"Your God is not my God"
In June 2018, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made controversial remarks questioning the biblical creation story and referring to God as "stupid." These comments were widely reported and sparked significant debate. In one instance, Duterte recounted a conversation where he said, "Your God is not my God because your God is stupid. Mine has a lot of common sense."
For a direct account of his statements, you can watch the following video:
Sister Patricia Fox, an Australian nun and member of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, dedicated 27 years to missionary work in the Philippines, focusing on advocating for the rights of peasants, indigenous peoples, and the urban poor. Her active participation in social justice initiatives led to tensions with the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. In April 2018, she was arrested and detained overnight by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for allegedly engaging in political activities beyond the scope of her missionary visa, such as attending protest rallies and visiting prisoners.
Following her release, Sister Fox and her legal team contested the BI's decision to revoke her missionary visa and order her deportation. Despite their efforts, the legal battle concluded on October 31, 2018, when immigration officials ordered her to leave the country by November 3 or face deportation. She departed the Philippines under protest, expressing that she had no choice but to leave.
Biblical Analysis of Original Sin and Procreation
1. God's Command to Multiply
Genesis 1:28 (KJV):
"And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
- Here, God explicitly commands Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. This shows that procreation was part of God’s original plan and was not sinful.
- If sex itself were sinful, then God would be commanding Adam and Eve to sin, which contradicts His nature.
2. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV):
"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
- The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represents the ability to discern good and evil, which implies moral responsibility.
- Nowhere in the Bible is this tree linked directly to sexual relations.
3. The Nature of the Fall
Genesis 3:6 (KJV):
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
- The text does not indicate a sexual act. Instead, it describes an act of disobedience—Adam and Eve eating from the forbidden tree, which symbolizes choosing self-will over God’s will.
- The serpent deceived Eve into believing that disobedience would make her like God (Genesis 3:5).
4. The Consequences of the Fall
Genesis 3:16 (KJV):
"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
- If sex itself were sinful, God would have condemned it entirely. Instead, He only multiplied the pain of childbirth, indicating that procreation itself was not sinful.
Roman Catholic View of Original Sin
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Original Sin is not sexual intercourse but rather the inherited fallen nature of mankind due to Adam and Eve’s disobedience. It teaches that all humans are born with this fallen nature, which necessitates salvation through Jesus Christ.
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The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 404) states:
"Original Sin is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted."
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Nowhere does Catholic doctrine officially state that sex itself is sinful.
PRRD’s Argument and Its Flaw
President Rodrigo Duterte’s reasoning—"How can a God who created a perfect creation destroy it by making His creation sin through procreation?"—is based on a misunderstanding of Original Sin.
- God did not create humans to sin.
- Free will allowed Adam and Eve to disobey, but sin was not built into the creation process.
- Sex is not Original Sin.
- Nowhere in the Bible does it say that sex was the sin that caused the fall.
- The Fall was about Disobedience, not Procreation.
- The real sin was the choice to reject God’s command, not the act of having children.
The Bible clearly distinguishes between God’s command to multiply and the sin of Adam and Eve. The interpretation that sex was the Original Sin is a later distortion and is not a biblical teaching. Instead, the Fall was about disobedience, not procreation. PRRD’s argument, while questioning an apparent contradiction, actually misrepresents the doctrine itself.
While the mainstream Catholic interpretation does not equate the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil with sexual union, some early theologians and sects have proposed such views.
St. Augustine's Interpretation:
St. Augustine (354–430 AD), a foundational figure in Western Christianity, offered insights linking original sin to sexual desire:
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Sexual Desire as a Consequence of Original Sin: Augustine suggested that after their disobedience, Adam and Eve experienced uncontrolled sexual desires, which were previously in harmony with their will. He observed that their immediate shame and need to cover their nakedness indicated a newfound disobedience of their bodily members, reflecting internal disorder introduced by sin.
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Procreation Without Lust: He theorized that, in their original state, procreation could have occurred without lustful desires, with sexual organs operating under the direct command of the will, similar to other body parts.
These perspectives are detailed in his writings, such as "On Marriage and Concupiscence" and "City of God."
Gnostic Influences:
Beyond Augustine, certain Gnostic sects interpreted the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil as symbolizing sexual knowledge. They believed that the original sin involved sexual relations, viewing the material world and bodily desires as corrupt or evil. However, these interpretations were deemed heretical by orthodox Christianity and did not become part of official Catholic doctrine.
Pope John Paul II's Clarification:
In contrast, Pope John Paul II, during a general audience on March 5, 1980, emphasized that the term "knowledge" in Genesis, referring to Adam and Eve's union, signifies a profound interpersonal communion rather than merely a sexual act. He highlighted that this "knowledge" reflects the deep personal unity and mutual self-giving inherent in the marital relationship, aligning with the original blessing of fertility.
In summary, while some early theologians and sects proposed interpretations linking the forbidden fruit to sexual union, the Catholic Church does not endorse this view. Instead, it maintains that the original sin was rooted in disobedience and a desire for moral autonomy, not in the sexual union between Adam and Eve.
The notion that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil symbolizes sexual union between Adam and Eve has surfaced in various religious interpretations, though it is not part of mainstream Christian doctrine. Notable origins and adherents of this belief include:
Gnostic Traditions:
Early Gnostic sects, such as those influenced by Valentinus (c. 100–160 AD), proposed that the original sin involved a sexual act between Eve and the serpent (often identified with Satan). This interpretation is reflected in texts like the Gospel of Philip and the Apocryphon of John. Irenaeus, an early Church Father, condemned these views as heretical in his work Against Heresies.
Serpent Seed Doctrine:
This controversial belief posits that the serpent mated with Eve, resulting in the birth of Cain and introducing a corrupted lineage. Historically, this doctrine has been associated with certain white supremacist groups, including factions within the Christian Identity movement, who have used it to justify racist ideologies.
Skoptsy Sect:
A Russian religious sect known as the Skoptsy believed that original sin entered the world through the first coitus between Adam and Eve. They held that human genitals were the mark of this sin and practiced castration and mastectomy to restore purity.
Unification Church:
Founded by Sun Myung Moon, the Unification Church teaches that the Fall of Man was due to Eve's sexual relations with Satan, which tainted humanity with sin. They believe that redemption involves establishing a new, sinless lineage through a messianic figure.
P'ikareum Practice:
In some Korean new religious movements, the practice of p'ikareum involves ritual sexual intercourse with a messianic leader to purify one's lineage, based on the belief that original sin originated from illicit sexual relations.
While these interpretations exist, they are considered heterodox and are not recognized by mainstream Christian denominations, which typically view the original sin as an act of disobedience rather than a sexual transgression.
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