On those times when we open the newspaper or click on the news and immediately are confronted with the evil of the world, we may reflect on how apparent the doctrine of original sin is. We don’t even need special revelation to realize that the tendency of the world is toward selfish behavior and the violent use of power when it is frustrated. We may even see that in ourselves.
But we tend to think that original sin works only in the will. It is true that the effects of the original rebellion are in the “I want” functioning of our soul. But the effects of that rebellion are also found in the “I think” function. Because we are born rebels, we think rebellious thoughts. That’s why we have to think of the Lord with upright intentions, and seek him with a clean heart. If we do not, we will at the end of our journey find the original rebel, not the origin of life.
This cries out for an example. Here’s one: there are several politicians running for high office on both sides of the aisle who proclaim themselves to be Catholic, but say “I believe abortion is wrong, but I will defend the right of a woman to choose to kill her unborn child.” Oh, I know they omit the last five words, but “choose” is a transitive verb, so as a good student of English, I finished the sentence for them. Now that is a good example of bad will fouling up thought. They would never say “I believe racial discrimination is wrong, but I will defend the right of a person to choose not to employ Mexican Americans.” In fact, research shows that a perverse pattern of behavior actually messes up your brain chemistry.
A few years ago I heard a talk-show host who said that anyone who doesn’t favor the death penalty is not a good Christian, because the Bible supports the death penalty. I think the Bible also says that a boy who curses his father should be put to death. If you watch certain TV shows your thinking can be so messed up that you think all violent criminals should be put to death. That can lead to vigilante justice, especially if the prevailing politics is to defund our police forces.
How do we know, then, what to think? Messed up thinking can produce messed up action, horrible sin, abortion, contraception, genocide, in-vitro fertilization, no-fault divorce. The Fathers of the Church had the best solution. They taught us sentire cum ecclesia, “think with the Church.” And think with the mind of Jesus. Don't get your theology from social media; that messes up human minds. Read your Catechism, consult with an orthodox spiritual director, get familiar with the social encyclicals—with all the papal writings. This will help us to get our minds in order, and then our actions will be easier to order.
