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 On Saturday my father and sisters drove up from Maryland to visit me. My family and I love our carb-heavy, sauce-laden dishes, so we went to the local Bertucci's for dinner. While I sat at a booth beside them, dipping dinner rolls in seasoned olive oil, I happened to see a young family sit at a table near us. And who did this family bring with them? A baby, of course! But this was no ordinary baby. This infant was at least 10 months old, so she was developed enough to babble, play with a kiddie cup, and stare at passers-by. In particular, she stared at me. 

Babies hate me, and this tot was no exception. Her expression went from   =D   to   :O  when she caught my gaze. Thursday's article on infant morality suggests that babies stare for lengthier periods of time when someone or something surprises them. I suppose the baby's startled look was a clear sign that I had thoroughly shocked her. Why am I so surprising? I haven't a clue. But on a narcissistic whim, I will speculate that babies stare at me because they can sense my awesomeness. Yes, that's it. STARE IN AWE, TINY CHILDREN! KOWTOW BEFORE THE AMAZING AIMEE!

(You will have to excuse my rambling. I got 4 hours of sleep last night, and my brain is so starved of energy that it is consuming itself. I'm losing synapses by the minute.)

Anywho, I read Julie's post about St. Augustine, an early church father who contributed to the doctrine of original sin. "Original sin" might best be renamed as "ancestral sin." It is a heritable trait, like eye or hair color, passed down from our "first" parents, the biblical Adam and Eve. Those naughty nudes disobeyed God by eating a magical fruit, and so they were banished from Paradise. Adam and Eve's actions (or as Christians call it, "The Fall") released sin into the world, causing humanity to separate from God on earth AND in the hereafter. Thankfully, along came Jesus of Nazareth (100% human, 100% divine, and 30% lower sodium) who was crucified in order to take away the sins of the world. Behold! Righteous souls could enter heaven. Despite Jesus' status as the Redeemer of mankind, the Catholic Church believes that original sin still exists. St. Augustine thought original sin "consists of the guilt of Adam which all humans inherit." (Wikipedia) Strangely enough, neither Jews nor Muslims, who share a creation story, believe in original sin. And Eastern Orthodox Christians reject the notion that original sin is an innate tendency toward sinfulness; rather, they believe that original sin is death, which Jesus conquered. 

I suppose you think I'm implying that the Catholic Church is wrong. You'd be right. What can I say? I'm a heretic. In light of last week's articles, I have come to believe that babies have the rudiments of morality ingrained within them. People are social creatures; from an early age people know to favor the people and actions that benefit them and the individuals in their social circle. Morality is purely a social construct from which religion grew.

I once read a book titled The Female Brain. In it, a neuropsychiatrist discussed the female brain in all stages of human development, noting the importance of an infant's gaze. Babies - especially baby girls - make eye contact and engage facial expressions, learning how to properly empathize with body language. Our article on infant morality showed the results of that early engagement - toddlers begin to comfort others. Despite enduring the burdens of original sin, babies are awfully kind.