Erbsünde
[Deutsch – German – German]
Laurence B. Brown, MD
Übersetzer: Eine Gruppe von Übersetzern
1435 – 2014
original sin
«in German»
d. Lawrence Brown
translation: a group of translators
1435 – 2014
Beschreibung: Das Konzept der Erbsünde im Judentum, Christentum und Islam.
The concept of original sin is completely alien to Judaism and Eastern Christianity, while it has only gained acceptance in the Western Church. Furthermore, the Christian and Islamic concepts of sin are contradictory in terms of certain nuances. For example, in Islam there is no concept of a „sin in the spirit“; for a Muslim, a bad thought becomes a good deed if he refuses to act on it. Overcoming and rejecting bad thoughts that always affect our heads is seen as a reason for a reward, not a punishment. From an Islamic point of view, a bad thought only becomes a sin if it is acted upon.
Thinking of good deeds goes against human nature. Since our creation, mankind has historically given itself to the banquet of life with pleasure and sacrifice, if it has not been restricted by social or religious reasons. The orgies of self-fulfillment that have paved the corridors of history have enveloped not only individuals and small communities, but also great world powers that have devoured their share of deviance through to self-destruction. Sodom and Gomorrah may top most lists, but the greatest powers in the ancient world – including the Greek, Roman, and Persian empires, as well as Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great – certainly do their part in the dishonorable mention.
So good thoughts are not always mankind’s first instinct. Hence the Islamic understanding that good deeds are worth a reward, even if they are not carried out. If someone does a good thought too, Allah will make the reward even greater.
The concept of original sin simply does not exist in Islam and has never existed. For Christian readers, the question is not whether or not the concept of original sin exists today, but whether it existed in the period of Christian origin or not. In particular whether Jesus had taught them?
Obviously not. Whoever came up with this concept could not have been Jesus because he repeatedly taught:
„Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them, for such is the kingdom of God.“ (Matthew 19:14)
We should be wondering how „such“ the „Kingdom of God“ should be given, when the un-baptized are dedicated to hell. Either children are born with original sin or the kingdom of heaven is due to them. But the Church cannot go both ways. Ezekiel 18:20 reports:
“Why shouldn’t a son bear his father’s iniquity? Because he did right and well and kept and did all my rights, he should live. Because which soul sins, it should die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son; but righteousness of righteousness should be above him. ”
The fifth book of Moses 24:16 repeats this point. The objection could be raised that this is the Old Testament, but it is no older than Adam! If original sin had existed since Adam, it would not be denied in any scripture, no matter what time!
Islam teaches that every person is born in a state of spiritual purity, but education and distraction from worldly pleasures can dissuade us. Nevertheless, sins cannot be inherited and even Adam and Eve will not be punished for their sins because God has forgiven them. And how can mankind inherit something that no longer exists? No, from an Islamic point of view, we will all be judged according to our own actions, because:
“… (It is written,) that no burden-bearing soul should bear the burden of another and that nothing other than what he strives for is given to man.” (Quran 53: 38–39) … and “Whoever takes the right path obeyed, obeys him only for his own salvation; and whoever goes astray goes astray alone to his own detriment. And no burdened soul should bear the burden of another… ”(Quran 17:15)
Each person will be responsible for their own actions, but no child will go to hell because it has not been baptized and is burdened with a sin as a birthright was – or should we say, as a birth injustice?
Copyright © 2008 Laurence B. Brown — used with his permission.
The author’s website is www.leveltruth.com. He is the author of two books on the comparison of religions with the titles: MisGod’ed and God’ed, as well as the Islamic primer: Bearing True Witness. All of his books are available through Amazon.com.
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/erbsuende