message a precondition of being put back into Grace? Rubbish!!!
So it's a *good* thing that God stacked the deck in favor of mortals' *inevitable* damnation just so His Children could celebrate their Saviour? Rubbish!
What(non-dysfunctional)parent would DO THAT kind of crap to their beloved child?
I still say that if we feel separated from God's grace, it's because WE are making ourselves blind to it. It's there. How can it not be?
I still say that those who propogated the notion of "Original Sin" were hucksters and charlatans who were greedy for wealth and power. They thought to get it by exploiting people who-longing to be in touch with the Divine, had trouble getting past the challenge of doing so on a Material plane.
All of those beautiful words about Love and Forgiveness twisted into one big
lie to enable a power grab. So sad that it still works.
"Original Sin" is the snake oil of organised Christianity and human marks are still lining up to buy it.