“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”¹ (My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?) These were the last words that Jesus uttered as he was dying upon a cross. For millions of Christians the cross is a symbol of salvation. Christians believe that through Adam’s sin against god mankind became subject to death.² By sacrificing his life, Christians also believe that Jesus atoned for human sin and could offer eternal life. Laying down one’s life for a friend is a supreme act of selflessness regardless of one’s faith, but can it bring about salvation? In the Catechism of the Catholic Church it states, “The Church, which has the mind of Christ, knows very well that we cannot tamper with the revelation of original sin without undermining the mystery of Christ.”³ The great Christian dilemma is that science proved long ago that there never was a Garden of Eden or an Adam and Eve. Evolutionary biology and genetics clearly demonstrate that humans are not a separate creation of god, but evolved from a common ancestor over millions of years. Therefore, it follows that there was no fall from grace or original sin. Canadian creationist George McCready Price was correct when he stated, “No Adam, no fall; no fall, no atonement; no atonement, no Savior.”⁴ Jesus was not forsaken, he was mistaken. When you see a cross let it be a symbol to remind you that if you lived a selfless life in the first place you would not have to invent a god to forgive you.

[1] Mark 34:1

[2] Consequently, all Christians who really hold to the Catholic faith believe that it is not by a law of nature that man is subject to bodily death--since God created for man an immortal nature--but as a just punishment for sin. (St. Augustine, City of God, p. 280)

[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, In Image Book, Doubleday, April 1995, p. 110.

[4] Furniss, 1954, p. 16.