Apologist William Lane Craig Denies Original Sin: ‘infants and the mentally retarded are not born sinful’
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.” Romans 5:12
Christian apologist William Lane Craig has denied the theological belief of original sin in a recently released video, claiming that “infants and the mentally retarded are not born sinful and therefore have no sin that needs to be pardoned or forgiven.”
Frequently viewed as evangelicalism’s foremost Christian apologist, William Lane Craig’s name is most often associated with his ministry organization Reasonable Faith, the name of his most famous book and also weekly podcast. We recently covered him after he made a number of startling claims about the origin of Adam and the nature of the bible, in our posts:
Apologist William Craig Denies Genesis 1-11: Says Adam was Caveman that Lived 750,000 Years Ago
William Lane Craig Mockingly Laughs at Thought of Talking Snake, Literal Adam
William Lane Craig Says Refusing to Consider Neanderthals the same as Homo Sapiens is ‘Dehumanizing’ and ‘Racist’
William Lane Craig Says Abortion Doesn’t Harm Babies + Confers ‘A Great Good’ Upon Them
In a recent video talking about the concept of original sin, Craig offers:
If you believe with Roman Catholics and Reformed and Lutheran theologians that Adam’s sin and guilt is imputed to every individual human being descended from Adam, then infants and the mentally disabled are going to also need salvation to be applied to them in some way because they carry the guilt of Adam’s sin.
On the other hand, if like me, you’re not persuaded that this doctrine is biblical, then infants and the mentally retarded are not born sinful and therefore have no sin that needs to be pardoned or forgiven.
And I think this is in accord with Jesus’ attitude toward children. When you look at how Jesus regarded children, he said, “unless you become like a little child you will not see the kingdom of God. But these children who have faith in me, such is the kingdom of God.”
So he, I think, clearly believed that these little children were saved, were the recipients of God’s salvation. And that would make much better sense than I think saying that they were all born vile and corrupted sinners.
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Interesting that he jumps from infants to children, which are not necessarily the same thing, as not all children are infants. The children Christ spoke of certainly were not infants. So, what is Craig teaching then? That people are universally saved until some point after childhood? That Adam’s sin is not imputed until that point? That we are born saved but lose that salvation at a later time? He is inventing some strange doctrines, indeed.
Its standard age of accountability doctrine everyone but Reformed Catholics (Calvinists) and Roman Catholics believes nowdays.
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Adam is a myth. Paul only presented that teaching for dumb Jews too dumb to let go of an ethnic myth.
Are you coming from some kind of neo-Reformed perspective that holds ESV study Bible to be infallible? I’ve noticed it teaches everyone before Abraham is mythology.
No. I’m using my brain. But it is nice to see some scholarly Calvintards will admit the truth here, at least partially.
Its very simple: All the different races can’t come from one couple. There had to be seperate starting populations for each race. And talking snakes and magic apples are the stuff of children’s stories and myths, not real history. A child might be able to believe Whites, blacks, Asians, etc. all come from one starting couple, but for an adult to still actually believe that they must be retarded. The Old Testament is not inerrant and claims that it is have deeply harmed Christianity.
Yet all living things come from one single cell, the result of lightening striking a mud puddle?
LOL
So tell us how many mud puddles and lightening strikes were there, dave?
I hate to break it to you dave, but you’re just not as smart as you think you are. Nor are Creationists as “retarded” as you think. Pretty much everything you post is self-refuting.
Various angels created the races in a contest God aet up and the crappiest ones created blacks and Jews. Then God himaelf created Whites.
For an adult to actually believe that, you must be retarded …
You say that you’re using your brain ….. I digress….
@Dave S:
My favorite troll, I see you are still spreading lies. Anyone on here should not take this dude seriously, he needs Jesus. Your comments about white, black, and asians not coming from one couple btw shows a distinct lack of understanding of genetics. I actually work with genetics, you clearly enjoy lying and/or have no understanding of how non-expressed genes work. We all carry genes that are not expressed, so it is by no means a stretch to believe all of the genetic diversity in the world came from two people. This is a shock you are doing this since you deny biblical inerrancy.
But go ahead, keep spreading your unbiblical demonic lies. You will be judged for them, and it will be harsh, repent and turn to Christ before it is to late.
“…distinct lack of understanding of genetics”
No, dave s’s problem goes much deeper than that – he needs a heart transplant by the Great Physician. He’s full of hate and will truly experience the Lake of Fire if he doesn’t repent and place his faith in Jesus Christ.
Reminds me of a debate with a classmate back in college. He argued that apparent fruit fly mutations proved Evolution (big E). I asked, “how do you know those genes weren’t present in some population of the flies all along?” Of course, he couldn’t know, and so he had no answer.
That was to AJ.
I remember that classmate brought up the fruit flies in response to my stating that there is no concrete evidence of any beneficial mutations. There is evidence of apparent adaptations that would seem beneficial, but no concrete proof that the genes weren’t present all along. And since we do have concrete evidence that unexpressed genes exist, yet have zero evidence that genes just magically appear out of nowhere, the evidence, in contrast, strongly points to the fact that there is a Creator.
dave s is a anti-semitic Jew hating myth – the hate in his heart will cause him to go to the Lake of Fire.
Adam is not even a Jew in the story.
You apparently hate Jews. And Calvinists (who are fellow Christians by the way).
You are in the darkness dave s.
“But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.” – 1 John 2
To the Lake of Fire …off you go
Calvinists make God the devil by asserting he predestines all sins; Jews make the devil their god by spreading LGBTQP+. So Calvinists and Jews are both evil and going to hell.
We are born spiritually alive according to Paul. We don’t die until we gain knowledge of the law
Romans 7:9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.
Paul also said “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,..” – Romans 3:23
And John said “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” – 1 John
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…” – Eph. 2
Pretty clear we are not born spiritually alive but are dead in our sins until regeneration – and even after that, we still have a sin nature that we have to live with until we receive our new bodies.
Babies die spiritually when the hear the magic word ”no”.
I respect Craig’s years of defending the faith, but here he’s essentially making a personal assumption not supported in Scripture.
Is he an apologist for Jesus Christ, or an apologist for Charles Darwin?