Original Sin as a Basis for Personal Identity
ACIM and the importance of knowing who you ae.
Jesus has been “correctly referred to as ‘the lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world,’ but those who represent the lamb as blood-stained do not understand the meaning of the symbol. Correctly understood, it is a very simple symbol that speaks of [his] innocence. The lion and the lamb lying down together symbolize that strength and innocence are not in conflict, but naturally live in peace. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God’ is another way of saying the same thing. A pure mind knows the truth and this is its strength. It does not confuse destruction with innocence because it associates innocence with strength, not with weakness.” OE Tx:3.22
(All references to A Course in Miracles cite the CIMS Original Edition)
Innocence, in ACIM, is not weakness but clarity of identity. How we see ourselves determines how we respond to every situation. As an illustration, consider the following hypothetical.
A doctor, a lawyer, and a police officer arrive at the scene of a terrible auto accident. The doctor immediately jumps into action, examining the injured and applying first aid. The lawyer talks to the victims to see who caused the accident in anticipation of a lawsuit. The police officer directs traffic and takes witness statements to determine if any traffic laws were violated.
These three individuals responded differently to the same situation, depending on who they are. The doctor reacted as any doctor would at an accident, as did the lawyer and the police officer. If a CPA had arrived at the crash site, their identity as an accountant would not have had any obvious role to play, and, as such, it would be irrelevant to the situation or the individual’s behavior.
This is what A Course in Miracles teaches. “Every response you make is determined by what you think you are,” ACIM OE Text 7.72. The idea is repeated several times throughout the Text, but it is not elaborated upon.
Stephen Covey’s 1989 book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People“ introduced the Be-Do-Have model as a mindset framework for goal-setting. The model suggests starting with embodying (BE) the identity and mindset of the person who has already achieved the goal. This “being” naturally inspires the “doing” of the necessary actions.
It wasn’t until the early 21st Century that Daphna Oyserman, PhD. developed her Identity-based motivation (IBM) theory. IBM explains how our identities motivate us to pursue goals, focusing on the fluid interplay of dynamic identity construction, interpretation of experiences, and action-readiness.
IBM theory holds that people are driven to act in ways that align with their sense of self. Individuals naturally seek consistency between their behavior and their self-concept—whether defined personally (“who I am”) or socially (“who people like me are”). Situations and environments can activate particular aspects of identity, shaping how we interpret events and decide what to do. When attention shifts to future identity—who one wishes to become—motivation increases to take present action toward that vision. In practice, focusing on being the kind of person who holds a certain value or standard is more effective for building lasting habits than concentrating on the external outcomes those habits might produce.
The Course emphasizes that our self-regard is a critical component of mental health and peace of mind.
“When you think you are attacking yourself, it is a sure sign that you hate what you think you are. . . What you think you are can be hateful, and what this strange image makes you do can be very destructive.” ACIM OE Text 9.74
“Every decision which you make stems from what you think you are and represents the value that you put upon yourself.” ACIM OE Text 15.24
Typical mainstream Christians and experienced ACIM students have different views of their own individual identity. One of the fundamental differences between A Course in Miracles and traditional Western Christianity is the issue of Original Sin. Many Christians consider themselves to be sinners. ACIM, on the other hand, teaches that there is no sin and that we are each fundamentally and unalterably innocent. A major thrust of ACIM training is to uncover and eliminate our sense of guilt.
“Guilt is always disruptive . . . Guilt is more than merely not of God. It is the symbol of the attack on God. “ ACIM OE Text 5.60
Original Sin is the Christian doctrine that humans inherit a sinful nature from their first parents, Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. This act, described in the Book of Genesis, introduced corruption, a separation from God, and a universal predisposition to sin into humanity. As a result, all people are born in a fallen state, needing Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice to be redeemed and restored to a right relationship with God.
