Can you be Christian and reject the concept of Original Sin?

Question

I'm not Christian (or even particularly religious, for that matter) but have been studying various themes in the Bible. I see absolutely no support for the idea of Original Sin in the Old Testament, yet in the New Testament (Romans) *wham* there's Paul saying we're all sinners the instant Mom and Dad's DNA mix. I'm aware that other religions (Judaism, Islam) reject Original Sin.

I've asked a few Christian acquaitances about this, and they've said there'd be no need for Jesus if there wasn't Original Sin (I disagree with them, but what do I know). If you believe that all sin stems from that Original Sin, then I guess you'd have to accept Original Sin....but if you believe people would sin on their own accord anyway, then you'd still need Jesus to pick up the tab for your sins.

...So can you be Christian yet reject the concept of Original Sin?

Maybe I'm not asking the question properly (or I don't understand what I'm asking!).

I understand death is the penalty for sin. God kicked Adam and Eve out of Eden, and now no one can eat from the Tree of Life. So all humans die now. But, to me at least, that is completely different from saying that all humans are born with sin because Adam sinened.

Obviously, people are capable of sinning without the stain of Original Sin (Adam and Eve did it, after all) so it seems unnecessary. God gave people free will; through this they have the opportunity to sin, and would thus need Jesus to save them anyway.

I guess the only "door" this leaves open is that if anyone could lead a sin-free life, he wouldn't need Jesus. But you'd think God would give a person a "get out of jail free" card if the person could live a sin-free life!

Answer 1

it's one of the questions of the ages :)
"if Adam hadn't sinned, would one of his descendants have sinned and gotten the ball rolling?"
Your friends are right. If sin hadn't entered the world, there would have been no need for Jesus' sacrifice.
I cannot see how anyone could profess Christianity without accepting that the entire world is groaning under the weight of sin.
I'm sure this is not a satisfying answer for you.... I would encourage you to continue to read and ask questions.

blessings :)j

dear heritic on a stick: EDIT
after reading your further details, this is what I thought you may have meant, but I thought maybe I was understanding your question incorrectly so I answered the way I did (teehee)
So to clarify - When Adam and Eve sinned, it wasn't just them that were affected. When sin was introduced into the world BY THEM , the ENTIRE world was affected. Scripture tells us that the whole world groans under the weight of sin (paraphrase).... this means that sin is much much more than what we perceive it to be... it's way more than just a little lie - that's why God explains that it doesn't matter if you just lie, or steal a pack of gum, or murder someone... sin is bigger than that and it's all equal. It's one of the mysteries that we can't understand the concept of because we are not yet one with God.
When Adam sinned, like a wave, it affected EVERYTHING from the weather, the cosmos, right down to the molecules and DNA... it is what it is.
And that's why God himself sent Jesus to atone for it - He knew that there wasn't any possible way that man could redeem himself on his own terms, God needed a perfect, sinnless, unblemished sacrifice (yes that's another mystery) to do it and that was in the form of God Himself incarnate in Jesus Christ.

blessings :)

Answer 2

I am a Christian, but no denomination. The first question is what is the Original Sin? What I have come to believe the Original Sin to be is not obeying what God has asked you to do. With Adam and Eve, the one thing God told them not to do was eat from the Tree of Life. How can swapping DNA, with your wife or husband, be a sin when God directs us to go forth and multiply? I believe that sex being the original sin came out of Catholisism. Why, I don't know. It seems like a lot of screwy ideas have proliferated from there. Determining what God is asking of us is a life long journey.

The second question, of can you be a Christian and reject the concept of (not doing what God has asked) Original Sin, then takes on a different meaning. Believing in God and having a relationship with him requires that we do what he asks. Being a Christian means that my relationship with God is possible because of Jesus. I hope this provides a different perpective for you to mull over.

Enjoy your day and your life journey.

Answer 3

If there was no original sin then mankind would not have a need for a savior.

The basic theme of Christianity is that mankind is out of sorts and needs some fixing. There is this old testament promise of some kind of redemption for mankind. A people is chosen and from this people the promised one will come and save them. Jesus Christ comes to into the picture and he's cool but still ends up getting killed. His murder which was meant to destroy him becomes victory over death. His death is the sacrifice for the promised redemption. He is the Savior of mankind.

Two things are necessary for Christianity to keep the theme intact: (1) original sin is the reason for Christ's coming, (2) Christ's resurrection - the victory over death.

You asked, people will sinning on their own accord anyway, so can we do away with original sin? Interesting. So you are trying to do away with the term "original sin" and still maintain the condition of mankind as needing redemption. This nasty propensity to sin and the need for redemption seems to say the same thing as original sin, so why not just keep original sin?

Answer 4

Actually I have heard some Christians question the veracity of the bible. This is troubling. A Christian should know they can trust the bible as the word of God...and the concept of sin, as it began in the garden of eden, should of course be one of the things we believe.

