Fall to Violence: Original Sin in Relational Theology

by Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki and Marjorie Hewitt Suchoki

Book Overview

"Discusses the theological foundation of sin, its structures, responses to sin, guilt, freedom, forgiveness and transformation." -Catholic Women's Network

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826408605
• ISBN13: 9780826408600
• Release Date: October 1995
• Publisher: Continuum
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant, but hastily written

In The Fall to Violence, Marjorie Suchocki revises Christianity's traditional notion of original sin. Against tradition, via a relational theology, Suchocki views sin as the unnecessary violation of the well-being of any aspect of creation, which indirectly is a sin against God; a horizontal and communal redefinition of sin. She explicates her doctrine of original sin through an evolutionary, relational, and systemic triadic structure, and finishes with humanity's response to sin through guilt, forgiveness, and, ultimately, transformation. Structurally, Suchocki achieves this in three parts. In Part one of her book, Suchocki, in dialogue with traditional and process theologies, provides the fundamentals for her understanding of sin. She begins by explicating and rejecting both Augustine's and Reinhold Niebuhr's definition of sin as the "rebellion against God." In contrast to these theologians, Suchocki believes sin is unnecessary violence against the well-being of creation. To further this definition Suchocki uses a feminist critique of Niebuhr to redefine self-transcendence in relation to the finitude and infinity of creation, and she identifies three modes of self-transcendence: memory (past), empathy (present), and imagination (future). Retaining a vertical aspect of sin, Suchocki believes sin has an effect on God. Because God intimately experiences the world, sin against creation is, indirectly, a sin against God. This redefinition of sin also requires a new criterion for sin: the criterion of well-being. Suchocki develops this criterion based on the interdependence of the world and the relationship of the world to God. In Part two, Suchocki lays out her triadic structure of original sin. Using the work of theologians and scientists, she argues that violence is evolutionarily engrained into humanity, and humanity's violent bent is foundational for sin. The solidarity of humanity, where all individuals are interrelated, affects each individual: the sins of others affect us and our sins effect others. Sin also entails an institutional component, where a dominant group influences the consciousness of each generation. As a result, sin can be passed down from generation to generation. With these three components, all of humanity is implicated in sin: All are sinners. In Part three, Suchocki establishes humanity's response to and transformation of sin. The term sin implies human responsibility, and resultantly, Suchocki develops her ontological analysis of guilt and freedom. As each person develops the capacity to transcend sin, that person recognizes his/her failure to transcend boundaries established by original sin (guilt), his/her response-ability to sin (freedom), and his/her responsibility to transform sin. Forgiveness of sin, both personal and social, is willing the well-being of victim and violator in the context of the fullest possible knowledge of the nature of the sin. Forgiveness allows for the hope of well-being f