I am tossing an idea around in my head about forming a discussion group whose sole objective will be to share what each knows and each may be learning about the topic of original sin. I envision this group to be from any religious background who would be willing to discuss in a non-argumentive and non-threatening manner what they understand the teachings of original sin to be.
It will be a place where individual opinions are not only of no value, individual opinions would be banned. It would be a place to share scholarly research and systematic thinking. It would consist of examining old documents and doctrines along side of recent to emergent philosophical and theological thinking. I think I would like to call this group, OSMOSIS.
It would be an acronym using these words: Original Sin: Mistranslation Or Substantiable Inspired Scripture?
By denotation, osmosis means a gradual, often unconscious process of assimilation or absorption. It is our belief that much of what is held to be truth about the Bible is not learned through self research or individual inspiration, but rather is accepted as truth because it has been heard so many times from individuals who by distinction of position within the body of Christ are charged with dispensing only the truth of the Bible.
Those in ministry positions sometimes merely parrot what they have been told and taught rather than verify truth. Much of this lies in the fact that many feel the need to answer the call to minister to others but lack the knowledge and inspirational insight into what lies beyond and under the translated words of the ancient writers. That is not a reflection on their call or response, but it should be a solemn guide to speak only what each is individually assured is truth.
Laymen should not trust their Christian leadership to the point of believing every statement just because the leader is sincere and so far trustworthy. Just as we have to take into account the physical time in which the original writers of scripture lived and their individual biases and knowledge base along with the environment in which they were writing and the intended audience to whom they were writing, we must hold our Christian leadership up to the same scrutiny. No one writes or preaches anything in an absolute colorless vacuum. Every writer brings to the process all of their experience and knowledge base. Writing emerges from that foundation.
I find myself at a point in life when I believe much of what we in the Christian world have accepted as sound doctrine has some gray areas. I don’t disbelieve what I’ve been taught as much as I believe what I have been taught isn’t the whole and entire truth of the matter. That is not to say what has been treated a doctrine is not good enough to achieve the resultant outcome of eternity with our creator, but for those of us who seek a deeper understanding there is more to the beliefs than just page 1.
I would like to hear, what a fellow graduate of my high school and long time national syndicated radio commentator was famous for saying, page 2.
Stay tuned!
