New Church Life Sep/Oct 2014 | Page 9

 whom you will serve,” he challenged them, and left no doubt what he was choosing: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24: 15) That is our choice as well – every day. (BMH) war and peace World War I began 100 years ago, and there have been a number of interesting articles in observance of the anniversary. The gist of many of them is that the war turned out to be hellish and destructive beyond anything that those about to be swept up in it could imagine, and that we can still barely comprehend. It was supposed to be “the war to end all wars” – but it set the stage for World War II and sowed seeds of conflict which still bear their poisonous fruit today. At the end of one article the writer recalled a conversation in which a famous editor was asked by a war correspondent: “Why is there so much war? Why do we do that?” “Because something’s wrong with us,” the editor replied. “It was the best definition of original sin I’d ever heard,” the reporter said. (The column, The World the Great War Swept Away by Peggy Noonan, appeared in the Wall Street Journal and is online). The New Church does not believe in “original sin.” The idea that God holds people guilty for something the first humans did ages ago is untrue and portrays God as unjust. But erroneous as it is, “original sin” is an attempt to account for the very evident fact that there’s “something wrong with us” – some innate flaw in human nature which no natural cause can explain, and no natural remedy can cure. The alternative to “original sin” which the Writings give us is the doctrine of “hereditary evil,” meaning we have an inherent tendency or inclination to disorder, which has become more and more deeply ingrained in human nature over countless centuries of “bad choices,” as people say today. Perhaps the claim that there’s just plain “something wrong with us” seems defeatist and depressing, and it would be if there was nothing that could be done about it. But healing begins with a correct diagnosis of the disease. Healing will take time and effort, but the method to achieve it has been revealed. Human efforts to end war, such as diplomacy and a strong defense force to deter aggressors, are necessary; but they do not get to the heart of the matter. The ultimate solution to the problem of war is a change in human nature itself. “Well,” you might say, “that would take a miracle.” Yes, exactly. “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) The God who came to earth in the flesh and cast out the demons that possessed people’s bodies, has come again, as “the Spirit of truth,” to cast out the demons 395