The Original Sin

 The Original Sin

by Ken Barnes

The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” (Genesis 3:12 NLT)

Some narratives often predominate in a nation that contains part of the truth, but not the whole truth. Racism has been a terrible sin in this nation, but it is not the original sin.

Condoleezza Rice, an African-American, and the Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, once said that the United States was born with a birth defect. She was referring to racism, as evidenced by slavery. Our founding fathers were brave men, but not perfect men. Many of them owned slaves, which was a sin against God and an affront to man.

Racism was and is wrong, yet, in our national narrative, it appears to be portrayed as the original or least the unpardonable sin. Racial prejudice is the result of the action in the Garden of Eden, which was a rebellion against God. Racism is not a white or black problem; it is a human problem. The Bible says that if you say you have no sin, you are a liar (1 John 1:8). If we say we have no prejudice, no matter the color of our skin, we are probably deceiving ourselves.

It appears that it is the one sin for which we can be held accountable for our great-grandfathers did. It is very difficult to atone for what you have not done. Being accused of something you have not perpetrated, can produce guilt, but never true repentance. It creates resentment and ultimately divides us. The strategy of the Enemy has always been to divide and conquer.

We live in a great nation, yet an imperfect country. If this nation is as bad as academia is telling us, why do we have to build fences to keep people out? It is a flawed society because you and I live in it. Accusing someone else of something I also have in my heart is hypocrisy. The problem goes deeper than skin tone; it is one of the heart. Racism is part of the problem, but not the problem. Feeling superior to others is wrong, and likewise, having resentment and anger in response to these feelings, also, is not right. Two wrongs never make a right. All of us were born with a congenital disability called original sin. We are all the offspring of Adam and Eve, and like them, tend to dwell on other peoples’ sins and ignore our own.  

Am I saying we should ignore racism, no, quite the opposite? I think we should all check our hearts.

Ken Barnes is a freelance writer and the author of “Broken Vessels,” and “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”. He lives in Mechanicsburg, VA. To read more of his work you can find him at his blogs [1] and [2].

Feature Photo by Jony Ariadi on Unsplash