By James W. Dolan
Special to the Reporter

How does one reconcile two obvious facts that seem to conflict with the Bible and Christian tradition? As described in Genesis, creation and the fundamental flaw in mankind, often termed “original sin,” are inaccurate. The creative process occurred over millions of years and Adam and Eve are more representative than real.

Their sin was not transmitted at birth to all mankind. Baptism was not to wash away the stain of their sin. Babies are not born in sin but they are born with the capacity to commit sin. Baptism is an acknowledgment of our sinful nature and an affirmation of God’s forgiveness.

Genesis is a parable, not a scientific explanation, written so that it could be understood more than 2,000 years ago by people who could comprehend the message rather than the science or theology. The message was clear: God created the universe and all things in it in time and by a process that only He could fully comprehend.

He created human beings with a flaw that prompted them to turn away from Him. If it was not disobedience by eating an apple from a forbidden tree, what was it? I suggest it was not a flaw but a gift – free will. Without free will human beings would have been automatons, robots unable to choose and incapable of merit or fault. With all its temptations, free will was the greater good. It was only through the exercise of free will that mankind could truly love.

Original sin may have been the first act of free will wherein man put self ahead of God. It was pervasive, not in the sense that a specific sin indelibly marked future generations, but rather that sin, time and again in many forms, would be repeated down through the ages.

God knew that in the exercise of free will mankind would reject him by choosing evil. Nonetheless, he wished to give humanity the freedom to choose. Sin is the inevitable consequence of free will. It is choosing self- seeking, self delusion and self love over God’s will as expressed in the commandments and the beatitudes.

Knowing that evil would necessarily flow from the exercise of free will, a merciful God purged the permanent effects of evil with Christ’s death and resurrection. By saving us from the lasting consequences of a sinful nature, our bad choices could be forgiven and, despite our inherent weaknesses, we could be reconciled to God.

Free will is both a gift and a burden. Christ’s death freed us from the burden – the guilt associated with the evil choices we make. In his mercy, we are pardoned by the redemption – an act of limitless love and understanding. This explanation does not distort the Genesis message but instead refines it in terms that comport with what we know today.

Evolving mankind is obviously smarter, better informed, more comfortable, and more self-centered. Our brains have evolved but have our choices? Are we more inclined to be humble, tolerant, understanding, generous, and merciful than prior generations, or have too many choices made us more distracted and self absorbed? As clever as we may think we are, have we simply developed new ways to ignore God’s presence?

I hope and pray that a merciful God will judge us in the context or our lives, the applicable standard being our individual capacity to do good or evil. This of necessity requires a sliding scale: primitive man is not judged the same as modern man, the mentally ill are not judged the same as the sane, and the disadvantaged are not judged the same as the gifted.

An all-knowing God will measure our lives against the advantages He gave us. Those with much will likely be judged more harshly than those with little. A merciful God knows there are mitigating and aggravating factors and, depending upon the circumstances, some wills are freer than others.

James W. Dolan is a retired Dorchester District Court judge who now practices law.