Episode 367: Is Original Sin the Wrong Story? w/ John Philip Newell

FROM THE ARCHIVES: This week, we're revisiting one of my favorite conversations from the What If Project archives, a conversation with John Philip Newell about his beautiful book "Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul".

What if the deepest truth about being human isn't that we're broken, sinful, or separated from God?

What if we've simply forgotten who we are?

In this conversation, JP introduces us to the wisdom of Celtic Christianity and its radically different understanding of humanity, Jesus, creation, and the sacredness of the earth. We talk about things like original sin, "soul forgetfulness," the divine presence within every human being, and what it might mean to see Jesus not as the exception to humanity, but as someone who reveals what has been there all along.

We also explore JP's own journey from conservative evangelical Christianity into Celtic spirituality, why ancient Celtic teachers challenged the marriage of religion and empire, and how practices like silence, meditation, nature, and attentiveness can help us remember what our souls already know.

I originally recorded this conversation a few years ago, but listening back to it, I was struck by how much of it still speaks to where I am today. So I'm pulling it from the archives and sharing it again!

Enjoy.

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SHOW NOTES:

JOHN PHILIP NEWELL: https://www.earthandsoul.org/john-philip-newell

SACRED EARTH, SACRED SOUL: https://amzn.to/4xpsGpi

MY NEW BOOK: https://a.co/d/fsUTllj

ART STUDIO: https://www.whatifproject.net/art

SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.whatifproject.net/support

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