This idea – that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin – is one that I accepted uncritically growing up in a Catholic school. And one now that makes absolutely no sense at all – seems in fact intellectually indefensible. Never mind that my heart and my gut cannot conceive of a father who would stain all his other children with sin at birth and save just two – Mary and her son.
Are we not born the children of a loving and supportive Universe / Goddess / God / Light / Higher Power? Is not our Creator infinitely able to bring into being whatever It desires? How in the world, then, did the idea of original sin ever come into being?
Did it not have to be originally invented so that we would need a mediator / middle man (the Goddess sure didn’t invent it!) to talk to our deity, one who would be said to have the power to save us from all this evil? And then to add Limbo for unbaptized babies to this teetering pile, and indulgences, novenas, rote formulas for prayer – so that none of us would dare have an actual conversation with our Creator on our own.
I like Matthew Fox’s concept of Original Blessing much better. Judgment and control are not what makes the world go round. We are born joyful children of a joyful Universe, and are here to bring our skills and talents to making that Universe an even better place. Learning, growing, experiencing love along the way are all bonuses.
Co-creation with a loving powerful Partner is what happens on the planet I live on. This idea of innate sinfulness is much too small and negative an idea for me.