LRC, Houston - the weekends-free church in Houston, Texas

From May 15-19th, I shared some of my views on the second creation story found in Genesis 2 and 3. You can go back and read those if this doesn’t make any sense. If after reading them nothing makes sense, then we have a lot in common (just kidding of course- I think).
While I see the creation stories as MYTHS, and not LITERAL, I nonetheless see them as TRUE. Work on that, and the TRUTH from the story will set you FREE. Here’s my 6th and unplanned revisit and redo of the Garden Story.

I have recently found the work and life of Herbert Haag who left this third dimension six years ago after a very fruitful and long 86 years of advancing the freedom of Jesus. This brilliant Swiss theologian was a Catholic priest and a thorn in their side for most of his life.

As an example, he said a person didn’t need to be a priest to celebrate mass, he fought for the ordination of women, he thought priests should be allowed to marry, he defended Hans Kung whom the Catholic church kicked out, and last but not least, he viewed “original sin” as having no Scriptural basis!

Ouch! That one leaves a mark.

If you don’t take Adam & Eve literally, then St. Augustine’s “original sin thesis” doesn’t matter. Is there really this “biological transmission” from Adam and Eve who lived 6,000 years ago? Who was there then to record this event? I know CNN and FoxNews are powerful, but hey!

Hasn’t mankind been on this planet for BILLIONS of years?

St. Augustine was arguing the “original sin” position from Genesis (the first three chapters) and Romans 5. I’d submit to you that Genesis 1-3 isn’t literal and that St. Augustine misinterpreted Paul in Romans 5. The Latin Vulgate reads “in whom all have sinned” whereas the original Greek reads, “because all have sinned”. Big difference.

In the big picture though, if man’s fall is not history, but myth, the main theme points to the basic truth of the existence of EVIL in this world, but says nothing about the “inheritance” of sin.

Nothing, nada, zip, zero!

Christianity has inherited so many concepts- that aren’t so! So, let me leave you with three quotes from men far more wise than I ever will be.

Herbert Haag- “The doctrine of original sin is not found in any of the writings of the Old Testament. It is certainly not in chapters one to three of Genesis.”

Claus Westermann- “It would be a perversion of the Biblical data to reduce God’s dealings with His people to one concept- salvation”.

Elie Wiesel, “The concept of original sin is ALIEN to Jewish tradition”.

If you’d like to dig a little deeper on the Original Sin concept you can CLICK HERE (Religious Myth Information).