No doubt that in the Genesis story a primal disobedience precedes the introduction of death into the world. In that account, sin comes first and results in death—this much seems clear. But the issue we must consider as we go forward is this: how much of our current situation can be modeled on the story of the primal sin? To cut to the chase, we’re not in Eden anymore. Unlike Adam and Eve, we are born into a mortal state, subject to death from the moment of conception. Before our moral lives begin—before we sin—we are born into a death-saturated existence. Unlike Adam and Eve, death predates
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