Christians do not believe we are punished for Adam's sin. We believe that the sin nature came from the original fall of man. The bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Answer 5

Hi, I didn't read all the answers, so I don't know if you're question has been answered to your satisfaction yet. I think the center of your question is to understand what "sin" is according to the Bible. We confuse it as being an "act," however, the concept of original sin is laid up in the idea of sin as a state of being *not* just an act that "stains" you. Do you walk and talk (i.e. have a conversation) with God? No, but Adam and Eve *did* do that. Therefore we are in "sin" because we are seperated from God. If you weren't in sin you'd be hangin' with the Lord and havin' a beer. Original sin, is the same as what is called the "Fall of Man." The fact that we commint acts of "sin" now is a seperate idea and is because we each have inherited a "sinners" world, and we each are subject to that state of being. So in being seperate from God, it is natural that we would somewhere along the line do the wrong thing in trying to get back with Him, and therefore sin even more. So in a very indirect sense, we keep sinning due to a state caused by original sin. So I'm saying that to confound the idea that you aren't with God because of an act or acts that you have done. You aren't with God because you aren't WITH God. And you aren't WITH (i.e. actually in His presence) because Adam and Eve sinned. That's the idea. The Law was given as an official way of understanding this by showing how far mankind had really fallen from the way it was meant to be. Subsequently, it was promised that the redemption of mankind to bring them out of that state and back into a state of being WITH God would come through God's sacrifice, aka. Jesus. That's why the doctrine of Jesus *not* being subject to this condition of original sin is important. Paul called him the "second Adam" in that he was sinless, not merely because he didn't commit an act of sin, or a mistake...but in that he was never subject to a seperation from God as we are. He was "with" God and He was God, as his name means "God with us." Please e-mail me if you would like to talk more about this 'cause I never get tired of it.

Answer 6

You could ... but you would be in serious error.

Death is the penalty for sin.

All humans, including babies, are subject to death.

This proves that all humans are stained by sin in some way, from the moment of their conception.

That's original sin ... and that's also why Jesus was born of an immaculately conceived virgin, and he had no sinful human father ... because if Jesus was stained by sin in any way, than he could not have been the perfect lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world.

Answer 7

If you are a Christian you cannot reject the fact you have sinned. Original sin is where sin originated, if you believe in sin then you believe in original sin. A person will be judged because of their sins not original sin. However sin had to start somewhere and it started when Adam and Eve choose to disobey God. God bless.

Answer 8

Yes you can! You can start a new religion and call yourself a Christian. Of cause not. Christ came to save the world from sins(all sins-original sin included). A Christian is a person who follow and accept Christ as his Lord and Savior. Therefore as a Christian, you have to accept the concept of original sin. It goes hand in hand in God's salvation plan!

Answer 9

You can be a Protestant and reject just about any doctrinal truth you want to. It's just a matter of finding a denomination that rejects the same truths you reject, and there are thousands to choose from. However you cannot be a member of the Church Jesus Christ founded for all mankind, and reject any of the truths of original Christianity. That's why the Church Christ founded, the Holy Catholic Church, is described in the Holy Bible as "the pillar and foundation of truth".
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Answer 10

I even have MANY problems with the Christian doctrine of unique Sin and that i've got asked somewhat some questions touching directly to this in this communicate board. it is yet another stable one. a number of my subject concerns revolve around: a million. the ought to attempt in the 1st place whilst God already KNEW the result and it may propose human suffering and tragedy 2. permitting 2 human beings who have been so harmless they had to "consume from a tree" to comprehend stable from evil and did no longer even comprehend they have been bare to undergo certainly one of those attempt that would impression no longer merely THEM however the completed human race 3. permitting a celestial creature much better and extra effectual and crafty than those 2 human beings to run amok and impression and relatively decieve Eve, who replaced into gullible adequate to have faith it 4. the only warning given to Adam and Eve replaced into that they could die. loss of existence of direction, being ALIEN to them, considering they have been in a suited, utopian paradise and knew no longer of such issues. So how ought to they totally comprehend the RAMIFICATIONS of what that entailed? 5. Then of direction, YOUR question (an exceedingly smart one at that) that this bible God supposedly created a known justice gadget the place toddlers pay for their parent's blunders with their LIVES! and then my 6th difficulty with this doctrine 6. arising a answer (what Christians or Muslims call salvation) which is composed of as quickly as lower back making a blind decision basically on faith. something maximum persons of humankind can not do or whether they do, they could no longer do in the "precise" sect (if there is definitely one of those ingredient) by fact faith is SO subjective. it relatively is prompted by skill of- kinfolk history, geography, coaching, very own studies, social prestige etc. So what jewelry genuine to a minimum of one individual might thoroughly no longer ring genuine to a diverse, whether they're uncovered to an identical ingredient. It does no longer propose one is extra stable than the different the two. To this date, NO Christian or Muslim or the different sect that believes in unique sin has been waiting to respond to those questions in a manner that jewelry genuine and is sensible to me.