Changes: Original sin

Revision as of 08:51, 9 January 2010

For other uses, see Original Sin (disambiguation).

Original sin^[1] is, according to a doctrine proposed in Christian theology, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man.^[2] This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred to as a "sin nature", to something as drastic as total depravity or automatic guilt by all humans through collective guilt.^[3]

Those who uphold the doctrine look to the teaching of Paul the Apostle in Romans 5:12-21 and 1 Corinthians 15:22 for its scriptural base,^[2] and see it as perhaps implied in Old Testament passages such as Psalm 51:5 and Psalm 58:3.

Some Christians do not accept the doctrine indicated by the terms "original sin" or "ancestral sin", which are not found in the Bible.^[4] The doctrine is not found in other religions, such as Judaism,^[5] Hinduism^[6] and Islam. Catholic teaching regards original sin as the general condition of sinfulness (lack of holiness) into which humans are born, distinct from the actual sins that a person commits. This teaching explicitly states that original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam's descendants.^[7]

The prevailing view also in Eastern Orthodoxy is that human beings bear no guilt for the sin of Adam. Orthodoxy prefers the term "ancestral sin",^[8] which indicates that "original sin is hereditary. It did not remain only Adam and Eve's. As life passes from them to all of their descendants, so does original sin. We all of us participate in original sin because we are all descended from the same forefather, Adam."^[9] An important exposition of the belief of Eastern Christians identifies original sin as physical and spiritual death, the spiritual death being the loss of "the grace of God, which quickened (the soul) with the higher and spiritual life".^[10] Others see original sin also as the cause of actual sins: "a bad tree bears bad fruit" (Matthew 7:17, NIV), although, in this view, original and actual sin may be difficult to distinguish.^[11]

The Fall of Man

Original sin is said to result from the Fall of Man, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit of a particular tree in the Garden of Eden. This first sin ("the original sin", as distinct from "original sin"), an action of the first humans, is traditionally understood to be the cause of "original sin", the fallen state from which humans can be saved only by God's grace.

Further information: Fall of Man

History of the doctrine

The Apostolic Fathers and the Apologists mostly dealt with topics other than original sin.^[2] The doctrine of original sin was first developed in second-century Bishop of Lyon Irenaeus's struggle against Gnosticism.^[2] The Greek Fathers emphasized the cosmic dimension of the Fall, namely that since Adam human beings are born into a fallen world, but held fast to belief that man, though fallen, is free.^[2] It was in the West that precise definition of the doctrine arose.^[2] Augustine of Hippo taught that original sin was both an act of foolishness (insipientia) and of pride and disobedience to God of Adam and Eve. He thought it was a most subtle job to discern what came first: self-centeredness or failure in seeing truth^[12]. The sin would not have taken place, if satan hadn't sown into their senses „the root of evil” (radix mali).^[13] The sin of Adam and Eve wounded their nature, affecting human intelligence and will, as well as affections and desires, including sexual desire. The consequences of the fall were transmited to their decendants in the form of concupiscence, which is a metaphysical term, and not a psychological one. Thomas Aquinas explained Augustine's doctrine pointing out that the libido (concupiscence), which makes the original sin pass from parents to children, is not a libido actualis, i.e. sexual lust, but libido habitualis, i.e. a wound of the whole of human nature.^[14] Augustine insisted that concupiscence was not a being but bad quality, the privation of good or a wound.^[15] The bishop of Hippo admitted that sexual concupiscence (libido) might have been present in the perfect human nature in the paradise, and that only later it had become disobedient to human will as a result of the first couple's disobedience to God's will in the original sin.^[16] The original sin have made humanity a massa damnata^[2] (mass of perdition, condemned crowd). In Augustine's view (termed "Realism"), all of humanity was really present in Adam when he sinned, and therefore all have sinned. Original sin, according to Augustine, consists of the guilt of Adam which all humans inherit. As sinners, humans are utterly depraved in nature, lack the freedom to do good, and cannot respond to the will of God without divine grace. Grace is irresistible, results in conversion, and leads to perseverance.^[17]

In the struggle against Pelagianism, which denied the doctrine of original sin,^[17] the principles of Augustine's teaching was confirmed by many councils, especially the Second Council of Orange in 529.^[2] Some of the followers of Augustine identified original sin with concupiscence, but this identification was challenged by the eleventh-century Saint Anselm of Canterbury , who defined original sin as "privation of the righteousness that every man ought to possess", thus separating it from concupiscence. In the twelfth century the identification of original sin with concupiscence was supported by Peter Lombard and others, but was rejected by the leading theologians in the next century, chief of whom was Thomas Aquinas. He distinguished the supernatural gifts of Adam before the Fall from what was merely natural, and said that it was the former that were lost, privileges that enabled man to keep his inferior powers in submission to reason and directed to his supernatural end. Even after the fall, man thus kept his natural abilities of reason, will and passions. Rigorous Augustine-inspired views persisted among the Franciscans, though the most prominent Franciscan theologians, such as Duns Scotus and William of Ockham, eliminated the element of concupiscence.

Reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin equated original sin with concupiscence, affirming that it persisted even after baptism and completely destroyed freedom.^[2]

The Council of Trent, while not pronouncing on points disputed among Catholic theologians, condemned the teaching that in baptism the whole of what belongs to the essence of sin is not taken away, but is only cancelled or not imputed, and declared the concupiscence that remains after baptism not truly and properly "sin" in the baptized, but only to be called sin in the sense that it is of sin and inclines to sin.^[18]

In 1567, soon after the close of the Council of Trent, Pope Pius V went beyond Trent by sanctioning Aquinas's distinction between nature and supernature in Adam's state before the Fall, condemned the identification of original sin with concupiscence, and approved the view that the unbaptized could have right use of will.^[2]

From about the 18th century, belief about original sin has tended to become softened, but has persisted in some form as in Immanuel Kant's idea of "radical evil".^[2]

Unbaptized infants

Augustine believed that the only definitive destinations of souls are heaven and hell. He concluded that unbaptized infants go to hell as a consequence of original sin.^[19]^[20] The Latin Church Fathers who followed Augustine adopted his position, which became a point of reference for Latin theologians in the Middle Ages.^[21] In the later mediaeval period, some theologians continued to hold Augustine's view, others held that unbaptized infants suffered no pain at all: unaware of being deprived of the beatific vision, they enjoyed a state of natural, not supernatural happiness. Starting around 1300, unbaptized infants were often said to inhabit the "limbo of infants".^[22] The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1261 declares: "As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: 'Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,'^[23] allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism." But the theory of Limbo, while it "never entered into the dogmatic definitions of the Magisterium ... remains ... a possible theological hypothesis".^[24]

Augustine's formulation of original sin was popular among Protestant reformers, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, and also, within Roman Catholicism, in the Jansenist movement, but this movement was declared heretical by the Roman Catholic Church.^[25]

Like other traditional church doctrines, original sin has been denied or reinterpreted by various modern Christian denominations (such as the Unity Church) and theologians (such as Matthew Fox). Under such different views, Augustine's example of newborn babies would suffer the temptation to sin from their nature, but would not bear any guilt because of not actually committing sins of their own.

Christian doctrine

There are wide-ranging disagreements among Christian groups as to the exact understanding of the doctrine about a state of sinfulness or absence of holiness affecting all humans, even children, with some Christian groups denying it altogether.

New Testament

The scriptural basis for the doctrine is found in two New Testament books by Paul the Apostle, Romans 5:12-21 and 1 Corinthians 15:22, in which he identifies Adam as the one man through whom death came into the world.^[2] ^[26]

Catholicism

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

By his sin Adam, as the first man, lost the original holiness and justice he had received from God, not only for himself but for all humans.
Adam and Eve transmitted to their descendants human nature wounded by their own first sin and hence deprived of original holiness and justice; this deprivation is called "original sin".
As a result of original sin, human nature is weakened in its powers, subject to ignorance, suffering and the domination of death, and inclined to sin (this inclination is called "concupiscence").
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 416-418

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that in "yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected the human nature that they would then transmit in a fallen state … original sin is called "sin" only in an analogical sense: it is a sin "contracted" and not "committed" — a state and not an act" (404). This "state of deprivation of the original holiness and justice … transmitted to the descendants of Adam along with human nature" (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 76) involves no personal responsibility or personal guilt on their part (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 405). Personal responsibility and guilt were Adam's, who because of his sin, was unable to pass on to his descendants a human nature with the holiness with which it would otherwise have been endowed, in this way implicating them in his sin.

Though Adam's sinful act is not the responsibility of his descendants, the state of human nature that has resulted from that sinful act has consequences that plague them: "Human nature, without being entirely corrupted, has been harmed in its natural powers, is subject to ignorance, suffering and the power of death, and has a tendency to sin. This tendency is called concupiscence" (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 77), but is distinct from original sin itself, since it remains even when original sin is remitted.

The Church has always held baptism to be "for the remission of sins", and, as mentioned in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 403, infants too have traditionally been baptized, though not guilty of any actual personal sin. The sin that through baptism was remitted for them could only be original sin, with which they were connected by the very fact of being a human. First comprehensive theological explanation of this practice was given by Saint Augustine of Hippo. He articulated it in reaction to Pelagianism, which insisted that humans have of themselves, without the necessary help of God's grace, the ability to lead a morally good life, and thus denied both the importance of baptism and the teaching that God is the giver of all that is good.

