The Doctrine of Original Sin

I’ll never forget the birth of my first son.  It was 1976, and when the doctor announced that it was a boy, it was the proudest moment in my life.

A few days later, we brought him home from the hospital.  We were living in government housing in Germany, where I was stationed as an Army officer.

We had good friends living across the hall.  They were devout Christians.  They came over to see the new baby, and while the wife went on about how cute he was, the husband said, “Let me see that little sinner.”

Of course, we chuckled, because we all knew that the Bible taught that all individuals are born into a state of sin….caused my Adam’s first transgression.  However, after the neighbor said that, something inside of me rebelled at the comment.

I looked at my five-day old son…..perfectly innocent…..and said to myself, “No, that is not right!  He is not a sinner!  How could he be?”

One of the criticisms of the religious by those who profess not to be, is their lack of critical thinking.  When a religious authority teaches a doctrine, the “sheep” too often, blindly follow, without applying any rational thought to whether or not the doctrine is true.

In the words of so many dogmatic Christians, “The Bible says it.  I believe it.  That settles it.”

Well….it’s not that simple.  Not by a long stretch.

If sin is “missing the mark,” (a definition frequently used by Christians), how can a five-day old infant be guilty of it?  A baby has no cognizance of any mark in the first place!

The answer?  The doctrine of original sin.  They will tell you that all mankind is born into sin, based on Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

How ridiculous is that?  How illogical is that? 

If you ask me, the doctrine of original sin definitely misses the mark.