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Title: A Fine Distinction Author: Freedom Press (London) Date: February, 1888 Language: en Source: Freedom: A Journal of Anarchist Socialism, Vol. 2, No. 17, online source http://www.revoltlib.com/?id=2991, retrieved on April 12, 2020.
The pastor of a Congregational church writes to us:
"I find in your issue of this mouth you say in your article on
Reason-Worship: 'Christian theology and pessimist philosophy are agreed
in condemning the nature of man as essentially evil.' As a regular
reader of your paper, I was sorry to find such a mistake. This may be
some people's impression of the teaching of theology, or it may actually
be taught by some ignorant preachers. It is not the doctrine of
theology, but on the contrary has been specially condemned, and I
believe never revived. Theology teaches that sin is in the will but not
in the essential nature of man. These views are distinct. Man is created
in the image of God: this is the teaching of the Bible and of theology.
The emphasis laid upon the fact of sin has led you astray."
Is not the will part of the essential nature of men? If the will is
depraved (however that may be said to have come about), is not the man a
depraved being?
We fully admit that many Christians theoretically, and a vast number
practically, do not believe in the essential wickedness of human nature.
The vital force of Christ's religion, as distinct from theology, has
been its loving reverence for man; and the section of the Christian
Church to which our correspondent belongs is one of those that has
retained most of the popular and humanitarian character of their
master's teaching. But we must reassert that the doctrine of the evil
nature of man has been an article of faith in the dominant forms of
Christian theology during the last 1800 years, and has exercised a great
and injurious moral influence upon social relations.