You were not involved but now you’re stained with an original sin. What kind of a religion is that? That’s what I can’t accept, very stupid proposition.
I wish it had not been said by a notorious dictator — because careless thinkers will link his skepticism to his bad character — but Duterte is correct: Original Sin is a stupid idea.
It is not merely stupid, of course, but harmful, too, and in ways both obvious and obscure.
Consider, for instance, the case of the pastor of an evangelical church. His livelihood depends upon convincing people that …
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You are no damn good, and …
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You were born no damn good, and …
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You will never be any damn good, and …
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The only way to escape the eternity of punishment you deserve is to join my club.
A happy, healthy, well-adjusted and forward-looking person is a threat to his well-being. Healthy marriages are a threat to his total control and ownership of his congregation.
Christianity can flourish only where men are unhappy and frustrated, and that’s why there are so many ‘recovering fundamentalist’ groups and such a high divorce rate amongst evangelicals.
Though many preachers are overtly predatory, I doubt that most are even conscious of the harm they do. I suspect, rather, that most are unreflective and are unable to recognize that the Christian concept of the good — slavish submission to the point of self-abnegation — is itself corrupt.