But the worst aspect of Christianity is without a doubt the Original Sin. One of the most imperative aspects of Christianity, which assert that the Sin committed by Adam (a) was everlasting until Jesus (a) was sacrificed in which one could be saved through the act of Baptism.
Nothing frustrates a Jewish person and a Muslim more than this particular belief, because not only did it appear during the third century, but it was defined by Augustinus through Romans (which let’s face it, did not establish anything) and had no scriptural proof to assert it.. Had this concept been so imperative, then surely it would have had an important role in the Gospels and the OT. However, even after reading through the Tanakh, there is nothing that ever points to its existence.
They repentend and God forgave them; Original sin gone
As in, it was bad but not enough to be a sin? Or something else?
Shi’a Muslims believe that God had adviced Adam (a) and his wife (a) not to eat from the fruit. Imagine a scenario in which you’re told not to climb up a tree and you understand the risks, but you decide that you’re capable of climbing it. However, you fall down and you hurt your knee. But it can not be amounted to a sin, because you were adviced, not commanded. God’s words are not always a commandment, but sometimes an advisory command: For example, it is adviced to slaughter an animal through a specific method, if you fail to carry out the instructions, the food becomes unlawful and you may not consume from it. However, you do not commit a sin, but a mistake.
In the case of Adam (a), they were innocent and had never heard a lie before; they were pure beings that had never been exposed to such concepts. When the serpent appeared to Adam (a) and his wife (a), both of them were naive and trusted the serpent, thus he deceived them and they ate from the fruit. The repercussions of this act is that it only hastened Adam (a) and Eve’s (a) settlement on Earth. However, the act which they had committed was a not a sin, but an unpreferrable act. Had they not acted upon this, they could have prolonged their stay in the Garden before finally having to settle on Earth, because God had planned this from the very start.
Adam (a) was then removed from the garden together with Eve (a) in haste and sent to Earth with a task and not as a punishment. Thus, Muslims regard Adam (a) as a Prophet whose task was to lead humanity with a set of commandments from God. However, God’s plan was always constant: to have Adam (a) sent down to Earth regardless of whether he had committed the act or not. However, the choice he made was less preferrable and only reminded Adam (a) of the evils of this world.
(And please do remember that “Christianity” ≠ American Evangelical Protestantism. It’s not best practice to lump together fringe Pentecostal Christians handling snakes in Appalachia with St. Thomas Christians in Kerala or with Coptic Christians in Egypt.)