Also the Catholic doctrine on transmission of the original sin was first articulated thanks to Augustine of Hippo in the fifth century, to counter the claim by Pelagius that the influence of Adam on other humans was merely that of bad example (Cf.CCC 406). Adam and Eve's "human nature depraved of original holiness and justice" is "transmitted by propagation to all mankind" (CCC 404). This wounded nature come to the soul and body of the new person from his/her parents, who experience libido (or concupiscence). This passion is a consequence of the original sin, which remains in the human nature even after baptism, and is not bound to sexual dimension alone, but "it can refer to any intense form of human desire (...) It unsettles man's moral faculties and, without being itself an offence, inclines man to commit sins" (CCC 2515).^[27] Augustine taught that human procreation was the way the transmission was being effected. He did not blame, however, the sexual passion itself, but the spiritual concupiscence present in human nature, soul and body, even after baptismal regeneration.^[28] Christian parents transmit their wounded nature to children, because they give them birth, not the "re-birth".^[29] The Church also shows that original sin is not imputing the sin of the father to the son; rather, it is simply the inheritance of a wounded nature from the father, which is an unavoidable part of reproduction.

The Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is that Mary was conceived free from original sin: "the most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin."^[30] The exceptional character that Catholic doctrine attributes to the conception of Mary thus depends on the reality of original sin. If, as some hold, original sin did not exist, not only she, but all humans would be conceived "immune from all stain of original sin".

Eastern Christianity

Eastern Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy which together make up Eastern Christianity, acknowledge that the introduction of ancestral sin into the human race affected the subsequent environment for mankind (see also traducianism), but never accepted Augustine of Hippo's notions of original sin and hereditary guilt.^[31] The act of Adam is not the responsibility of all humanity, but the consequences of that act changed the reality of this present age of the cosmos. The Greek Fathers emphasized the metaphysical dimension of the Fall of Man, whereby Adam's descendants are born into a fallen world, but at the same time held fast to belief that, in spite of that, man remains free.^[2] Instead of accepting the Lutheran interpretation of Augustine's teaching, Orthodox Churches accept the teaching of John Cassian, which rejects the doctrine of Total Depravity, by teaching that human nature is "fallen", that is, depraved, but not totally (see also semi-Pelagianism).

Mainstream Protestantism

The notion of original sin as interpreted by Augustine of Hippo was affirmed by the Protestant Reformer John Calvin. Calvin believed that humans inherit Adamic guilt and are in a state of sin from the moment of conception. This inherently sinful nature (the basis for the Calvinistic doctrine of "total depravity") results in a complete alienation from God and the total inability of humans to achieve reconciliation with God based on their own abilities. Not only do individuals inherit a sinful nature due to Adam's fall, but since he was the federal head and representative of the human race, all whom he represented inherit the guilt of his sin by imputation.

John Calvin defined original sin in his Institutes of the Christian Religion as follows:

“

Original sin, therefore, seems to be a hereditary depravity and corruption of our nature, diffused into all parts of the soul, which first makes us liable to God's wrath, then also brings forth in us those works which Scripture calls "works of the flesh" (Gal 5:19). And that is properly what Paul often calls sin. The works that come forth from it--such as adulteries, fornications, thefts, hatreds, murders, carousings--he accordingly calls "fruits of sin" (Gal 5:19-21), although they are also commonly called "sins" in Scripture, and even by Paul himself.^[32]

”

The Methodist Church, founded by John Wesley, upholds Article VII in the Articles of Religion in the Book of Discipline of the Methodist Church:

“

Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly talk), but it is the corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually.^[33]

”

Because of this conundrum, Protestants believe that God the Father sent Jesus into the world. The personhood, life, ministry, suffering, and death of Jesus, as God incarnate in human flesh, is meant to be the atonement for original sin as well as actual sins; this atonement is according to some^[who?] rendered fully effective by the Resurrection of Jesus.

Lutheranism

Martin Luther agreed with John Calvin that humans inherit Adamic guilt and are in a state of sin from the moment of conception. The second article in Lutheranism's Augsburg Confession presents its doctrine of original sin in summary form:

“

It is also taught among us that since the fall of Adam all men who are born according to the course of nature are conceived and born in sin. That is, all men are full of evil lust and inclinations from their mothers’ wombs and are unable by nature to have true fear of God and true faith in God. Moreover, this inborn sickness and hereditary sin is truly sin and condemns to the eternal wrath of God all those who are not born again through Baptism and the Holy Spirit. Rejected in this connection are the Pelagians and others who deny that original sin is sin, for they hold that natural man is made righteous by his own powers, thus disparaging the sufferings and merit of Christ.^[34]

”

Luther, however, also agreed with the Roman Catholic doctine of the Immaculate Conception (that Mary was conceived free from original sin) by saying:

“

[Mary] is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin. God's grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil. God is with her, meaning that all she did or left undone is divine and the action of God in her. Moreover, God guarded and protected her from all that might be hurtful to her. ^[35]

”

The New Church (Emanuel Swedenborg)

The New Church interprets the first 11 chapters of Genesis in a symbolic manner, and does not view Adam as an individual person but instead sees Adam as a symbolic representation of the "Most Ancient Church", which had a more direct contact with heaven than all the successive churches that succeeded it. So although there is no "Original Sin" derived from an individual man named Adam, there is hereditary evil derived from parents. Swedenborg stated: "But as to hereditary evil, the case is this. Everyone who commits actual sin thereby induces on himself a nature, and the evil from it is implanted in his children, and becomes hereditary. It thus descends from every parent, from the father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and their ancestors in succession, and is thus multiplied and augmented in each descending posterity, remaining with each person, and being increased in each by his actual sins, and never being dissipated so as to become harmless except in those who are being regenerated by the Lord. Every attentive observer may see evidence of this truth in the fact that the evil inclinations of parents remain visibly in their children, so that one family, and even an entire race, may be thereby distinguished from every other." ^[36]

