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%CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE BORN DOCTRINE ORIGINAL SIN FALL+020627
%JUSTIFY EXCOMMUNICATION EVIL PEOPLE CONDITION GOOD+020627
 %ACCEPTANCE REJECTION INCLUSION PURIFICATION FAITH+020627
  %CAST OUT RITUAL SACRIFICE ANIMALS JESUS NAZARETH+020627
%PAYMENT EARN INDULGENCE PURGATORY HEAVEN HEAL FALL+020627
 %PROJECT BLAME SHAME GUILT PUNISHMENT IMPRISONMENT 020627
                                                          
     BELOW the Christian DOCTRINE that all humans are born
with  "Original  Sin"  is referred to as "It".   "It"   is
misleading because:                                       
                                                          
     1.  It has been used to justify the use of redemptive
coercion/violence  in dealing with "evil people"  who will
not "do good" unless they are coerced into doing so; e.g.,
to justify the need for "The Domination System".          
                                                          
     2.  "It"      has    been   used   to   justify   the
excommunication of  "evil  people"  who have not fulfilled
the  condition required for "acceptance/inclusion";  i.e.,
having  worked-out-of  the condition  of  "original  sin".
"It"   has  been used to justify the purification  of  the
"assembly the faithful" by casting out "the unfaithful."  
                                                          
     3.  "It"   has been used to justify ritual sacrifices
of  animals in  order to "pay"   for the  "original  sin";
e.g.,   blood  sacrifices  of  animals,  and  of  Jesus of
Nazareth.                                                 
                                                          
     4.  "It"    has  been  used to  excuse   people  from
the    responsibility   of    discerning,      describing,
understanding,  and transcending the cycles of "alienative
coercion  and/or violence"    which systemically undermine
diverse  forms  of personal and communal integrity.       
                                                          
     5.  "It"    has  been  used  by  example  to  justify
demanding  of  the  descendants  of imperfect  people  ---
large  payments  for  the   mistakes/errors/sins   of  the
imperfect people in  the past.                            
                                                          
     6.  "It"    has   been   used to  justify  projecting
blame, shame   and    guilt  on others (who lived  in  the
past)    rather  than accepting   the    possibility    of
taking   on   the  responsibility     of  changing     our
misguided   current  ways    of    approaching  different:
attitudes, people, ideas,   ideals,  values and principles
--- which seem  to  be  in conflict  with  each  other  in
mutually exclusive ways.                                  
                                                          
     We need to let-to-of the doctrine of original sin and
find  other ways to affirm that:  we cannot save ourselves
as  isolated individuals without the cooperation of all of
the other different members of our communities.  We cannot
maintain  our  own  personal and communal  integrities  in
isolation  of   other   people  and  communities  that are
seeking    to  maintain  their  own  different  kinds   of
integrities.                                              
                                                          
     The  doctrine of-original-sin has been  connected  to
the  doctrine  of salvation through  God's  Grace,   God's
Forgiveness,  Christ's Sacrifice,  etc. ---  to try to say
the above in other ways.  Tragically,   those  other  ways
have  often  been  used in the misleading  ways  described
above.                                                    
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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