The Paradox of Original Sin

The past one hundred and fifty years has been a traumatic time to be a Christian. There has not been a single tenet of the faith which has avoided challenge by scientific examination. For two millennium Biblical explanations of the natural world were almost universally accepted in the Western world. Challenges that arose because observation seemed to conflict with these explanations were dealt with using theological reasoning and in some cases, intimidation.

Since the scientific revolution many Christians have come to terms with this new "scientific" picture of the world and have adjusted their belief system accordingly. Even Pope Pius XII reconciled with the Big Bang theory and Pope John Paul II admitted the validity of evolutionary theory in 1996, believing that there was still room for a creator to insert a soul in the bodies of humans.

In order to reconcile science and Christianity, the young Earth model of creation must be dismissed. The overwhelming amount of scientific evidence in support of a much older planet and universe requires this compromise. The compromise usually employs the "Day-Age" theory that explains the days discussed in Genesis 1 as epics of Earth's history rather than chronological days. This melding of science with religious belief may be helpful for many Christians who want to maintain a belief in the divine but it is not the type of divine; not the description of God, that orthodox Christianity has accepted as true for two millennia. It is not Christianity as it was laid out by the apostles Paul and Peter.

The problem boils down to Paul's explanation (and Augistine's elaboration) of Christ's purpose; namely to bring salvation to the world. Humans without this salvation are in a state of perpetual sin derived from the original sin of man. In basic terms, without the Adam and Eve story as detailed in the Book of Genesis, there is no reason for Paul's version of the Messiah. Jews have little issue with Genesis as an allegory but Christianity does not have this luxury because Paul changed the definition of messiah.

If the Genesis story is allegory or myth then the original sin that Christ later absolves becomes a myth as well. Presumably a divine Jesus would have known this. His mission could not have been to save humanity from this original sin he knew did not occur. There may be room for some version of Christianity but it cannot be the version practiced by the vast majority for two thousand years.

Because of this paradox, Christianity in recent decades has coalesced into two forms and the old denominations distinctions are becoming less relevant. The only two relevant Christian belief systems are those who adhere to a literal Genesis, and everyone else. And what everyone else is practicing is no longer Pauline Christianity. This includes the Roman Catholic Church which is struggling with the ramifications of their Pope's acceptance of scientific explanations of the world.

Modern Roman Catholicism has more in common with atheism than it does with Protestant fundamentalism. Only the Protestant Fundamentalists have adhered to the Apostle Paul's definition of the Messiah, salvation, and the doctrine of Grace. Popes used to do this, but no longer. It appears Catholicism still has to work out what its philosophy is going to be and this indecision is playing a significant role in its membership numbers decline.

Popular reports of Christianity's numbers and reach present a misleading and distorted view of reality. While approximately 60-70% of scientists state that they believe in God one should not assume that they are in the traditional Pauline Christianity camp. The vast majority are not fundamentalist, young-earth believers. Simply listing them all as "Christians" makes very little sense and leads to a bait and switch God. One version of God is used to explain why evil exists in the world while another version of the same God is the personal savior of evangelicals and yet another is embodied in the Beatitude teachings of Jesus. These are NOT the same God and NOT the same religions.

Science has put a wrench into Christianity and while the worldwide number of "Christians" is somewhere around 2 billion, this number makes very little sense because of the paradox. Actual Christians that still believe in the Biblical version of reality is far less than the number of Buddhists worldwide and is declining. Whether all the others should be called "Christians" or "Jesus Followers" or simply "theists" is an open question. They have to figure out how to contend with science's destruction of the bronze age religion before a satisfactory label can be applied.