Hi Selbora, and welcome to CR.
My opinion is this, I do not believe in original sin. I think it is obviously a man conceived idea.
The question is then, is Scripture a 'revealed' text, or is it a philosophy?
You are entitled to your opinions, I will not try to take them from you, but rather frame other questions in which one can view one's opinions. I was once of that opinion myself, I no longer hold that position. Curiously, it was philosophy that led me to the answer, not theology.
I believe that we are all birthed without "stain" or sin. I think that we begin pure and only of love. Especially if you believe we are made in Gods image. I would say to believe we were made in Gods image but then also say we are born in sin, sounds to me like saying Gods nature is sinfull.
This assumes that God wills sin. The traditional Christian belief is in a God who is Good (there is no sin in God), so are obliged to ask themselves 'what happened?' or 'where does sin originate, if not in God?' If we are made in God's image and likeness, why do we not know God as we know ourselves?
I think that it is really sad that people can not even begin to believe that they could be made of just goodness and love.
I would say that's a foundational Christian belief – that there is hope, in God.
How can a religion that teaches God is love also teach we are born in sin?
Because it believes we are all born free, and none of us born perfect, and we can all be better than we are ... so 'original sin' is like a condition that is transmitted from one generation to the next – it effects the human race, it effects the species, rather than picking on babies.
It makes God sound evil in my opinion.
Then I am obliged to say you have misunderstood Christian teaching. Furthermore because you have been taught badly.
Christian Scripture says so, ceaselessly.
The recent decision by the vatican has also been more proof to me that this type of thinking is all man made. Just based on the fact that men sit down and discuss these things and make these choices on what happens when we die.
The decisions made are based on what Scripture and Tradition informs them. Jesus Himself said that s/he who is not baptised will not see the Kingdom of God: "Jesus answered: Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5)
The 'born again' means a second time, and 'water and the Holy Spirit' means the rite of 'baptism' (a sacred cleansing that is common to many traditions).
Now here's the thing – if we say, "Ah, yes, but ... " then we are making our own opinions count, we're putting words in His mouth, and we stand accused of the very thing you speak of ... it's man made.
If we say, "the idea that the blameless are punished does not sit with the total message of Scripture – the Love of God – so we must search again for a deeper wisdom in what Our Lord says..." then this is true Theology.
The short answer, is we don't actually know what happens. We can only hope.
The longer answer is that there are a multitude of texts which support the idea that, regardless of sin, it is God's will that we are all saved. My favourite, for one, being "And Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee: This day thou shalt be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43) – this to a robbber who was not baptised.
But we cannot say for certain, without assuming too much, but then again, "For all things are possible with God" (Mark 10:36).
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I found it useful to think of sin this way, not as 'bad', but the absence of 'good'.
The big question is, if we are born pure and perfect, then why cannot we maintain that perfection ... why do we suffer? It cannot be God's will that we suffer ... but we do.
We and the planet suffers ... we have to ask ourselves, if God is Good, how did it get this way?
Welcome again to CR!
Thomas