Do we need to be saved?

[iacrobat]

I am wondering what other people think about this.

Does humanity need to be saved?

Are we really separated from the one who created us? (if you believe we were created)

For example, is the Garden of Eden an account of the original sin that separated us from God?
Or is it a metaphor for the human condition of "imperfection."
Or was it a story of hope for disillusioned Isrealites during the exile?

Any thoughts?

 

[Kieran McConville]

Well I don't know about you, but I thought that everyone posting in this forum already was saved and stuff.

Seriously, I suspect your second choice is closest to the truth.

 

[Pinball Wizard]

I don't necessarily subscribe to this philosophy, but those who I know that practice any JudeoChristian religion usually come to the consensus that it is humanity's turn to safe itself. Or, a crude patriarchal analogy that arises... the training wheels are off, and there's no one to keep your balance. Karen Armstrong's A History of God is an interesting read that presents a similar idea. She suggests that the current mainstream incarnation of a monotheistic being is detached because humanity has reached the divine potential. Any further civilized progression is supposedly stemming from an internal drive for survival (rather than from a divine plan), and faith/worship has to be sought after (a selfless, almost sacrificial act in the eyes of the pious).

That's not me though. I've got a nice bench to sit and watch the world go.