Original Sin Is A Lie: How Spirituality Defies Dogma and Reveals Our True Self

by Bob Peck

To be absolutely clear here, the excessive, uncharacteristically harsh tone of his condemnation in Matthew, is a later addition on top of the portrayal of Jesus, created by the author of Matthew who was reflecting the tense political divisions of his time, decades after Jesus’ death. The author used this scene as an opportunity to denigrate his political opponents beyond the original event, as the two other gospel accounts are considerably more mild-mannered, and not written in that tense political climate. Sadly, Jesus's lengthy admonishment of the Pharisees in Matthew has been used throughout history as a justification for anti-semitism in a variety of different cultures in different time periods. According to scholars, this passage led to everything from the heartless medieval persecution of Jews by Christians, to even contributing to the Holocaust itself.24