Original Sin?
My abrupt thinking (I think) on any given day can go something like this.
I tend to think that the the point of the Garden of Eden story has not been to zero in on historical details, but rather to emphasize the enormous impact sin can have on a world. I tend to think that that's where the emphasis of Original Sin ought to be also. It's not important what detailed act was done, what word was said, what thought was embraced. What's important is realizing that once sin is set in motion it continues to impact the world exponentially. I would venture to say that that first (rhetorically speaking) setting in motion of sin is still effecting the world today, and all the generations of offspring from that "original sin" are, likewise, effecting the world.
I've read stuff about "hamartia," that Greek archery term that means "missing the mark." Still, I think the emphasis is not the bow, not the arrow, not why the shot was made, nor who the shooter is / was. I think the emphasis is (should be) on the consequence of missing the mark. Hitting the mark is equivalent to having perfect understanding of the word of God and using it perfectly. There's no "almost right" about it! It's either I hit the razor sharp edge continuously without fail, or I don't.
When I miss the razor sharp edge and/or when I fail to remain on that edge without fail, I help set in motion harmful effects that increase exponentially constantly. I set a little bit of death in motion like a snowball. If everyone has been setting a little bit of death in motion since the beginning, how big must all those snowballs be right now!
Hitting the mark, I would bet, has always been much much more than words on any page, more than rote obedience to any such words. Words are human invented tools that have helped us capture our thoughts so that we can share them with others. But, even our errors of knowledge and understanding can be shared with others. Our errors, as innocent they might be, contribute to more "missing the mark." While Bible contents can be the word of God, it doesn't help for us to use its contents erroneously, and Bible contents have not taught us everything. I would be that God has spoken through such tools as Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Medicine, serious Philosophy, Poetry, everyday experiences, among other things.
Earth currently has 5 billion plus human inhabitants missing the mark multiple times each hour! Earth is still suffering from "missing the mark" that was done at the beginning. The suffering continues to increase exponentially from all the "missing the mark" that everyone does.
I'm not guilty for the initial setting in motion of sin, but I certainly have been affected by it, and I certainly, even if inadvertently, have set sin in motion.
All things are good. Sin is not something bad that God made. Sin is a natural result of having missed the mark. It's the way it is. It is part of the righteousness and justice of God at work. God continues to let the results be what they are and run their course in order to prove that His word is sure.
I tend to think that the the point of the Garden of Eden story has not been to zero in on historical details, but rather to emphasize the enormous impact sin can have on a world. I tend to think that that's where the emphasis of Original Sin ought to be also. It's not important what detailed act was done, what word was said, what thought was embraced. What's important is realizing that once sin is set in motion it continues to impact the world exponentially. I would venture to say that that first (rhetorically speaking) setting in motion of sin is still effecting the world today, and all the generations of offspring from that "original sin" are, likewise, effecting the world.
I've read stuff about "hamartia," that Greek archery term that means "missing the mark." Still, I think the emphasis is not the bow, not the arrow, not why the shot was made, nor who the shooter is / was. I think the emphasis is (should be) on the consequence of missing the mark. Hitting the mark is equivalent to having perfect understanding of the word of God and using it perfectly. There's no "almost right" about it! It's either I hit the razor sharp edge continuously without fail, or I don't.
When I miss the razor sharp edge and/or when I fail to remain on that edge without fail, I help set in motion harmful effects that increase exponentially constantly. I set a little bit of death in motion like a snowball. If everyone has been setting a little bit of death in motion since the beginning, how big must all those snowballs be right now!
Hitting the mark, I would bet, has always been much much more than words on any page, more than rote obedience to any such words. Words are human invented tools that have helped us capture our thoughts so that we can share them with others. But, even our errors of knowledge and understanding can be shared with others. Our errors, as innocent they might be, contribute to more "missing the mark." While Bible contents can be the word of God, it doesn't help for us to use its contents erroneously, and Bible contents have not taught us everything. I would be that God has spoken through such tools as Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Medicine, serious Philosophy, Poetry, everyday experiences, among other things.
Earth currently has 5 billion plus human inhabitants missing the mark multiple times each hour! Earth is still suffering from "missing the mark" that was done at the beginning. The suffering continues to increase exponentially from all the "missing the mark" that everyone does.
I'm not guilty for the initial setting in motion of sin, but I certainly have been affected by it, and I certainly, even if inadvertently, have set sin in motion.
All things are good. Sin is not something bad that God made. Sin is a natural result of having missed the mark. It's the way it is. It is part of the righteousness and justice of God at work. God continues to let the results be what they are and run their course in order to prove that His word is sure.
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