(Note: the blue horizontal menu bar directly above lists the subsections of "A New Interpretation of Original Sin." Beginning with "Original Sin and its Evolutionary Roots in Animal Behavior," be sure to read each of these subsections before moving on to the "Appendix.")

A New Interpretation of Original Sin: Discussion Questions

• Does it make sense to you to think of the creation as having come from the hands of the Creator both "very good" and containing the seeds of physical and moral evil? Why or why not?



• Does it make more sense to you, or less sense, to think of "the Garden of Eden" as just a synonym for "the Kingdom of God," and as really coming into existence in the present and future, rather than as having existed once in the remote past?



• Is it a good enough explanation of our sinfulness to say that we are each born into a sinful society and molded by it, or do you think the roots of our sinfulness lie deeper than that?



• Do you think that Christian doctrines such as the Creation, the Trinity, the Incarnation, and salvation by Christ make more sense in the light of evolution, or less sense?



• Do you think suffering is good for us? If so, do you think God makes us suffer for that reason?