Hereditary evil can not be completely abolished, but it can tempered when someone reforms his own life. "There are evils in man which must be dispersed while he is being regenerated, that is, which must be loosened and attempered by goods; for no actual and hereditary evil in man can be so dispersed as to be abolished. It still remains implanted; and can only be so far loosened and attempered by goods from the Lord that it does not injure, and does not appear, which is an arcanum hitherto unknown. Actual evils are those which are loosened and attempered, and not hereditary evils; which also is a thing unknown." ^[37] "It is to be observed that in the other life no one undergoes any punishment and torture on account of his hereditary evil, but only on account of the actual evils which he himself has committed." ^[38]

Seventh-day Adventism

One authoritative Adventist position is outlined by reference to publicly available theological positions available on the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s official website on theological doctrine, the Biblical Research Institute.^[39] One such article commenting on original sin can be found here.

Clarifications and rejection of the doctrine of original sin.

Eastern Orthodoxy

The Orthodox Church in America makes clear the distinction between "fallen nature" and "fallen man" and this is affirmed in the early teaching of the Church whose role it is to act as the catalyst that leads to true or inner redemption. Every human person born on this earth bears the image of God undistorted within themselves.^[40]

In our Tradition there is no such thing as fallen nature. There are fallen persons, but not fallen nature. The implication of this truth is that we have no excuses for our sins. Do Not Resent, Do Not React, Keep Inner Stillness, 2-3

Restoration Movement

Most Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement Churches, such as the Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, and the Disciples of Christ, reject the notion of original sin, believing only in the sins for which men and women are personally responsible. Such churches do not object to the idea that Adam and Eve brought sin into the world by introducing disobedience. Disobedience influenced further generations in much the same way other ideas spread, thus making sin likely in any individual above "The Age of Accountability."

In the Old Testament, in the Book of Ezekiel, God's people are rebuked for suggesting that the children would die/suffer for their father's sins:

The word of the Lord came to me: "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: 'The parents eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.

—Ezek. 18:1-4, TNIV

The Lord then gives examples of a good father with a bad son, of a good son with a bad father, etc. and states:

"Yet you ask, 'Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?' Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

—Ezek. 18:19-20, TNIV

God concludes: "house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to your own ways … Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit" (Ezek. 18:30-31, TNIV).

Some Restoration movement churches and individuals believe that Adam's sin made us depraved (that is, with a tendency towards sin) without making us guilty of Adam's sin. Some also believe that man is predisposed towards sin, but though every person sins, they are not guilty on account of any sin nature. Most, however, simply believe that Adam and Eve sinned as a result of their making a wrong free-will choice when they were tempted by the serpent and as a result brought "the knowledge of good and evil" upon themselves and all people after them, and that although man still retains his free-will it is this "knowledge of good and evil" that makes it difficult for him to live without committing sin. In keeping with the point contained in the passage of Ezekiel cited above, the sin committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden belongs to them alone.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons, or LDS more specifically) do not believe in the concept of original sin as it is generally used in Christianity. The early blessing of God to Adam and Eve to "multiply and replenish" (Gen 1:28) is connected to the later command of God to Adam and Eve to not partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16-17). Therefore these two aspects of the creation account are taught as to be obligatory yet apparently contradictory commands of God. The disobedience of Eve and Adam, therefore, becomes not quite the cause for humanity's perpetual ancestral or original sin condition (were it not for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ), per se, but a "fall forward." The Fall was a separation from living communion with God, yet was a necessary transgression intended by God so that humankind may come to be and experience joy:

22. And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. 23. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. 24. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
25. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. [The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:22-25]

10. And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. 11. And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. [The Pearl of Great Price, Moses 5:10-11]

Furthermore, Latter-day Saints believe that everyone will be punished for their own individual sins and not for any transgression of Adam or Eve.^[41] Neither do Mormons believe that children come into the world with any guilt because Jesus Christ atoned for any "original guilt," and the sins of parents cannot be answered upon the heads of their children. Moses 6:53 in the Pearl of Great Price reads:

And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water? And the Lord said unto Adam: Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden.
54 Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.

Mormons also hold that little children are incapable of committing sin and, as such, have no need of baptism until age eight when they can begin to learn to discern right from wrong and are thus capable of sin and can be held accountable. Moroni 8:8-9 in the Book of Mormon reads

8 Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me.
9 And after this manner did the Holy Ghost Manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children.

