In this America, too, the Christian teaching that every human soul is unique and precious has been stressed, by the prophets of self-fulfillment and gurus of self-love, at the expense of the equally important teaching that every human soul is fatally corrupted by original sin. Absent the latter emphasis, religion becomes a license for egotism and selfishness, easily employed to justify what used to be considered deadly sins. The result is a society where pride becomes 'healthy self-esteem', vanity becomes 'self-improvement', adultery becomes 'following your heart', greed and gluttony become 'living the American dream'. Ross Douthat
About This Quote

The concept of original sin is one of the most important beliefs in the Christian faith. Original sin is the idea that all people are born into a sinful state, that they cannot help but sin. Some people claim that this view of humanity is outdated and that the idea of original sin has been replaced by a more modern, enlightened view of human nature. However, it can be argued that this new view does not have nearly as much power as the old one.

The idea of original sin has always been central to Christianity. It has always taught that everyone is born with an innate evil or selfishness. Therefore, it is impossible to live a morally righteous life without recognizing this flaw within oneself.

Source: Bad Religion: How We Became A Nation Of Heretics

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More Quotes By Ross Douthat
  1. Among the tastemakers and power brokers and intellectual agenda setters of late-twentieth-century America, orthodox Christianity was completely déclassé.
  2. In this America, too, the Christian teaching that every human soul is unique and precious has been stressed, by the prophets of self-fulfillment and gurus of self-love, at the expense of the equally important teaching that every human soul is fatally corrupted by original sin....
  3. The physical vanity of the diet-and-exercise obsessive is recast as the pursuit of a kind of ritual purity, hedged about with taboos and guilt trips and mysticized by yoga.
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