Stefan MolyneuxVerified account

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints i am taught that the fall of man was good because we were given freedom to choose and that we are only responsible for are own sins.

That's exactly the oppsite of what scripture says, though :( Lucifer is cursed for participating in that act. Man is supposed to rely on God, not his own ability to judge. That's why the entirety of scripture condemns judging people.

Which verse, I’m curious.

Check Genesis 1-3. God says not to eat of the fruit or they would die. It seems clear that God thinks that's a bad thing. Satan says they won't die and lies to them to get them to disobey God, and there's dozens of passages about how he is the enemy.

Death is the consequence of the fall, and that is considered very bad, too. The wages of sin is death according to Romans 6:23, so sin and death and the fall all go hand in hand. Where in scripture does it say any of those things are good?

Man already had free will, which is why the fruit was able to be chosen in the first place. What he didn't have was the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17), but was supposed to let God deal with good and evil. This is why, know that we have this knowledge, we spend so much...

...time judging the value and hearts of other people. It's also why God calls us to have childlike faith, which is not blind, but leaves the job of judgement to Him. Little children let their Father protect them, while they abide in His love & obey Him. But they have free will.

As an ex Protestant and stydent of Church history, I must say Western Christianity's presentation of sin is terrifying. Sin is not rule breaking but selfishness, and Romans says the rules are to help us see the selfishness and then look to God for help being loving.

And God forgives all without requiring payment, but the problem is we are still selfish so forgiveness is unappreciated. So Christianity should be about transformation into truly loving beings, not shame and condemning others.

Sin is transgression of the Law (I John 3:4). So yes. It is breaking of rules.

The word is used that way, sure, but it's clear God forgives all. So it's not lawbreaking that keeps us from Him. It's that we have a heart that would want to break laws. Theres a reason "accidental" sin is treated differently. Romans says the law was to reveal our heart issue.

I don't really subscribe to the innovations of Catholicism and Protestantism, which invented new ways to use the Bible and new traditions. Early Christians, disciples by scripture's authors, did not see lawbreaking as 100% literally the problem any more than the "race" or "fight"