Redemption And Salvation

Original Sin

We normal human beings believe that the God we worship is filled with compassion, love and forgiving. Almost all religions of the world also proclaim that their Gods/Goddesses advocate compassion, love and forgiveness. Yet here we are laden with s sin committed by the first man and woman who did not obey the command of God according to the Bible. Three of the major religions of the world, Jewish, Christianity and Islam affirm to their followers that they are born sinners because their first father and mother committed a crime.

This affirmation in turn creates a guilt feeling among the followers of the respective religion and this guilt feeling leads them to fear God because as born sinners we are subject to punishment. The same holy books also suggest or rather gives humanity a promise that a messiah will some day come and redeem us from this original sin. The messianic figure is exalted by these religions as the messenger of Gods or the son of God or the God himself.

For a thinking man or woman this does not sound reasonable or logical because a God portrayed as a compassionate, loving and forgiving God, can not be so cruel as to make all future generation answerable for a sin committed by the first man and woman. We humble humanity in our innocence would believe that a God who is compassionate, loving and forgiving would have long since forgiven this sin of the first man and woman. But the scripture denies this attribute of forgiveness on the part of God and assures us that God is not compassionate, loving and forgiving but is punitive. The same scripture also assures the followers that God is righteous and impartial.

One begins to wonder why this contradiction and comes to the only possible conclusion that the religious elite are using this guilt feeling and the subsequent fear of the innocent followers to control them. They further impose upon the innocent followers more laws from the scripture and scare the innocent followers into submission. The fear of retribution makes the innocent followers of these religions to diligently follow the law of the scripture without questions. Any opposition from the followers who may opt to question the rationality of the doctrine are appropriately dealt with either by severe punishment or by death.

To add to the fear of the innocent followers the concept of heaven and hell are propagated, a promise of heaven to the obedient and hell for the disobedient. Any logical person will naturally assume that a God who is compassionate, loving and forgiving would have forgiven the first couple of their sin, in which case the question of redemption does not arise. When we think deeply on this subject it becomes doubly obvious that the original sin does not exist and that we are NOT born sinners but pans in the hands of the religious leaders.

All feedback welcome

Copyright © 03/15/2007 Joel Raja Kumar J (a k a) Poet Raja