Original sin, free will and Christians

“God doubted his creation so he tested it. Tinawag nya ung ahas tapos binigyan nya ng apple. Pinakagat nya doon sa bunganga. Sabi nya sa ahas, dalhin mo itong apple doon kay Eve and tempt her to eat it. Taste it. Dineliver nya kay Eve. Si Eve, apple yun, e. Nakabalot pa ng foam at net: made in China. Kinain ni Eve. Tapos si Eve, ginising si Adam – siguro katatapos lang – kumain ka rin. Kinain ni Adam, then malice was born.

“Who is this stupid God? Istupido talaga itong p*******a kung ganoon. You created something perfect and then you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work. How can you rationalize a God... Ikaw, maniwala ka?

“So tayo ngayon, all of us are born with original sin. Ano man yan? Was it the first kiss? What was the sin? Nasa womb ka pa, may kasalanan ka na. Tsuk-tsak lang ‘yun ng nanay pati tatay mo, wala ka naman kasali, tapos ngayon may original sin ka. T*******g klase – anong klaseng relihiyon ‘yan? ‘Yan ang hindi ko matanggap. What a stupid proposition. Tapos i-baptize ka. Basain pa yung ulo mo ng tubig.

“I believe there is a universal mind. But to what extent is the influence of that – I cannot picture him anymore as a human being, in the image of God. But I really believe, I have this faith and abiding thing about – pero ung relihiyon, maniwala kayo diyan.”

- President Rodrigo Duterte, June 22, 2018, Opening of the National ICT Summit, Davao City

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Christian theologians continue to debate the doctrine of original sin. A dominant line is that original sin is a condition. That is, every person is born tainted with The Fall of Man. Original sin is not something a person commits by thought or deed. Rather, he carries the tendency of the first parents to fall for temptation. “The intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” In “The Great Christian Doctrine of Original Sin Defended,” Jonathan Edwards notes that “youth” in that passage from Genesis 8:21 means for English speakers “from infancy.” Baptism restores man to God’s redemption, the chance for eternal life.

God created Adam and Eve in His image. They were like Him capable of love and justice. He granted them lives of bounty in Paradise. He shared with them what He had: free will. God has free will, which He, being omnibenevolent, uses only for good. “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die’” (Genesis 2:16-17).

God did not tempt Adam and Eve. The devil did, in guise of a serpent. In “Paradise Lost” John Milton depicted the serpent as Satan’s sidekick.

Man is the highest of God’s creatures. Yet he is far from perfect. Distracted, inebriated, with limited brain, he can only grasp so much. He cannot hope to imbibe all the knowledge of the world, contained in great libraries, some destroyed forever by book burners through history. In a lifetime at best we can only read a few hundred tomes. As the angel boy demonstrated to Augustine using a seashell, all the waters of the ocean just wouldn’t fit the hole on the shore.

At times out of frustration with misunderstanding, man loses hope or temper; other times he stays humble and faithful. Those are his free choices. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

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Turning the other cheek, Filipinos try to understand as the President curses their bishops and priests. An American Jesuit sexually had molested him in grade school. On return to California that priest victimized other boys, for which the Society of Jesus paid $16 million damages. Duterte carries the hurt to this day.

What horrifies Christians is Duterte mocking their God and faith. “Body of Christ sa inyong igit (in your shit),” he said in a forum of barangay officials in Davao, Dec. 29, 2016.

At a friend’s birthday party on Nov. 23, 2017, he noted: “It’s not our fault; it’s the fault of God. Why did he have to create woman. If we were all men, we’d just have a free-for-all.”

At another friend’s birthday bash on Nov. 28, 2017, he said: “You know, if you are God, you are perfect. There ought not to be imperfections. Your creation must be good. Why create a snake. Better give that to China, which might cook it tomorrow.”

At the meeting with the Filipino community in Seoul, Korea, June 3, 2018, he spoke of the creation of Adam and Eve, then remarked: “Kung yan ang diyos ng Katoliko, torpe yan. Maghanap ka ng diyos na tama.”

Some Christian groups view those as violation of the Constitution. Article II, Section 6, states: “The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.” That separation often is misread as a ban on churches from meddling in politics. In truth it bars the State from establishing or promoting any religion. By deriding Christianity, they say, head of state Duterte in effect is imposing his own religion, whatever it is.

Other groups are girding to question those who will run under Duterte’s ticket in the May 2019 congressional-local elections. Names will be known in four months. Filing of candidacies will be in Oct. 2018, for the oversized ballots.

Still others prefer to emulate the dignified silence of Christ. Jesus had kept quiet while mocked by Annas, Caiaphas, and Herod. Speaking would have been futile with those bent on crucifying Him. Silence is often the best reproof for profane behavior, a broadcaster-preacher advises. When officials begin to mock God or lie or cuss, just politely leave.

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Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).

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