Original sin results in a spiritual separation or brokenness between humanity and God, a state that cannot be overcome by human effort. The Fall from Grace also brought physical death, suffering, and pain into the world as consequences of sin. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
Many Christians are taught to believe their essential nature is sinful and guilty. What might be the decisions and behavior of those who have been taught from birth that they are sinners? What are the psychological effects of this belief of original sin and failing to meet God’s standards? If you believe you are a hopeless sinner, are you more likely or less likely to sin again?
“You see what you expect, and you expect what you invite. Your perception is the result of your invitation, coming to you as you sent for it. Whose manifestations would you see? Of whose presence would you be convinced? For you will believe in what you manifest, and as you look out, so will you see in.” OE Text 11.65
Christianity makes guilt and sin central to humanity’s identity.
The primary insight of identity-based behavior is significant. Using the Christian doctrine of original sin as an example, if someone genuinely believes they are fundamentally flawed and prone to sin, this identity can become a self-perpetuating cycle. There are several mechanisms through which this occurs, including expectation confirmation, reduced resistance to temptation, shame-based behavioral cycles, and the power of suggestion.
What makes this particularly concerning is that religious teachings intended to promote moral behavior might, paradoxically, have the opposite effect when they create an identity rooted in inadequacy and hopelessness. ACIM suggests that changing behavior requires changing identity, and seeing ourselves not as hopeless sinners but as beings capable of growth, love, and moral development.
“The world you see is the delusional system of those made mad by guilt. Look carefully at this world, and you will realize that this is so. For this world is the symbol of punishment, and all the laws that seem to govern it are the laws of death. Children are born into it through pain and in pain. Their growth is attended by suffering, and they learn of sorrow and separation and death.” OE Tx:11.86
Revising one’s identity involves self-examination by looking deeply into one’s own mind. A Course in Miracles explains why the sin-based identity is so tenacious: we fear looking within. The ego warns that if we examine ourselves honestly, we will find only sin, guilt, and proof of our unworthiness. This fear keeps attention outward—blaming others, projecting guilt onto the world—so that the inner delusion goes unchallenged. Yet the Course also teaches that the deeper fear is not of finding sin at all, but of discovering our innocence. To see our true, sinless nature would dismantle the ego’s entire defense system, which depends on guilt to maintain separation.
Looking within with the Holy Spirit is therefore not a punishment, but the pathway to healing. The Course insists that bringing the ego’s darkness to light reveals it has no real power. What we find instead is the “Holiness of God” within us, the memory of love that was never lost. To embrace this shift is to exchange the identity of a guilty sinner for the identity of a beloved child of God. Only then do our responses flow naturally from peace rather than fear.
Psychology helps us see more clearly how these competing identity frames play out in practice. There are other angles we have not discussed, such as:
- Beliefs about human nature can create self-fulfilling prophecies that actually increase the likelihood of the behaviors they condemn.
- Moral Identity Theory proposes that a person’s motivation to act morally stems from the importance they place on being a moral person within their own self-concept. If an individual aspires to a strong moral identity, that may overshadow the Christian theological considerations.
- Self-Determination Theory posits that basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are the fuel for internalized, durable action, apart from or contrary to religious dogma.
However, by any analysis, it is a stark difference between the universal guilt and sin of the Christian perspective and the Course’s view of total innocence. One might reasonably expect that traditional Christians and ACIM practitioners will have different life experiences due to their distinct self-identities.
Research and experience converge on the same truth: identity shapes behavior. Teach people they are broken, and brokenness will follow. Teach them they are capable of love, growth, and wholeness, and their choices will tend to reflect that. The difference is not just theological—it is profoundly practical. When we change the story of ourselves, we change the story of our lives.
The Christian doctrine of sin and the Course’s teaching of innocence present radically different visions of human nature. Yet both raise the same question: what kind of world do we create when we accept one identity over the other? The answer is written in our lives, and in the lives of those we influence. When guilt defines us, we inherit a world of punishment. When innocence defines us, we inherit a world of peace.
Thomas Fox, J.D. - Advanced Research & Writing Services - Lake Cumberland, Kentucky