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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) ==========================================================