ORIGINAL SIN…Why It’s Important Today

We are all familiar with the biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It is the first story that appears in the Book of Genesis which is the first book of the bible. As Christians, we are also familiar with the doctrine of original sin, the idea that we are all guilty by  inheritance of that original sin which was perpetrated by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But few know that Jewish scriptures, from which we received this story, are actually silent on that specific subject. https://www.britannica.com/topic/original-sin  The introduction of the concept of guilt by inheritance and other practices derived therefrom, such as infant baptism, are elements of the great apostasy of the Christian religion that was prophesied by members of the original twelve apostles. The subject and meaning of actual sin vs. inherited sin is discussed under the topic of “sin” in the Encyclopaedia Britannica http://Theologians divide sin into “actual” and “original.” Actual sin is sin in the ordinary sense of the word and consists of evil acts, whether of thought, word, or deed. Original sin (the term can be misleading) is the morally vitiated condition in which one finds oneself at birth as a member of a sinful race. In Genesis 3, this is depicted as an inherited consequence of the first human sin, i.e., that of Adam. Theologians differ as to the interpretation of this narrative, but it is agreed that original sin, however mysterious its origin and nature may be, arises from human beings having come into the world not as isolated individuals but as members of a corporate race inheriting both good and evil features from its past history. 

Latter-Day Saint theology is specific on the subject of original sin. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression. He included it in the Articles of Faith https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng Which were first written in a letter to John Wentworth, a newspaper editor, in response to Mr. Wentworth’s request to know what members of the Church believe. They were subsequently published in Church periodicals. These ideas regarding original sin are important and specific elements of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as taught and practiced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and which I believe with all my heart.

So why now is it so important today? This is a question of immense consequence today because of its emergence in social theory, the science of politics, and even the management of government. It is called by several names. Among them are White Privilege, Critical Race Theory, and Identity Politics with its victim and suppressor groups.  It is a huge mistake to simplify it as a tool of today’s social warriors who terrorize college campuses and nearly every aspect of social media. It has actually morphed into mainstream political theory and is endorsed by political parties and included in government mandated civilian and military training regimens. More alarming is its emergence in school programs; first in college level academic studies, then in high school curriculums, and now in some primary programs. School boards, infused with the enthusiasm of  leftist anti-racism, are inculcating such matters into school curriculums with little or no input from parents many of whom do not understand  the issues involved.

 It is not the purpose of this blog post to eliminate, cancel, or otherwise shut down a discussion of these theories and ideas. Quite the contrary, it is my personal opinion that more discussion, education, reflection, and pondering will place this movement in  the  proper  perspective and result in more reasonable and responsible  responses to the issues from which they arise in the first place. There is a reason that the illustrations preceding various aspects of this subject were included. Notice that the first illustration includes a depiction of Satan. The same Satan who lost the war in heaven and vowed to destroy the purpose for which our mortal world was created. In the Garden of Eden he tempted Eve and brought about the fall. Is there any reason to believe that he stopped there. Indeed, he has become more than the father of sin. He has proceeded to obscure the very nature of sin. Satan skewed the idea of original sin by inserting the falsity of inheritance thus introducing the false doctrine of infant baptism and blurring the meaning and image of Christ’s sacrifice. 

Enlightenment, the Age of Reason and the Restoration of the Gospel lessened the impact of those false doctrines, so Satan set about destroying the governments that ensued from those movements. How does Satan accomplish his evil works?  This is the time to “give the Devil his due”. If we are to understand the nature and danger of how this is done we must acknowledge the fact that these lies start with the truth. That element of truth to be effective must be something that is undesirable or that most would agree should be corrected. Otherwise it will not engender the emotion or bias required to blind the adherents to the logical fallacies involved in the solutions that these truths demand. A few examples will suffice to demonstrate this concept. A few police officers overstep their authority. This is true. Some of those who do so are also racists. When they overstep their authority is involves racist acts toward members of minority groups. Statistics are used to demonstrate this unrighteous behavior. This establishes a correlation which by virtue of the lie is conflated with causation. Police are claimed to be part of a systemic racist criminal justice system. Policies to correct this systemic racism may include defunding the police or placing them under bureaucratic oversight inconsistent with their duties and the safety of the society that they are sworn to protect. Another truthful historical fact is that slavery existed in Early American history. It was part and parcel of an evil trade in human captivity. It was important to the agricultural development of the American south. Despite the fact that the American constitution provided the means within a government of divided and limited powers to “create a more perfect union” which over time defeated the practice of slavery through the great civil war at the cost of over 600 thousand lives; and also defeated the ensuing Jim Crow laws; and finally dealt a death blow to institutional racism the original truth was conflated with the lie of systemic racism. As a result our citizens are divided into identity groups of victims and oppressors. Theories of  white privilege and resulting oppression bring demands for reparations for the original slavery and pit the groups against each other in awkward and socially damaging racial enmity. The Critical Racial Theory consists of training in business, military and schools that white children are born into a group that oppresses minorities. They are guilty by virtue of their birth. ORIGINAL SIN raises its ugly head once more. And this time Satan has managed to turn this big lie into a government program. Politicians and school boards now battle with constituents and parents over these programs and policies.

The resulting damage of these big lies threatens our very existence as a free nation. Satan does not like America. Does not like the freedom that we have. And these lies will not stop unless they are discussed, talked about and sanitized with the fresh air and sunlight of free speech. That is why the present cancel culture threatens to shut down free speech by deciding which speech is appropriate and what constitutes hate speech.  The woke culture identifies an historical  truth and the cancel culture threatens all those who object to the most radical reactions.

There is an old typing drill in which the student types “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.” It is a methodology for accustoming the fingers to the QUERTY typewriter keys. But it is also a motto for the defenders of free speech to take upon themselves the duty as the defenders of truth and justice to expose the false logic of the big lie, deny the essence of original sin, and eliminate the evil identity politics of Critical Race Theory, and the rewriting of history with false stories like the 1619 project which falsely claims that America began not with the Declaration of Independence but with the arrival of the first slave ship in the New World. The big lie may begin with a kernel truth but its solution is toxic. It is the duty of every free man and woman to use their freedom to defeat the lies of identity politics.