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How does belief in “naïve foolishness” (stage 1) contradict the idea of childhood innocence?
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34 Replies
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Naive foolishness puts forth that we are born foolish; that the legacy we are born into as descendants of Adam and Eve is one of depravity, with inclinations toward sin, and no understanding of God and our place in his kingdom, or of our nature toward sin. This is in contradiction with ‘childhood innocence in the fact that all babies and toddlers are little sinners (albeit unknowingly), as opposed to being born pure and unblemished, untainted and thus far incapable of sin. ‘Childhood innocence, then, implies that sin is learned – which is contrary to biblical truth.
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Naïve Foolishness: This concept suggests that humans are inherently foolish due to an innate sinful nature. From this perspective, even young children exhibit foolish behaviors because it is a part of their natural disposition.
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Childhood Innocence: This idea implies that children are born pure and uncorrupted, and any foolish or negative behavior is learned from their environment and experiences.
They represent different perspectives on human nature and development.
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It starts with the awareness that no one has ever been innocent. So even if someone is innocent of a particular event, they have had flesh responses to it
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All are born with an inherited sinful nature which desires to please self foremost and not God.
Babies do act out of this inherent nature although oblivious to it because it is a default. They can be innocent in the fact that they are unaware of the consequences
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I appreciated the honesty that reflects what I feel a contradiction on; that is why do I feel so surprised when our nieces and nephews reflect nascent self obsession – and certainly this is because it has been normalised that kids are innocent. Not true, the fallen nature is present and clear (as it was no doubt in me…..)