“….there’s no such thing as an original sin.” (lyric from Elvis Costello’s, “I’m Not Angry”)
Our new preacher leans harder than past pastors on stressing guilt and unworthiness. According to his view, we are flawed individuals needing the mercy of God. If we sign up with the plan (admit guilt and seek forgiveness through Christ), then all our troubles end. He likes to hold up the Bible and smugly grin as he announces, “This is the word of the Lord.” I feel like he’s repeating the password that allows him and his followers to enter through a locked door into an exclusive club.
It takes an hour or two after a service to shake the sensation that I’ve been sullied in mind and spirit. His sermons have served a good purpose, however. They’ve made me reconsider my allegiance to this church, question his arguments, and scrutinize the basic contract between church-goers and church establishments.
When I hear him obliquely referring to original sin, I flashback to boyhood catechism lessons. I learned that God gave us free will to choose between good and evil. Adam and Eve ate a forbidden apple. We (all of the first couple’s descendants) fell. Hell is our destination unless we join the church and follow the rules.
I’ve begun to look at this story more carefully. I see it now as a potent business model:
1. Create a need.
2. Supply relief to the need.
3. Deny relief if a supplicant cannot or will not abide by rules that protect the exclusive rights of the relief organization.
4. Severely punish anyone who publicly questions the legitimacy of the service contract.
In other words, make the crowd worry about the after life, assure them that they’ll have a good ride if they follow the rules, deny comfort to anyone who doesn’t play along, and eliminate opposition in a manner that instills fear in those who waver.
It’s hard to beat that kind of sales campaign. It stews promises and threats in a steaming pot of insecurity. Anyone having doubts about their personal worth is susceptible. Even those who lead an upright life have moments of weakness, impatience and cruelty. Their sins abound when a sharp-eyed preacher points them out. And doesn’t everyone tremble a bit when they think about death? Who wouldn’t want a locked assurance that the soul goes on in glory if certain conditions are met? Forget about buying life insurance. Get soul insurance instead.
My pastor thinks he’s doing congregants a favor by preaching the pitch, by offering us a chance to join a club. I’d rather he’d give advice about how to live decently from one day to the next. He’s got nothing to offer me if he’s just selling a product while guarding the franchise.