Little children who die before reaching the age of accountability (even though they are unbaptized) are automatic heirs of salvation and are saved in the Celestial Kingdom of God through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Furthermore those who die "without the law" are under no condemnation nor accountability:

22. For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing— 23. But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works.
24. Behold, my son, this thing ought not to be; for repentance is unto them that are under condemnation and under the curse of a broken law. [The Book of Mormon, Moroni 8:22-24]

It is interpreted that those who are incapable of understanding right from wrong, such as mentally handicapped persons, are also saved under the atonement of Jesus Christ without baptism. Any adults who die without a knowledge of God's commands (Law) do need baptism, which they can receive in the spiritual realm by accepting the Latter-day Saint vicarious practice of Baptism for the Dead.

Extraterrestrial beings and original sin

In an interview entitled "Aliens Are My Brother", granted to L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, Father Gabriel Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, stated: "In my opinion this possibility (of life on other planets) exists"; "intelligent beings, created by God may exist in outer space" and "some aliens could even be free from original sin" concluding "there could be (other beings) who remained in full friendship with their creator".^[42] And on 5 March 2009, Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, another astronomer working at the Vatican Observatory, told the BBC, in relation to the search for Earth-like worlds about to be embarked upon by the Kepler Space telescope, that "we Jesuits are actively involved in the search for Earth-like planets. The idea that there could be other intelligent creatures made by God in a relationship with God is not contrary to traditional Judeo-Christian thought. The Bible has many references to, or descriptions of, non-human intelligent beings; after all, that's what angels are. Our cousins on other planets may even have their own salvation story – including other examples of the incarnation of the second person of the Trinity. We are open to whatever the Universe has for us."^[43]

With regard to the attribution to "the Vatican" of similar statements by individuals working for the Holy See, official spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, also a Jesuit, published on 21 February 2009 a declaration that they must not be mistaken for statements of the Holy See.^[44]

