What If You're Fundamentally Not Flawed?

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. It was bracing language for an 8-year-old. Not only was I unclean, but even my best attempt at goodness was filthy."

"The doctrine behind this language, what became known as original sin, was shaped most influentially by Augustine of Hippo. Augustine argued that humanity inherits a fallen condition from Adam. We are not born neutral. We are born marked. Over time, this idea hardened into a starting assumption: The human story begins in deficiency."

"As a child, I did not know Augustine's name, but I absorbed his premise. At base, I was flawed. The task was improvement through memorization, obedience, vigilance, and sacrifice. My inherent nature was a problem to be managed."

Awana, a Bible memorization program founded in 1950, taught children to recite scripture for achievement badges. The author, a participant in the girls' division called Chums, memorized verses including Isaiah 64:6, which described human righteousness as filthy rags. This language reflected Augustine's doctrine of original sin, which posits that humanity inherits a fallen condition from Adam and is born marked by deficiency rather than neutrality. Through memorization, obedience, and vigilance, children absorbed the premise that their inherent nature was flawed and required constant management and improvement. The spiritual life became framed as an ongoing climb toward redemption.

Read at Psychology Today