The stupidity of sin

[ED scissor hands]

I can't accept, because that would negate my "unbelief."

Then you answer your own question. Jesus died to pardon you for your unbelief. A pardon is no good unless it's accepted.
 
Obviously you must believe in order to accept...

how do you know for sure that you said the right prayer and repented the right way , and got forgiveness for your sins ? according to what you say it is all standing on scripture in the bible , but no one, can say they have been saved and born again , and forgiven of their sins? it cannot be proven and it becomes speculation and assumed, that what you are reading is true, so I can honestly say , that you cannot ,by any means other then the bible to back this up, nor know in your life that this is  a true statement, and that the bible is 100% accurate on all that it says,
 so I will say that, we are all accountable for our decisions and actions, and right or wrong, it is up to us to correct the wrong , and make right what ever is needed to be right, our selves, we cannot say that some, imaginary deity has us covered, and we are good to go , forgiven , and born again?
please read the new testament , where Jesus says I am sent by the father to get the lost of Israel ,back to the father, and you will see , that this bible is not about the world  or the people in it, but it was made for a chosen selected group, and we are not it?, so the bible does not even apply to the people that have been killed murdered and placed into slavery , for they had no free will,  and you do not have free will , we are all human , surviving life and its ways, and we must do our best, and be loving , and helpful to each other, not following fiction.,

[robvalue]

Original sin doesn't appear to have anything to do with belief.

And since belief is not a choice, the idea that we are held accountable for it is pretty stupid. God continues to astound me with his idiocy. The fact that I so often hear belief posited as a choice makes me think such people don't actually believe at all, but just profess to believe. You can choose to say you believe, of course. But if you actually believe, or actually don't believe, you can't consciously choose to change that. Well, that would be highly unusual anyway. God has not given most people that luxury.

@Rob Value

I actually went to a Christian university for a graduate program in conflict resolution and reconciliation. Now, the main understanding that I gained throughout my studies was that Christianity is based in peace, acceptance, and mutual understanding.  In particular, I-Thou and I-It relationships, conceptions of Martin Buber, were highly emphasized and linked to the peacemaking concepts in our courses.  In a nutshell, in I-Thou relationships, people embrace tolerance, mutual respect, acceptance, and understanding and regard one another as unique ends in themselves, and from a religious perspective, this is because everyone is interconnected to a greater reality of love (God); therefore, establishing I-Thou relationships is a way to put this love or God's love into practice.  On the other hand, in I-It relationships, people treat others as objects to serve their own ends.  Regarding Christianity, I-It relations can cause its practitioners to impose their personal truth and normalcy onto their faith and onto others, which can result in fear, dehumanization, hostility, and disconnection; thus, contradicting the principles of peace, love, humanness, and connection espoused by Christianity.

Now, I have mentioned these ideas for the following reason: would you say that the concept of sin is a product of I-IT relations?  Do you think Christianity would be more effective if its practitioners behaved in an I-Thou manner? Thanks for your time and attention, sir. 


References

Buber, Martin.  I and Thou.  Simon & Schuster: New York, 1970.

Wow! Thanks for your reply

I'll look at this in more detail later when my brain fires up. My initial reaction is that you have to cherry pick the bible pretty hard to come up with any of those conclusions. Christianity seems to be based on blind obedience, and punishment for deviation. Even Jesus, the attempt to cover up the brutality of the Old Testament God, comes across as a bit of a dick to me. He seems to have at least two personalities, making me think it's at least two characters rolled into one. Even the better personality has some pretty stupid things to say.

[Huggy Bear]

How is belief not a choice? You either accept something as true or you don't...

[vorlon13]

How is belief not a choice? You either accept something as true or you don't...

Why do we see so many folks in an intermediate state then ?  We see lip service to God Almighty, but the 'pedal to the metal' part is sorely lacking.  How many Jesusites participate in lawsuits?  Acquire wealth?  Eat Fig Newtons? 
I recall a sermon from when I was a kid that was something along the lines of "if Christianity were made illegal, is there enough evidence to convict you?"  And now I'm seeing just how effing difficult such prosecutions would be today.

[robvalue]

OK. Choose to believe you can fly. Let me know when you believe it.

[Huggy Bear]

OK. Choose to believe you can fly. Let me know when you believe it.

[FatAndFaithless]

OK. Choose to believe you can fly. Let me know when you believe it.

Much like those planes, this seems to be going right over your head.

[robvalue]

Really. I meant you personally can fly, unaided.

[Mr Greene]

OK. Choose to believe you can fly. Let me know when you believe it.

Pilot licence number please.

[Huggy Bear]

Pilot licence number please.

Where did I say I was a pilot? Furthermore you do realize that there is a class of aircraft that don't require any license right?