--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: you may be surprised to learn the church…" description: "\"“you may be surprised to learn the church flourished for four centuries without any concept of original sin at all.”\" — Danielle Shroyer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/danielle-shroyer-39425_original-sin_you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church_2190338.jpg" --- # you may be surprised to learn the church flourished for… ![“you may be surprised to learn the church flourished for four centuries without any concept of original sin at all.” quote by Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/danielle-shroyer-39425_original-sin_you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church_2190338.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/danielle-shroyer-39425_original-sin_you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church_2190338.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/danielle-shroyer-39425_original-sin_you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church_2190338.jpg) > ““you may be surprised to learn the church flourished for four centuries without any concept of original sin at all.”” [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The church thrived for centuries without a formal doctrine of original sin, suggesting flexibility in belief systems. **In simple terms:** Church succeeded without original sin concept. Key Takeaway Explore diverse theological views. Themes religion history doctrine Mood inquisitive scholarly Type historical analytical When to use this quote - religious practice - academic study - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts theology institutional resilience cultural adaptation Questions to Reflect On - What core belief unites you? - How do doctrines shape behavior? A Different Perspective Doctrines evolve with culture. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Original sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-sin/) [Surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprised/) ## Related quotes > [“Comparing African and Egyptian circumstances also points to other reasons why churches survived in some regions and failed in others. From earliest times, Christianity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/comparing-african-and-egyptian-circumstances-also-points-to-other/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [The German people is not marked by original sin, but by original nobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-rosenberg/the-german-people-is-not-marked-by-original-sin-but-by-original/) [Alfred Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-rosenberg/) > [“Innocence and guilt. These are cosmic issues. We’re all innocent on one level and guilty on another. Isn’t that what Original Sin is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/innocence-and-guilt-these-are-cosmic-issues-we-re-all-innocent-on-one/) [Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/) > [During my academical life, and from this time forward, I was indefatigable in my search after truth. I read all the authors of greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/during-my-academical-life-and-from-this-time-forward-i-was/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [“By definition, a human being is endowed with free will. He can use this to choose between good and evil. If he can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/by-definition-a-human-being-is-endowed-with-free-will-he-can-use-this/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [“We have therefore to inquire what there is about Machiavelli to impress the mind of Europe so prodigiously and so curiously, and why the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/we-have-therefore-to-inquire-what-there-is-about-machiavelli-to/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [Every father is given the opportunity to corrupt his daughter's nature, and the educator, husband, or psychiatrist then has to face the music. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/every-father-is-given-the-opportunity-to-corrupt-his-daughter-s/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I think the Buddhist ethic is clearer and more systematic in some ways. The Buddhist notion is that our chief problems are greed, hatred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninian-smart/i-think-the-buddhist-ethic-is-clearer-and-more-systematic-in-some/) [Ninian Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ninian-smart/) > [“When I am a good host, I can order the world precisely as I believe it ought to be. It is a world that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-browner/when-i-am-a-good-host-i-can-order-the-world-precisely-as-i-believe-it/) [Jesse Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-browner/) > [“Fusing the doctrines of Plotinus and Proclus with the creeds and beliefs of Christianity, Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite combined the Neo-Platonic conviction of the fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-panofsky/fusing-the-doctrines-of-plotinus-and-proclus-with-the-creeds-and/) erwin panofsky > [In the past we believed both sexes were born with original sin. Today, we have come to unconsciously believe in the original sin of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-the-past-we-believed-both-sexes-were-born-with-original-sin-today/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Blood sin and desecration of the race are the original sin in this world and the end of a humanity which surrenders to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/blood-sin-and-desecration-of-the-race-are-the-original-sin-in-this/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The most devastating thing though that biology did to Christianity was the discovery of biological evolution. Now that we know that Adam and Eve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zindler/the-most-devastating-thing-though-that-biology-did-to-christianity/) [Frank Zindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zindler/) > [The original sin is to limit the Is. Don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-original-sin-is-to-limit-the-is-don-t/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [“The next time believers tell you that 'separation of church and state' does not appear in our founding document, tell them to stop using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barker/the-next-time-believers-tell-you-that-separation-of-church-and-state/) [Dan Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barker/) ## More by Danielle Shroyer > [“Hebrew, there’s a little play on words between the human (“adam”) and the earth (“adamah”). Thanks to God’s breath of life, the human of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/hebrew-there-s-a-little-play-on-words-between-the-human-adam-and-the/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) > [“If we are looking for a biblical view of sin, the best place to start is in Genesis 4, not Genesis 3. Genesis 4:7…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/if-we-are-looking-for-a-biblical-view-of-sin-the-best-place-to-start/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) > [“One of the biggest mistakes we make when reading scripture is that we come to the text demanding something of it. Don’t misunderstand me:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-we-make-when-reading-scripture-is-that-we/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) > [“But God will walk among us not in the confines of the garden, but in the great expanse of the city. Even God doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/but-god-will-walk-among-us-not-in-the-confines-of-the-garden-but-in/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) > [“Jesus is Lord” is our most central confession. “I am born with a sin nature” is