Born bad
Subtitle: original sin and the making of the Western world
By: James Boyce
Publisher: Counterpoint
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 250
ISBN-13: 9781619024984
Subjects: Original Sin
Description: According to the doctrine of original sin, humans are born bad and only God's grace can bring salvation. In this book, historian James Boyce shows how these ideas have shaped the Western view of human nature right up to the present. The legacy of original sin takes many forms, including the distinctive discontent of Western people -- the feelings of guilt and inadequacy associated not with doing wrong, but with being wrong. As well as a history of Christianity, Boyce offers insights into the making of the West. Born Bad traces a journey from Adam and Eve all the way to Adam Smith and Richard Dawkins.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-250).
Table of contents: title: Part I: Original Sin in Christendom. Preface; title: The father of original sin; title: The contest for the Western soul; title: The challenge of the Celts; title: Scholars and sinners; title: The forgiveness industry; title: A peasant's world; title: All shall be well; title: The meaning of marrying a nun; title: John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion; title: Spreading the word; title: The Puritan foundation of modern life; title: Reclaiming Augustine; title: Part II: Original sin in the modern world. Preface; title: A Christian enlightenment; title: The perfect evangelical; title: Celebrating Christian choice; title: Adam Smith and market salvation; title: Imperfect democracy: the founding fathers; title: Original sin in an age of progress; title: Freud and the science of self; title: Staying positive : original sin and contemporary Christianity; title: The selfish gene; title: Where to for salvation?; title: Beyond good or bad : a final judgement on original sin; title: Appendix: Where did original sin come from?