19 Apr 07 Original Sin

I heard a comment this past week regarding original sin and it got me to thinking about the whole concept and doctrine of original sin.  Original sin, like any other highly charged, sensitive topic must begin with a simple question:  "are ya fur it or agin’ it?"

I consulted the trusty internet and found these comments relating to original sin:

“In Christian theology, the condition of sin that marks all humans as a result of Adam’s first act of disobedience.”

“In Christian doctrine, the condition or state of sin into which each human being is born, or its origin in Adam’s disobedience to God when he ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  His guilt was transmitted to his descendants. Though Genesis describes Adam’s sufferings as the consequence of his disobedience, it does not make Adam’s sin hereditary.”

“According to Christian tradition, original sin is the general condition of sinfulness (lack of holiness) into which human beings are born.”

“Original sin, from the Augustinian perspective, is not a free and individual choice by a baby; but rather the effect of the sum total of "world sin", taught analogously through the story of the sin of Adam and Eve. The Augustinian doctrine of original sin teaches that every individual is born into a broken world where sin is already active; that they are inevitably influenced personally by the actions of others and the consequences of choices made by others. The Augustinian effectively believes that human nature—and hence every individual person—is flawed.”

“Judaism rejects the concept of the original sin altogether and stresses free will and men’s responsibility of their actions rather than religious obedience or faith. Why, they ask, would God, who is, by dogma, universal unconditional Love, create sentient and sapient beings, then intentionally let them become corrupt—and then punish them from generation to generation with eternal torture for simply just being born in the world and for nothing else—and judge people not on their actions but by their faith or its lack—and then by whim save the beings from nothing else but from his very own wrath.”

Key passages in this discussion being Romans 5 & 7, and of course Psalm 51.  Here is the text of verses 1 through 5 - pay special attention to the last couple of sentences.

God, be merciful to me because you are loving. Because you are always ready to be merciful, wipe out all my wrongs.  Wash away all my guilt and make me clean again. I know about my wrongs, and I can’t forget my sin.  You are the only one I have sinned against; I have done what you say is wrong. You are right when you speak and fair when you judge. I was brought into this world in sin. In sin my mother gave birth to me.

What challenges my thinking about Psalm 51, a psalm of David, is that the poetry of a shepherd king has been canonized into "Scripture."  So then, are we to accept every line David writes as factual?

Reader's Comments

1. Stoogelover | 19 Apr 2007 10:54 am

   Well, we are definitely born into a fallen world. And, given days of life, we will ultimately become sinners. Are we born "with" sin? I don’t think of a baby as sinful. But give that baby time . . .

2. Seeker | 19 Apr 2007 1:01 pm

   Original sin is an issue for doctoral dissertations and the careers of letter writers. What matters is the grace of God which gives me solace for the children that die before naming Christ and consolation for the redeemed.
   Now, your last question is probably the more provocative one… it is always interesting to me what some will take as ‘literal’ and others take as ‘inference’.

3. Brady | 20 Apr 2007 2:47 am

   Hi Randy: Had a conversation with a regular visitor about this just this week. Since many of the traditions we run across here are Calvinist(ic), the question comes up often. I’m sure that David is writing "factually" yet "poetically". As you know, he’d stole his bud’s girl and then had the man murdered, along with a couple other soldiers that fell on the battlefield, he’s been confronted with his sin by a respected prophet, a judgement has been pronounced on him… David is in deep water, healing water, I’m sure, but the power of his sin and its devastating effects cause him to see that his sin is greater than he ever imagined, and that rebellion goes way back to his earliest memories, if he really thinks about it. I think if we were to take it literally, I’d use a different translation, one that’s been canonized, which lays the blame on David’s mom: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

4. stumptown | 20 Apr 2007 3:57 pm

   I think it is curious and worth consideration that Judaism, at least according to the quoted passage, rejects the doctrine and yet Christian tradition traces the origin of the doctrine back to Jewish scripture in both Genesis and Psalms.  When I say "Jewish scripture" I only mean, it was there’s before it was Christians’ if you know what I mean.  So, you have to ask yoursel if they (who are in many ways closest to this work) took David’s poetry as less literal, should that not inform our reading of it?  Just a question.
    
   Also, in understanding God’s will voiced in scripture, we must be ever vigilant (in my opinion) to avoid the temptation to read scripture as you would the text of a legal statute or contract.  It wasn’t written as one, so to read it as such is fraught with peril to say the absolute least.
   Finally, why do the folks on line blame Adam?  Why does Eve get a pass here?  Wasn’t she first?

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