It’s that simple, folks. Original sin is generational trauma; destructive patterns of behaviour inherited at birth (conception, actually) which originated at the Fall. The whole theology boils down to three simple equations: The Fall = Neolithic decline Original sin = generational trauma New Testament = trauma resolution manual When understood as generational trauma, the entire […]
There are two trees in the Garden: The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The trees are metaphors for the way we live, work, interact, feed, and function. Our human operating system, our paradigm, our perception. One represents holistic vision. The other is a cracked lens. The cracked lens […]
On Easter Sunday I heard a sermon that included a recapitulation of Genesis chapters 2 and 3: Adam and Eve, temptation and Fall. The preacher phrased this as Adam and Eve making the wrong choice, a mistake for which humanity has been paying ever since. This is a superficial reading of the text, but it […]
The structure of the Bible bears a specific resemblance to a blockbuster Hollywood film. Blockbusters start by presenting us with a problem to be solved. They introduce a hero or heroes, and at the end of the film we discover if or how the problem is solved. The Bible varies from conventional Hollywood film structure […]
The first five books of the Bible—the Pentateuch—contain 613 commands [1]. Rules were necessary to bond tribes together against outsiders, to stop tribes weakening themselves through infighting, and to normalise the taboos on all things feminine that arose from environmental stress: Reward togetherness: “You will get more and more cattle, sheep, silver, gold, and other possessions.” […]
Famine appears in both Books of Kings: “For three years no rain fell in Samaria, and there was almost nothing to eat anywhere.” (1 Kings 18:1-2) “The Lord has warned that there will be no food here for seven years.” (2 Kings 8:1) Famines in East Africa in the 1970s revealed the impact of environmental […]
We know that the Old Testament took place in the context of the desert. That’s not precise enough. It actually took place in the context of desertification—the onset or increase of desert. The difference is crucial. The Middle East wasn’t always a desert. The Middle East wasn’t always a desert [1]. Prior to about 4000 BC […]
The Book of Judges is one of the most colourful books in the Bible. And one of its most colourful stories is that of Samson—the long-haired man of superhuman strength who wrestled a lion. It’s a story we’re all familiar with, but is it true? In 2012, archaeologists from the university of Tel Aviv discovered […]
We’ve all been raised with at least some awareness of the 7 deadly sins. What exactly are these sins, so fundamental to the Christian concept of original sin? Mark 7:20 contains one of Jesus’ most damning verdicts on the human condition—one of many. I don’t think I have ever heard anyone quote it. Matthew 15:10-20 echoes […]
We live in an age of anxiety. Yet few question why or where it comes from. I suggest the story of the Garden of Eden. After eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve heard God walking in the garden. Frightened, they hid behind some trees. Genesis 3:10 As we […]