My a-few-times-great-grandfather and his brother owned slaves and were members of the KKK (obviously not at the same time). I just wonder if I should feel guilty about something my ancestors did. Should I be punished for their actions?
If not, then why am I (and everyone else in the world) being supposedly punished for what Adam and Eve did? Would a loving person punish children for something the parents did? Please explain this to me.
2007-02-20 14:37:15 · 13 answers · asked by Jensenfan 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Thank you to everyone who answered. I don't actually feel any guilt for what my ancestors did; that was actually my point, in a round about way. I was trying to point out that just as I shouldn't feel guilty or be punished for what they did, I shouldn't feel guilty or be punished for what Adam and Eve did. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
2007-02-20 14:49:33 · update #1
Pint: I disagree. I think these two points are entirely the same. The terrible things in this world that Christians blame on Adam and Eve's sin meet my definition of punishment quite nicely.
2007-02-20 14:54:28 · update #2
We aren't punished for the sin or Adam. We became natural being because that is the only life they could provide. Being natural we sin. Almost from the moment we draw breath we are selfish and willing to take what we need to survive. If not we made people pay with their sanity. Latter we lie... No one teaches us to do it we just do... Our sin ir heavy enough we don't need the sin of Adam... Now if you can obey God completely I'll eat my words but you would have to be honest and not lie ....for once. Jim
2007-02-20 14:54:29 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you own slaves? Are you a member of the KKK? If not, then you have nothing to feel guilty about. You should feel glad that you are not a bigot as your ancestors were. I'm sure everyone has some bad seeds in their family tree. But they're dead, and you're not. Be a good person, and don't worry about it.
As for the second part of the question, I don't feel that life is a punishment. Life is an experience. Don't waste it on needless guilt.
2007-02-20 14:52:31 · answer #2 · answered by Stacey P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Adam and Ever are mythological figures.
Sin is not hereditary.
What your ancestors did was part of a dark blot on American history. Many people in the south owned slaves. We have grown beyond that. No one in their right mind today would try to bring back slavery.
Unless you are looking at your ancestors and thinking, "Cool! I wish life was like that again!" then you don't need to feel guilty.
At the same time, we have a long way to go before we can erase this blot from our collective conscience. Until all races are truly treated equally in this country, we are going to be dealing with the fallout from this very dark part of our history.
2007-02-20 14:44:23 · answer #3 · answered by pasdeberet 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Sins of our fathers die with them.
You do not need to feel guilty. That was the happennings of those times, when people got together and thought it the right thing to do. Morality was structured that way. Later morality changed its tone. You cannot blame the peoples who lived in different times to think differently about various aspects of life and morality.
2007-02-20 14:44:56 · answer #4 · answered by Kool-kat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Things that you have not done are not your fault. You are responsible only for what you choose or do. I mean, it's not exactly your fault if people kill each other, is it? A blood relation does not mean that you choose the actions of your ancestors.
I chose atheism because I find these ideas disagreeable.
2007-02-20 14:43:04 · answer #5 · answered by (-_-) 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah I even have those days ... some days such as you I basically wanna bypass cry in the nook all via myself. the main suitable element to do is to easily bypass cry and it will make you sense a lot extra desirable ... It sound weird and wonderful yet some days i like to cry it basically releases all of it. don't be concerned you will possibly sense innovations-blowing day after today, that often happens to me ... i've got self belief relatively crappy sometime and then day after as we communicate i've got self belief like i'm on staggering of the international. i wish you sense extra desirable. x
2016-10-02 11:42:39 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
part 1) no
Part 2) it isn't that were being punished for their actions, its more like their actions introduced a flaw into our design. and that flaw has yet to be corrected, also peoples shortcomings tend to be passed from generation to generation, like alcoholism, so one person's sin becomes their child's.
2007-02-20 14:46:58 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You'll need to retrace the branches of your own tree to understand. Guilty yes and no but it's a long story. Repent and be saved, then go discover your story.
2007-02-20 14:44:28 · answer #8 · answered by rezany 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I dont think you should be ashamed of something your relatives did. You should only be ashamed for your own actions.
my 2 cents anyways
2007-02-20 14:43:04 · answer #9 · answered by Mayonaise 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
These are two unrelated topics. I recommend breaking this into two questions.
2007-02-20 14:45:00 · answer #10 · answered by Pint 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