The stupidity of sin

[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.