References

↑ The term "ancestral sin" is also used, as in Greek προπατορικὴ ἁμαρτία (e.g. Πόλεμος και φτώχεια - η ορθόδοξη άποψη, Η νηστεία της Σαρακοστής, Πώς στράφηκε ο Λούθηρος κατά του Μοναχισμού - του Γεωργίου Φλωρόφσκυ) or προπατορικὸ ἁμάρτημα (e.g. Απαντήσεις σε ερωτήματα δογματικά - Ανδρέα Θεοδώρου, εκδ. Αποστολικής Διακονίας, 1997, σελ. 156-161, Θεοτόκος και προπατορικό αμάρτημα)
↑ ^2.00 ^2.01 ^2.02 ^2.03 ^2.04 ^2.05 ^2.06 ^2.07 ^2.08 ^2.09 ^2.10 ^2.11 ^2.12 ^2.13 Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article Original Sin
↑ Brodd, Jefferey (2003). World Religions. Winona, MN: Saint Mary's Press. ISBN 978-0-88489-725-5.
↑ The same applies to terms such as "Trinity" used to express other Christian doctrines.
↑ Judaism's Rejection Of Original Sin
↑ What is the Hindu view of sin?
↑ Catechism of the Catholic Church, 405
↑ While the traditional term in Latin is "peccatum originale", with reference to the "origin" of the human race, the traditional term in Greek is "προπατορική αμαρτία" (or "προπατορικό αμάρτημα", more rarely "προγονική αμαρτία"), with reference to the "ancestor" of the human race). This is the term used also by Roman Catholics when speaking or writing in Greek.
↑ Metropolis Basic Teachings of the Orthodox Faithby Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios of Toronto (Canada): Original Sin and Its Consequences
↑ Catechism of St. Philaret, questions 166, 167, 168
↑ Johann Gerhard, Loci theologici, 5.17, quoted by Henri Blocher, Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle, (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), 19.
↑ Augustine wrote to Julian of Eclanum: Sed si disputatione subtilissima et elimatissima opus est, ut sciamus utrum primos homines insipientia superbos, an insipientes superbia fecerit. (Contra Julianum, V, 4.18; PL 44, 795)
↑ Nisi radicem mali humanus tunc reciperet sensus („Contra Julianum”, I, 9.42; PL 44, 670)
↑ Libido quae transmittit peccatum originale in prolem, non est libido actualis, quia dato quod virtute divina concederetur alicui quod nullam inordinatam libidinem in actu generationis sentiret, adhuc transmitteret in prolem originale peccatum. Sed libido illa est intelligenda habitualiter, secundum quod appetitus sensitivus non continetur sub ratione vinculo originalis iustitiae. Et talis libido in omnibus est aequalis (STh Iª-IIae q. 82 a. 4 ad 3).
↑ Non substantialiter manere concupiscentiam, sicut corpus aliquod aut spiritum; sed esse affectionem quamdam malae qualitatis, sicut est languor. (De nuptiis et concupiscentia, I, 25. 28; PL 44, 430; cf. Contra Julianum, VI, 18.53; PL 44, 854; ibid. VI, 19.58; PL 44, 857; ibid., II, 10.33; PL 44, 697; Contra Secundinum Manichaeum, 15; PL 42, 590.
↑ Augustine wrote to Julian of Eclanum: Quis enim negat futurum fuisse concubitum, etiamsi peccatum non praecessisset? Sed futurus fuerat, sicut aliis membris, ita etiam genitalibus voluntate motis, non libidine concitatis; aut certe etiam ipsa libidine – ut non vos de illa nimium contristemus – non qualis nunc est, sed ad nutum voluntarium serviente (Contra Julianum, IV. 11. 57; PL 44, 766). See also his late work: Contra secundam Iuliani responsionem imperfectum opus, II, 42; PL 45,1160; ibid. II, 45; PL 45,1161; ibid., VI, 22; PL 45, 1550-1551. Cf.Schmitt, É. (1983). Le mariage chrétien dans l'oeuvre de Saint Augustin. Une théologie baptismale de la vie conjugale. Études Augustiniennes. Paris. pp. 104.
↑ ^17.0 ^17.1 Justo L. Gonzalez (1970-1975). A History of Christian Thought: Volume 2 (From Augustine to the eve of the Reformation). Abingdon Press.
↑ Decree 5 concerning original sin
↑ "Infernum", literally "underworld," later identified as limbo.
↑ "Limbo: Past Catholic statements on the fate of unbaptized infants, etc. who have died"[1]
↑ Study by International Theological Commission (19 January 2007), The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized, 19-21
↑ Study by International Theological Commission (19 January 2007), The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized, 22-25
↑ Mark 10:14; cf. 1 Tim 2:4
↑ Study by International Theological Commission (19 January 2007), The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized, secondary preliminary paragraph; cf. paragraph 41.
↑ "Jansenius and Jansenism" in The Catholic Encyclopedia
↑ Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. —Romans 5:12-14, ESV "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." —Rom. 5:18-21, ESV
↑ Cf. Council of Trent, DS 1515.
↑ Sexual desire is, according to bishop of Hippo, only one - though the strongest - of many physical realisations of that spiritual libido: Cum igitur sint multarum libidines rerum, tamen, cum libido dicitur neque cuius rei libido sit additur, non fere assolet animo occurrere nisi illa, qua obscenae partes corporis excitantur. Haec autem sibi non solum totum corpus nec solum extrinsecus, verum etiam intrinsecus vindicat totumque commovet hominem animi simul affectu cum carnis appetitu coniuncto atque permixto, ut ea voluptas sequatur, qua maior in corporis voluptatibus nulla est; ita ut momento ipso temporis, quo ad eius pervenitur extremum, paene omnis acies et quasi vigilia cogitationis obruatur. (De civitate Dei, XIV, 16; CCL 48, 438-439 [1-10]). See also: Schmitt, É. (1983). Le mariage chrétien dans l'oeuvre de Saint Augustin. Une théologie baptismale de la vie conjugale. Études Augustiniennes. Paris. pp. 97. . See also Augustine's: De continentia, 8.21; PL 40, 363; Contra Iulianum VI, 19.60; PL 44, 859; ibid. IV, 14.65, z.2, s. 62; PL 44, 770; De Trinitate, XII, 9. 14; CCL 50, 368 [verse: IX 1-8]; De Genesi contra Manicheos, II, 9.12, s. 60 ; CSEL 91, 133 [v.31-35]).
↑ Regeneratus quippe non regenerat filios carnis, sed generat; ac per hoc in eos non quod regeneratus, sed quod generatus est, trajicit. (De gratia Christi et de peccato originali, II, 40.45; CSEL 42, 202[23-25]; PL 44, 407.
↑ Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus (1854) quoted in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 491[2]
↑ stmaryorthodoxchurch.org
↑ John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.1.8, LCC, 2 vols., trans. Ford Lewis Battles, ed. John T. McNeill (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 251 (page 217 of CCEL edition). Cf. Institutes of the Christian Religion at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library
↑ The United Methodist Church: The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church - Article V—Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation
↑ Theodore G. Tappert, The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1959), 29.
↑ Luther's Works, American edition, vol. 43, p. 40, ed. H. Lehmann, Fortress, 1968
↑ Swedenborg, Emanuel. Arcana Coelestia, 1758. Trans. by John F. Potts, 1906, n. 313.
↑ Ibid., n. 719.
↑ Ibid., n. 966.
↑ adventistbiblicalresearch.org
↑ Glory to God for all things [3]./
↑ Articles of Faith, article #2
↑ Reuters MSNBC Catholic News Agency BBC
↑ Is there anybody out there? Retrieved 3 March 2009]
↑ Declaration by the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Reverend Father Federico Lombardi, S.J. Retrieved 22 February 2009]

External links

Article "Original Sin" in Catholic Encyclopedia
The Book of Concord The Defense of the Augsburg Confession, Article II: Of Original Sin; from an early Protestant perspective, part of the Augsburg Confession.
Original Sin According To St. Paul by John S. Romanides

