The idea of original sin has always been a bit troubling to me – eternal condemnation for the “sins” of others. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but maybe I have been looking at it from the wrong perspective.

Maybe original sin is more about life than death – Maybe original sin is not about condemnation after death, but stagnation during life. Maybe the “original sins” are the beliefs and decisions of our ancestors that are blindly followed by us. The “sin” of not being true to ourselves – of not following our own paths – of not honoring our individuality.

Maybe “original sin” is not a sin of others imposed upon us, but rather a “sin” against ourselves for blindly following others. When we blindly follow the paths of others, we bury our most beautiful gift – our individuality. We “sin” against ourselves by not fostering our individuality.

Maybe, just maybe, original sin has nothing to do with what happens at death, but everything to do with what happens during life.

Timothy Velner is a husband, father, attorney and author living in Minneapolis. You can follow his daily blog – a series of discussions between the worry-self and the present-self at – thespiritualgym.me