Root of Sin: premature and misuse of sexual organs

Just to make this abundantly clear that the first ancestors’ mistake was not that they simply disobeyed God, or actually ate a literal fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If we (the people) are unclear about the root of evil then we won’t be able to effectively deal with it. This is, therefore, a fundamental topic, right?

[. . . the root of sin was not that the first human ancestors ate a fruit, but rather that they had an illicit sexual relationship with an angel (symbolized by a serpent). Consequently, they could not multiply God’s good lineage but instead multiplied Satan’s evil lineage. 

There is ample evidence which helps us recognize that the root of human sin stems from sexual immorality. We know that the original sin has been perpetuated through lineal descent from one generation to the next. This is because the root of sin was solidified by a sexual relationship that binds one in ties of blood. Furthermore, those religions which emphasize the need to purge sin regard fornication as a cardinal sin, and they have taught the virtues of chastity and restraint in order to curb it. This is an indication that the root of sin is found in lustful desires. The Israelites performed the rite of circumcision as a condition for sanctification. They qualified themselves as God’s chosen people by draining blood, because the root of sin lies in having taken in through an unchaste act the evil blood which permeates our being. 

Sexual promiscuity is a principal cause of the downfall of numerous heroes, patriots and nations. Even in the most outstanding people, the root of sin—illicit sexual desire—is constantly active in their souls, sometimes without their conscious awareness. We may be able to eradicate all other evils by establishing moral codes through religion, by thoroughly implementing various educational programs, and by reforming the socio-economic systems that foster crime. But no one can prevent the plague of sexual promiscuity, which has become increasingly prevalent as the progress of civilization makes lifestyles more comfortable and indolent. Therefore, the hope of an ideal world is an empty dream as long as this root of all evils has not been eradicated at its source. Christ at his Second Advent must be able to solve this problem once and for all.] excerpt from Exposition of the Divine Principle Part 1 Chapter 2 Section 1

Reasons why an act of disobedience doesn’t satisfactorily explain the Fall of Man which not only separated the first ancestors from God but all their progeny as well.

1. The belief that God made a test, which if not passed would result in death, is a portrayal of a merciless God. If any parents used this primal example as a valid reason to inculcate obedience in their children then these parents would be deemed unfit to be in charge of minors. If there is a belief in a literal fruit we could similarly ask if God, the loving Parent of humanity, would make a fruit that could cause the Fall to look so attractive; and place it where his children could reach it so easily. (furthermore, Jesus said. “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” How, then, can a food which one eats cause one to fall?)

2.  If the Fall of Man were caused by disobedience then the Law becomes centrally important. It means that in order to be ‘good’ we need to be sure that we are being obedient (obedient to God’s Law). This makes sense because it is a reversal of the Fall if the Fall of Man was truly simply an act of disobedience.

Satan is called the ‘god of this world . . .’ and ‘the ruler of this world’ (2Cor4:4 and Jn12:31) because this world is where the children of God are multiplied and then are supposed to grow to maturity wholly centered upon God (and no  other). Of course this growing to maturity centered upon God is going to be impossible  in a world ruled by Satan. This is why Jesus’ main task was to give re-birth to all of mankind to separate us from the lineage of the fall and connect us to the lineage of God through engrafting with the lineage of the Messiah who would then become the new and true parent of mankind that was originally supposed to have been accomplished by the first ancestors.

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​THE FALL OF THE ANGEL AND THE FALL OF HUMAN BEINGS 

It is clear that the serpent who tempted the human beings to fall was an angel, and that this angel became Satan when he sinned and fell. Let us now investigate what kind of sin the angel and the human beings committed. 

THE CRIME OF THE ANGEL 

And the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by Him in eternal chains in the nether gloom until the judgment of the great day; just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Jude 6-7 

From this passage we can infer that the angel fell as a result of an illicit sexual relationship. 

Fornication is a crime which cannot be committed alone. With whom did the angel commit the illicit sexual act in the Garden of Eden? In order to unveil this mystery, let us examine what kind of sin the human beings committed. 

THE CRIME OF THE HUMAN BEINGS 

We read that before they fell, Adam and Eve were both naked, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2: 25. After the Fall, however, they felt ashamed of their nakedness and sewed fig leaves together into aprons to cover their lower parts. Genesis 3: 7. If they had committed a crime by eating some actual fruit from a tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then they certainly would have covered their hands or mouths instead. It is human nature to conceal one’s faults. 

Thus, the act of covering their lower parts shows that these parts, and not their mouths, were the source of their shame. In Job 31:33 it is written, “If I have concealed my transgressions like Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom." Adam concealed his lower parts after the Fall; this indicates that his blemish was in his lower parts. Adam and Eve’s sexual parts were the source of their shame because they were the instruments of their sinful deed. 

In the world before the human Fall, what act would one be willing to carry out even at the clear risk of one’s life? It could be nothing else but the act of love. God’s purpose of creation, described in the blessings “be fruitful and multiply,”(Genesis 1: 28) can be achieved only through love. Accordingly, from the viewpoint of God’s purpose of creation, love should be the most precious and sacred act. But because the sexual act was the very cause of the Fall, people often regard it with shame and even contempt. In conclusion, human beings fell through an act of illicit sexual intercourse. 

THE ILLICIT SEXUAL ACT BETWEEN THE ANGEL AND THE HUMAN BEINGS 

Thus far, we have explained that an angel seduced human beings to fall, and that both the angel and the human beings fell due to illicit sexual love. Human beings and angels are the only spiritual beings in the universe who are capable of having love relationships. We can deduce that the illicit sexual relationship must have involved the angel and human beings. 

Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.” John 8: 44. Since the Devil is identified as Satan, Revelation 12: 9, we can assert that human beings are descendants of Satan, the “ancient serpent” who tempted human beings. Through what circumstances did humankind become the descendants of the fallen angel, Satan? There was an illicit sexual relationship between the angel and the first ancestors. As the fruit of that relationship, all humanity is of the lineage of Satan. When St. Paul wrote, “we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies,” Romans 8: 23, he was acknowledging that we fallen people stem from the lineage of Satan, not the lineage of God. John the Baptist reproached the people, calling them “a brood of vipers,” Matthew 3:7, that is, children of Satan. Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” Matthew 23:33. These verses affirm that we are the offspring of an illicit sexual relationship involving the angel and our first ancestors. This, in fact, lies at the heart of the human Fall.

This explanation reveals a very different God from the one who punishes mankind with death for disobedience. The commandment (do not eat) was to protect mankind from venturing to engage with an act that would cause their death.

Critique and comments welcome

Andrew Derricutt