In 1984, Van Halen released their sixth album entitled, MCMLXXXIV, with eye-catching cover art featuring an angelic baby . . . casually smoking a cigarette. Such a cover was controversial 26 years ago, inciting the ire of many religious Americans. Despite the controversy, the art itself raises a profound, theological question about the nature of human beings: Does even a seemingly innocent child possess an innate predisposition for bad behavior (aka "sin”)?
It's a question that theologians and anthropologists struggled with long before the 1980's, and one that was recently revisited in the June 2010 issue of BBC Knowledge. In it, science journalist Andy Ridgway surveyed the latest research to illustrate that humans are biologically hardwired to sin. His investigation is focused around the infamous “seven deadly sins”—pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust—which are often elevated in culture as the evilest sins of all. (It should be noted that this compilation of bad behavior can’t be found in the Bible, but was first compiled by the Greek monk Evagrius of Pontus in 375 AD.)
Ridgway highlights recent research illustrating the human predisposition toward such behavior and concludes, “It appears we’re nature’s puppets – dancing to a pre-ordained tune that’s been reinforced through the generations."
But then the article takes an interesting turn. Ridgway goes on to say that maybe it is good to be bad, perhaps sinning is a beneficial part of our development. As a theologian, that's where I think we must pause for critique.
See my full article, "Born to Sin," on Qideas.org.
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Dave said:
Interesting question. I am no theologian, but this question really makes me think. "Born to sin?" I hope not, yet we are all sinners, except one person who walked on this earth. I think satan would love us to believe that sinning is just a simple, natural thing, so it takes the consequences of sinning away. I think the real answer is that we are born to choose, rather than born to sin. We choose to tell our first lie, for example, because satan has crept in and planted a seed of sin at his first opportunity. By finding Christ we are able to be saved from our sins, and that I am truly thankful for. So in my conclusion, I don't think the question matters...we are all sinners, and we all have the ability to choose redemption through Christ.
Posted: June 28, 2010