A Quote from Literalist Christian:
Just read the third chapter of Genesis…. How do you explain all the awful things that happen in this world, not just from sin, but diseases, like cancer, and natural disasters that have killed multiplied millions through- out history. Do you think that God CAUSED it??
Response:
Re:… the problem of evil….. no, there is no such thing as evil. Listen to me. Humans were made “perfect” by the Creator. This means they are as they were meant to be. As the North AMerican original peoples say, inside we have a good wolf and we have a bad wolf.
2nd Quote from Literalist Christian:
We are fallen creatures. Adam sinned and we are all under that sin, and need to be redeemed or we will go to hell….
Response:
Nope. The Jews don’t believe that, and its their book. There is no excuse for Christians to read something in to Genesis like the “Fall of Man” or “Original Sin”. This was simply a way for the Catholic Church to make a club and control who got in. Some of the best scholars don’t agree.
If we want to be good, we listen to the good wolf, if we choose to not be good, then we listen to the bad wolf. Jesus taught this.. he had “satan” try to tempt him, but he said no, and chose the way of the “father” (or the good side). Read the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Jesus own explanation) and it is clear. There is no original sin.
3rd Quote from Literalist Christian:
PLEASE do not gamble with your eternal soul by believing these lies from satan and that is just what they are. Satan is doing all he can to keep lost people from learning the TRUTH and being saved…Don’t play RUSSIAN ROULETTE with eternity!!!!
Response continued:
I am sorry, but you have had the wool pulled over your eyes. You must decide to listen to the good inside yourself (you call Jesus) and not give in to the dark side (you call satan) that is true. You need to do some studying, rather than just swallowing what you are being taught.
We are “built” with a moral compass inside us. This is our “original specifications”. We are born complete and whole. In Genesis, God says “perfect”. We choose, just as the heroes in the OT did, to follow good or to give in to the bad side (Even Moses sometimes chose the good side and sometimes the bad side). The good news is, The Kingdom of God is within us if we choose the good side. The Lords Prayer reflects this.
When we are born, our instincts are towards the “outside of us” for air, for mothers milk, for affection. That is the basis of our selfish nature… or animal instincts. But our second birth, or “change of direction” (which can happen around age 7 onward) puts us back in contact with our inner moral compass (which was always there, but was suppressed by our outward reaching), and our animal instincts shift to second place or into the background, as long as we keep “connected” to our inner moral compass … but it never stops being a struggle with the dark side (as evidenced by even the Christian leaders today)
The good news of this all is that we are not orphans who need to repent, From the beginning, we humans are ALL sons and daughters of the Creator who need to be diligent and protect our inner light: it is our God/man connection. It is we, who choose to let our relationship with the Creator slip into the background., or keep our focus on our inner moral compass (the God/man relationship)
This “Chasm Theology” where there was a fall of man and that he needs to be saved by grace of God has turned humanity into a needy creature, when in fact the Creator built us by perfect specs.
The only “Evil” in the universe, is inside the human heart, when it chooses selfishness, which is natural self protection, over following the inner moral compass that is there for us to use if we choose it. Again, read the story of the Prodigal Son. It is the story of everyman.
Reality is Dharma 