”Born Bad!” - On The doctrine of Original Sin

An address by the Jenny Dyster - recorded on Sunday, 20th January, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide.
Drawing closely upon James Boyce's book, “Born Bad: Original Sin and the Making of the Western World” (Publ. Counterpoint, 23 Jul 2014), Jenny contrasts the Unitarian belief in Universal Salvation with the development of the doctrine of Original Sin within mainstream Western European churches - especially Catholic, Calvinist and other protestant traditions - its political impact on western civilisation and how “human beings were born sinners, subject to the just wrath of God. Ultimately this doctrine was used to gain institutional power and influence over the lives of "the faithful". It also shaped "the Work Ethic" - and Western Civilisation itself. Jenny also explores how "Original Sin has since morphed into the “selfish gene” - or "meme" of Richard Dawkins - evolutionary biologist, ethologist, and atheist.