not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/jesus-is-lord-is-our-most-central-confession-i-am-born-with-a-sin/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) > [“Consider the possibility that while Genesis 3 is a great text to spark questions, it isn’t trying to answer a good number of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/consider-the-possibility-that-while-genesis-3-is-a-great-text-to/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) > [“Jesus himself does not speak of his death this way. Jesus doesn’t say that God is angry, or that he is paying the price…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/jesus-himself-does-not-speak-of-his-death-this-way-jesus-doesn-t-say/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) > [“I would also encourage you to see the text literarily. (Did your brain fill in a different word you were expecting?!) By literarily, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/i-would-also-encourage-you-to-see-the-text-literarily-did-your-brain/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) > [“It’s worth noting, because the text just said the reason there was not yet a garden was because there was no rain and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/it-s-worth-noting-because-the-text-just-said-the-reason-there-was-not/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) > [“If we imagine creation to be something as simplistic as a utopian happy-go-lucky place where nothing ever will go wrong, we disparage the beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/if-we-imagine-creation-to-be-something-as-simplistic-as-a-utopian/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) [Explore all 11 Danielle Shroyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) ## More Original sin quotes > [“The next time believers tell you that 'separation of church and state' does not appear in our founding document, tell them to stop using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barker/the-next-time-believers-tell-you-that-separation-of-church-and-state/) [Dan Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barker/) > [The original sin is to limit the Is. Don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-original-sin-is-to-limit-the-is-don-t/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The most devastating thing though that biology did to Christianity was the discovery of biological evolution. Now that we know that Adam and Eve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zindler/the-most-devastating-thing-though-that-biology-did-to-christianity/) [Frank Zindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zindler/) > [Blood sin and desecration of the race are the original sin in this world and the end of a humanity which surrenders to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/blood-sin-and-desecration-of-the-race-are-the-original-sin-in-this/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [In the past we believed both sexes were born with original sin. Today, we have come to unconsciously believe in the original sin of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-the-past-we-believed-both-sexes-were-born-with-original-sin-today/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [“Fusing the doctrines of Plotinus and Proclus with the creeds and beliefs of Christianity, Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite combined the Neo-Platonic conviction of the fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-panofsky/fusing-the-doctrines-of-plotinus-and-proclus-with-the-creeds-and/) erwin panofsky > [“When I am a good host, I can order the world precisely as I believe it ought to be. It is a world that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-browner/when-i-am-a-good-host-i-can-order-the-world-precisely-as-i-believe-it/) [Jesse Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-browner/) > [I think the Buddhist ethic is clearer and more systematic in some ways. The Buddhist notion is that our chief problems are greed, hatred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninian-smart/i-think-the-buddhist-ethic-is-clearer-and-more-systematic-in-some/) [Ninian Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ninian-smart/) > [Every father is given the opportunity to corrupt his daughter's nature, and the educator, husband, or psychiatrist then has to face the music. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/every-father-is-given-the-opportunity-to-corrupt-his-daughter-s/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“We have therefore to inquire what there is about Machiavelli to impress the mind of Europe so prodigiously and so curiously, and why the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/we-have-therefore-to-inquire-what-there-is-about-machiavelli-to/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“By definition, a human being is endowed with free will. He can use this to choose between good and evil. If he can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/by-definition-a-human-being-is-endowed-with-free-will-he-can-use-this/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [During my academical life, and from this time forward, I was indefatigable in my search after truth. I read all the authors of greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/during-my-academical-life-and-from-this-time-forward-i-was/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [“Innocence and guilt. These are cosmic issues. We’re all innocent on one level and guilty on another. Isn’t that what Original Sin is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/innocence-and-guilt-these-are-cosmic-issues-we-re-all-innocent-on-one/) [Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/) > [The German people is not marked by original sin, but by original nobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-rosenberg/the-german-people-is-not-marked-by-original-sin-but-by-original/) [Alfred Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-rosenberg/) > [The Church received from the apostles the tradition of giving baptism even to infants. The apostles, to whom were committed the secrets of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/origen/the-church-received-from-the-apostles-the-tradition-of-giving-baptism/) [Origen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/origen/) [Browse all 260 Original sin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-sin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“you may be surprised to learn the church flourished for four centuries without any concept of original sin at all.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Danielle Shroyer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church-flourished-for-four/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Original sin" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church-flourished-for-four/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/danielle-shroyer-39425_original-sin_you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church_2190338.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/danielle-shroyer-39425_original-sin_you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church_2190338.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/danielle-shroyer-39425_original-sin_you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church_2190338.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“you may be surprised to learn the church flourished for four centuries without any concept of original sin…” — Danielle Shroyer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Danielle Shroyer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“you may be surprised to learn...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church-flourished-for-four/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/you-may-be-surprised-to-learn-the-church-flourished-for-four/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```