This is http://www.essayz.com/a9305012.htm         
Previous-Essay      <== This-Essay ==>     Following-Essay
Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words.
{Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.}
==========================================================
%ORIGINAL SIN BORN DEFECTIVE MISTAKE KNOW EVIL GOOD 930501

     It is interesting  to  consider   the  origins of the
doctrine of  original sin.  In the stories of the creation
all  that God made was good.   God commanded Adam and  Eve
not  to   eat of  the  fruit of the tree of the  knowledge
of   good   and  evil;      so   that   they   would   not
engender      alienative   relationships    through    the
presumption of the knowledge of who are  the  good people,
and who  are  the  evil people.  According  to the stories
of  the  garden  of  Eden  the  fall has to  do  with  the
presumption  of the knowledge of who the good people  are,
and who the evil people are.

     The    doctrine   of   original   sin   indicates   a
preoccupation with the knowledge of the difference between
good  people  and  evil   people;    but  it  involves  an
additional  perversion  in  that  it is assumed  that  all
people   are   born   inherently  defective---in spite  of
all  the  good that God created in the  first days.    Why
have theologians run  counter to  the stories  of the good
creation,    and laid  upon poor  people the burden of the
doctrine that they were born defective?  Might it  be that
too many theologians   are   addictive   at  heart,    and
like   addicts  are   determined  to   undermine  people's
healthy self esteem?  Might it be that too  many religious
leaders have willfully  eaten  of the fruit of the tree of
the  knowledge  of  good  and evil,    and  through  their
alienative  teachings  demonstrate  the  futility  of  the
presumption of that kind of knowledge?

     Down  through  human history the doctrine of original
sin has served  many  religious leaders well.   They  have
placed  themselves   in  the  position of being  able   to
offer  the  "fixes"   for  the  imperfections  which   the
doctrine   of  original   sin  says  are  born  into  each
person.    If  people were not inherently defective,  then
the market for "fixes" would  not  be as great,  and there
would  not  be  as many advantages in  holding   religious
offices  of  power  and influence.

     Perhaps the doctrine  of original sin relates to some
truths  regarding aspects of the real human condition.  It
seems it might be good,  however,  to seek a better way to
point to those truths  than the way which does so  much to
undercut people's self-esteem  and make them vulnerable to
becoming  codependent   supporters  of  addictive   people
who    are preoccupied with issues of imperfections,    of
control,   and of fixing that which  is imperfect,    with
fixes which are profitably under the control of people who
are preoccupied with issues of control.

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
==========================================================