Election 2008
(2008-06-20)
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LEXINGTON, KY
(WEKU) -
The Christian idea of original sin goes something like this: 6,000 years ago Eve gave in to Satan's temptation to bite the fruit of truth, then got Adam to bite as well. For this, humanity was cast out of Eden. That is humanity's original sin, and these thousands of years later, we are still tainted by Eve and Adam's weakness. I remember being a kid in church, praying for forgiveness for a sin I could not remember committing, and for which it seemed like there was no absolution possible. What an interesting belief: my ancestors committed a sin thousands of years before my birth and I am still expected to feel bad about it and ask forgiveness for it. For all intents and purposes, I bit that apple. I was bewildered by this logic, but apparently many Christians hold this belief quite deeply.
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Contrast that with the idea that because I never owned slaves (although my ancestors did), because I never prevented African Americans from voting (although my ancestors did), because I never made anyone move to the back of the bus (although my ancestors did), I don't bear any responsibility for those events and don't owe anything to African Americans. This, too, is quite a popular belief, most likely held by many who believe in original sin.
Let's compare the two beliefs. One sin was committed (allegedly) 6,000 years ago; the other as little as 50 years ago. One sin was committed by two people; the other was committed by thousands, perhaps millions of people. One was committed by my distant ancestors, even back to the first humans; the other by perhaps my grandparents or great-grandparents, people I may have known. There is only one piece of evidence for one sin (The Bible); there are thousands of pieces of evidence for the other, including the memory of living Americans, photographs of lynchings, Supreme Court decisions, Federal Laws, and on and on.
Tell me: which sin happened without any doubt? Which sin is most likely to have demonstrable effects to this day? Which sin should I feel more guilt about? Which is more in need of redress? And if I can feel the guilt from a sin committed by two people thousands of years ago in a far away land, why shouldn't I feel the guilt from sins committed within living memory here in my city, my state, my country? What allows people to reject the taint of one, but not the other?
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