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[1] The term "ancestral sin" is also used, as in Greek προπατορικὴ ἁμαρτία (e.g. Πόλεμος και φτώχεια - η ορθόδοξη άποψη, Η νηστεία της Σαρακοστής, Πώς στράφηκε ο Λούθηρος κατά του Μοναχισμού - του Γεωργίου Φλωρόφσκυ) or προπατορικὸ ἁμάρτημα (e.g. Απαντήσεις σε ερωτήματα δογματικά - Ανδρέα Θεοδώρου, εκδ. Αποστολικής Διακονίας, 1997, σελ. 156-161, Θεοτόκος και προπατορικό αμάρτημα)

[ODCC-2] 2.00 ^2.01 ^2.02 ^2.03 ^2.04 ^2.05 ^2.06 ^2.07 ^2.08 ^2.09 ^2.10 ^2.11 ^2.12 ^2.13 Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article Original Sin

[3] Brodd, Jefferey (2003). World Religions. Winona, MN: Saint Mary's Press. ISBN 978-0-88489-725-5.

[4] The same applies to terms such as "Trinity" used to express other Christian doctrines.

[5] Judaism's Rejection Of Original Sin

[6] What is the Hindu view of sin?

[7] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 405

[8] While the traditional term in Latin is "peccatum originale", with reference to the "origin" of the human race, the traditional term in Greek is "προπατορική αμαρτία" (or "προπατορικό αμάρτημα", more rarely "προγονική αμαρτία"), with reference to the "ancestor" of the human race). This is the term used also by Roman Catholics when speaking or writing in Greek.

[9] Metropolis Basic Teachings of the Orthodox Faithby Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios of Toronto (Canada): Original Sin and Its Consequences

[10] Catechism of St. Philaret, questions 166, 167, 168

[11] Johann Gerhard, Loci theologici, 5.17, quoted by Henri Blocher, Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle, (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), 19.

[12] Augustine wrote to Julian of Eclanum: Sed si disputatione subtilissima et elimatissima opus est, ut sciamus utrum primos homines insipientia superbos, an insipientes superbia fecerit. (Contra Julianum, V, 4.18; PL 44, 795)

[13] Nisi radicem mali humanus tunc reciperet sensus („Contra Julianum”, I, 9.42; PL 44, 670)

[14] Libido quae transmittit peccatum originale in prolem, non est libido actualis, quia dato quod virtute divina concederetur alicui quod nullam inordinatam libidinem in actu generationis sentiret, adhuc transmitteret in prolem originale peccatum. Sed libido illa est intelligenda habitualiter, secundum quod appetitus sensitivus non continetur sub ratione vinculo originalis iustitiae. Et talis libido in omnibus est aequalis (STh Iª-IIae q. 82 a. 4 ad 3).

[15] Non substantialiter manere concupiscentiam, sicut corpus aliquod aut spiritum; sed esse affectionem quamdam malae qualitatis, sicut est languor. (De nuptiis et concupiscentia, I, 25. 28; PL 44, 430; cf. Contra Julianum, VI, 18.53; PL 44, 854; ibid. VI, 19.58; PL 44, 857; ibid., II, 10.33; PL 44, 697; Contra Secundinum Manichaeum, 15; PL 42, 590.

[16] Augustine wrote to Julian of Eclanum: Quis enim negat futurum fuisse concubitum, etiamsi peccatum non praecessisset? Sed futurus fuerat, sicut aliis membris, ita etiam genitalibus voluntate motis, non libidine concitatis; aut certe etiam ipsa libidine – ut non vos de illa nimium contristemus – non qualis nunc est, sed ad nutum voluntarium serviente (Contra Julianum, IV. 11. 57; PL 44, 766). See also his late work: Contra secundam Iuliani responsionem imperfectum opus, II, 42; PL 45,1160; ibid. II, 45; PL 45,1161; ibid., VI, 22; PL 45, 1550-1551. Cf.Schmitt, É. (1983). Le mariage chrétien dans l'oeuvre de Saint Augustin. Une théologie baptismale de la vie conjugale. Études Augustiniennes. Paris. pp. 104.

[Gonzalez-17] 17.0 ^17.1 Justo L. Gonzalez (1970-1975). A History of Christian Thought: Volume 2 (From Augustine to the eve of the Reformation). Abingdon Press.

[18] Decree 5 concerning original sin

[19] "Infernum", literally "underworld," later identified as limbo.

[20] "Limbo: Past Catholic statements on the fate of unbaptized infants, etc. who have died"[1]

[21] Study by International Theological Commission (19 January 2007), The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized, 19-21

[22] Study by International Theological Commission (19 January 2007), The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized, 22-25

[23] Mark 10:14; cf. 1 Tim 2:4

[24] Study by International Theological Commission (19 January 2007), The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized, secondary preliminary paragraph; cf. paragraph 41.

[25] "Jansenius and Jansenism" in The Catholic Encyclopedia

[26] Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. —Romans 5:12-14, ESV "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." —Rom. 5:18-21, ESV

[27] Cf. Council of Trent, DS 1515.

