EDEN AND THE INDIVIDUAL

Even more than we might realize, the Garden of Eden story has supplied the foundation for Western civilization ever since the Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great granted the orthodox version of Christianity imperial support in the fourth century AD. Faced with the scientific and economic challenges of the 21st century, however, its time to revisit our traditional understanding of our Christian heritage. St. Augustines monumental work, The City of God, built on his original sin interpretation of the Garden of Eden story, traditionally defined the role of the responsible individual living within the resulting, orthodox structure. But what is the role of such an individual living in an era that has witnessed the waning of the power and influence of that institutional authority-the authority built on Augustines persuasive interpretation of the events described in the Garden of Eden story? Without throwing the baby out with the bath water, and by paying homage to Augustinian sacrifice and commitment to belief, Eden and the Individual