The Sin of Original Sin vs Judaism and Islam

Islam and Judaism both agree that the Christian belief in ‘original sin’ is an overly negative and pessimistic evaluation of human beings who were made by God. The Qur’an and the Torah both teach that Allah/God made humans with both a tendency toward good behavior and a tendency to bad behavior. Islamic and Jewish concepts of sin are virtual opposites to Christian concepts in many aspects. For example, there is no concept of “sinning in the mind” in Islam and Judaism. To a Muslim or a Jew, an evil thought becomes a good deed when a person refuses to act upon it.

Overcoming and dismissing evil thoughts which frequently assail our minds is considered deserving of reward rather than punishment. The teaching of both Islam and Judaism is that an evil thought only becomes sinful when it results in evil behavior.

But humans do need to be limited by societal and religious restrictions. Examples of orgies of self-indulgence and power-seeking include the Greek, Roman and Persian empires, as well as those of Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great, show how shameful highly civilized societies can be. But while there are many examples of communal decadence, cases of individual evil and corruption are even more common.

So, good thoughts are not always the first instinct of humankind. As such, the Islamic and Jewish understanding is that the very intention to do good deeds is in itself worthy of reward, even if not acted upon. When a person actually does a good deed, God multiplies the reward even further.

Jesus, however, was an idealistic perfectionist and strongly condemned bad thoughts as evil temptations: “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Gospel of Matthew 5:28-29)

But even then Jesus did not teach the concept of original sin because he also taught that little children are pure and have their own angels in heaven: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10) and “Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).

How could little children be of “the kingdom of heaven” with “their angels in heaven” if all unbaptized children who die are going to hell?

Little children who die early are not born with original sin, and if God is just and merciful, they are going to the kingdom of heaven. In addition, the Torah in Deuteronomy 24:16 states clearly: “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sins.”

So if children should not suffer for the sins of their parents, how much the more so should they not suffer for sins committed in the far distant past by someone else.

The sages of the Talmud said that upon awakening in the morning, a person should say, Elohai neshamah shenatata bi tehorah hee. “My God, the soul that you placed within me, she is pure.” Talmud Berakhot 60b

And the Torah also states that humans have free will to make moral decisions, and the moral responsibility to do so: “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’” (Genesis 4:6-7)

So why did Christianity desire to develop the strange religious concept of original sin? To provide a reason why every human being, even very kind, loving and moral monotheist human beings, need to believe that God’s own son had died on the cross as a vicarious atonement for their original sin [and all their later sins].

And they also had to believe that God’s own son had died on the cross as a vicarious atonement for all humans original sin, was a required belief for all humans; or they would never enter Paradise as St. Paul wrote: “So, as by the offense of one [Adam] all mankind were taken to condemnation; so also by the Justice of one [Jesus] many shall be made just.” (Romans 5:18–19)

And as Paul, the real founder of Christianity, wrote: 1 Corinthians 5:21-22, “For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead [on judgement day] has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.”

These words make it plain that all human beings inherited Adam’s sin and were in need of Christian beliefs to be saved from hellfire. Thus, once it got the power to do so, the Church started forcing people to be baptized and convert to Christianity; and later with the establishment of the Catholic Inquisition in Spain and Portugal, it started burning Jews, Muslims and Protestants at the stake when they secretly continued to practice their own religion in private.

This never happened in Muslim states that were guided by the Qur’an’s admonition: “And had your Lord willed, everyone on earth would have believed [the same religion] all of them entirely. Then, [O Muhammad], would you compel people in order that they become believers? [NO] it is not for a soul to believe except by permission of Allah, and He will place defilement upon those who will not use reason. (10:99-100)

This is why most Muslim rulers were guided by “There is no compulsion in religion” (2:256) and not by “we shall drive them out from there in disgrace, and they will be abased” (27:37)

Like many other Christian beliefs, the doctrine of “inherited sin” finds no support in the words of Jesus or of the prophets who came before him, who all taught that every man is accountable for his own actions and that children will not be punished for the sin of their parents.

As Prophet Ezekiel (18:20) states“The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

This is why the Qur’an also states: And they say, “None will enter Paradise except one who is a Jew or a Christian.” That is [just] their wishful thinking; say, “Produce your proof, if you should be truthful.” Yes [indeed], whoever submits his face in submission to Allah while being a do-gooder, will have his reward with his Lord. And no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.(2:111-2)

The Qur’an condemns the idea that heaven is reserved only for members of one religious community. Biblical and early rabbinic Judaism also opened the gates of heaven to non-Jews who do righteous deeds; as is is found in the Jerusalem Talmud and in Tosefta (Sanhedrin 13:2) where Rabbi Joshua held that “the righteous of all peoples (even polytheists) have a share in the World to Come” and this became the official view of Judaism.

But when, during the 3rd to 6th centuries, Christians started persecuting Jews for not believing that God’s own son had died on the cross as a vicarious atonement for their sins, and therefore no Jews could enter heaven’s gates, the rabbis replied in kind; by excluding trinitarian Christians from heaven. The Qur’an states that both types of exclusion are false, and lack any clear scriptural proof; for no human knows how gracious God will be on Judgement Day.

“We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so compete to [do all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.” (5:48)

And the Qur’an also states, and then repeats: “Verily, those who believe, and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians; whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous deeds; shall have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”  (Quran 2:62 & 5:69)