Robert,
I think you have touched on the the one aspect of Christianity that I most disagree with, and for the very reason that you state.
I know many people who are Christian that are warm, loving, spiritual people. People for whom their beliefs are not unlike a beacon on a gray and stormy sea. I admire them and their faith. I also know people who use their faith as a tool to feel superior, as a method of dividing people, and as a club with which to hurt people.
Given all that, I feel that teaching people that they are inherently worthless and unclean based on their individual worth, and that doing good works only for the sake of doing good works is a waste of time, is a detriment and a handicap to a good many people.
It is the primary reason that I wouldn't desire for my children to be Christians. I work very hard on making sure that my kids have a healthy sense of self worth, that they understand and value the benefits of charity and compassion not only for themselves but for society, and that they understand that all people have equal value regardless of that persons particular circumstances, beliefs, or background.
IMO, the concept of original sin works against that.
Mark |
