Are Men Born Sinners? - Library of Theology

commanded the sun and not the earth to stand still? That the sun runs from one end of the
heavens to the other?
So while Martin Luther and Calvin both rejected many of the errors of the Catholic
Church, they also both still clung to some of its errors. Why? Because of their ignorance.
Both Calvin and Martin Luther were completely ignorant about astronomy. They did not
think they were ignorant. They professed to know much more about it than Copernicus.
They thought that their false views were true because they were supported by long-held
tradition, and they could quote Scripture texts to support them. And Christians today also
think that the doctrine of original sin is true because it is supported by long-held tradition,
and they can quote proof-texts from the Bible to prove it. Because of their ignorance,
they will stand with righteous indignation against those who declare the dogma of
original sin to be false, just like Calvin and Luther, because of their ignorance, stood with
righteous indignation against the truth as taught by Copernicus.
There is grave ignorance among Christians respecting the doctrine of original sin. Most
Christians would have to admit that they are completely ignorant about the following
facts:
1. That the doctrine of original sin is a historical doctrine. It became a doctrine of the
Catholic Church in the 5th century A.D.
2. That it has evolved as a doctrine and that it had its roots in a heathen philosophy.
3. That it is really only a theory, and further, that there is not one, but several
contradicting theories of original sin.
4. That there is grave disagreement among the theologians who support the different
theories of original sin, and that they are all able to prove each other's theories to be false.
5. That, although the doctrine of original sin was foisted on the church by Augustine,
much of the credit for the acceptance of the doctrine must go to the changing winds of
church politics and power. Not only the doctrine of original sin, but several other
doctrines of the church see-sawed back and forth in their acceptance or rejection
according to the caprices of politics, power, and influence of the state and church.
6. Most Christians are ignorant of the fact that Pelagius and Celestus were inadvertently a
great help to Augustine in foisting his doctrine of original sin on the church. In fact,
without their role, it may never have taken hold in the church. Pelagius and Celestus
withstood Augustine's views on original sin, natural inability, and a necessitated will. But
in rejecting original sin, they had to teach that infants are without sin, which meant that
there was no need of infant baptism. Churchmen at that time were strongly prejudiced for
infant baptism, so the implication involved in a denial of original sin (that there was no
need for infant baptism) shocked them, raising opposition to the teachings of Pelagius
and Celestus and making Augustine's doctrine of original sin, natural inability, a