Born Bad

Publisher Description

Born Bad is the latest book from James Boyce, acclaimed author and historian. Boyce traces a history of original sin from Adam and Eve, St Augustine and Martin Luther to Adam Smith, Sigmund Freud and Richard Dawkins. According to original sin, humans are 'born bad' and only God's grace can bring salvation. Although Christianity is on the wane, Boyce explores how these religious ideas of morality still underpin our modern secular society, though we are often not aware of their origins. If today the specific doctrine has all but disappeared (even from the churches), what remains is the distinctive discontent of Western people - the feelings of guilt and inadequacy associated not with doing wrong, but with being wrong. As well as an innovative history of Christianity, Boyce offers new insights into the making of the West. "What is wrong with me? This question has haunted the West for fifteen hundred years, but until recently it came with an answer - which was called original sin. Western people believed they were 'born bad' because they had inherited the sin of the first humans." - James Boyce