[28] Sexual desire is, according to bishop of Hippo, only one - though the strongest - of many physical realisations of that spiritual libido: Cum igitur sint multarum libidines rerum, tamen, cum libido dicitur neque cuius rei libido sit additur, non fere assolet animo occurrere nisi illa, qua obscenae partes corporis excitantur. Haec autem sibi non solum totum corpus nec solum extrinsecus, verum etiam intrinsecus vindicat totumque commovet hominem animi simul affectu cum carnis appetitu coniuncto atque permixto, ut ea voluptas sequatur, qua maior in corporis voluptatibus nulla est; ita ut momento ipso temporis, quo ad eius pervenitur extremum, paene omnis acies et quasi vigilia cogitationis obruatur. (De civitate Dei, XIV, 16; CCL 48, 438-439 [1-10]). See also: Schmitt, É. (1983). Le mariage chrétien dans l'oeuvre de Saint Augustin. Une théologie baptismale de la vie conjugale. Études Augustiniennes. Paris. pp. 97. . See also Augustine's: De continentia, 8.21; PL 40, 363; Contra Iulianum VI, 19.60; PL 44, 859; ibid. IV, 14.65, z.2, s. 62; PL 44, 770; De Trinitate, XII, 9. 14; CCL 50, 368 [verse: IX 1-8]; De Genesi contra Manicheos, II, 9.12, s. 60 ; CSEL 91, 133 [v.31-35]).

[29] Regeneratus quippe non regenerat filios carnis, sed generat; ac per hoc in eos non quod regeneratus, sed quod generatus est, trajicit. (De gratia Christi et de peccato originali, II, 40.45; CSEL 42, 202[23-25]; PL 44, 407.

[30] Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus (1854) quoted in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 491[2]

[31] stmaryorthodoxchurch.org

[32] John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.1.8, LCC, 2 vols., trans. Ford Lewis Battles, ed. John T. McNeill (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 251 (page 217 of CCEL edition). Cf. Institutes of the Christian Religion at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library

[33] The United Methodist Church: The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church - Article V—Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation

[34] Theodore G. Tappert, The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1959), 29.

[35] Luther's Works, American edition, vol. 43, p. 40, ed. H. Lehmann, Fortress, 1968

[36] Swedenborg, Emanuel. Arcana Coelestia, 1758. Trans. by John F. Potts, 1906, n. 313.

[37] Ibid., n. 719.

[38] Ibid., n. 966.

[39] ventistbiblicalresearch.org

[40] Glory to God for all things [3]./

[41] Articles of Faith, article #2

[42] Reuters MSNBC Catholic News Agency BBC

[43] Is there anybody out there? Retrieved 3 March 2009]

[44] Declaration by the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Reverend Father Federico Lombardi, S.J. Retrieved 22 February 2009]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{otheruses2|Original Sin}}
-[[Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 022.jpg|thumb|[[Michelangelo]]'s painting of the original sin (the Fall)]]
-According to Christian tradition, '''Original sin''' describes the condition of [[Sin|sinfulness]] (lack of holiness) into which human beings are hereditarily born. Used with the definite article ("the original sin"), it refers to the first sin committed by mankind, seen as the seed of future evil effects for the whole human race. Christians usually refer to this first sin as "the Fall".
+'''Original sin'''<ref>The term "[[ancestral sin]]" is also used, as in [[Greek language|Greek]] προπατορικὴ ἁμαρτία (e.g. [http://www.parembasis.gr/2003/03_10_16.htm Πόλεμος και φτώχεια - η ορθόδοξη άποψη,] [http://www.monipetraki.gr/sarakosti.html Η νηστεία της Σαρακοστής,] [http://www.oodegr.com/oode/protestant/luther_antimonaxismos1.htm Πώς στράφηκε ο Λούθηρος κατά του Μοναχισμού - του Γεωργίου Φλωρόφσκυ]) or προπατορικὸ ἁμάρτημα (e.g. [http://www.apostoliki-diakonia.gr/GR_MAIN/catehism/theologia_zoi/themata.asp?contents=selides_katixisis/contents_TaIeraMistiria.asp&main=kat010&file=4.4.1.htm Απαντήσεις σε ερωτήματα δογματικά - Ανδρέα Θεοδώρου, εκδ. Αποστολικής Διακονίας, 1997, σελ. 156-161,] [http://www.pelagia.org/htm/b26.e.i_despotikes_eortes.01.htm Θεοτόκος και προπατορικό αμάρτημα])</ref> is, according to a doctrine proposed in [[Christian theology]], humanity's state of [[sin]] resulting from the [[Fall of Man]].<ref name ="ODCC">Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article ''Original Sin''</ref> This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred to as a "sin nature", to something as drastic as [[total depravity]] or automatic guilt by all humans through collective guilt.<ref>{{cite book | last = Brodd | first = Jefferey | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = World Religions | publisher = Saint Mary's Press | date = 2003 | location = Winona, MN | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 978-0-88489-725-5 }}</ref>
-By analogy the term is used in fields other than religion to indicate a pervading inherent flaw.
+Those who uphold the doctrine look to the teaching of [[Paul the Apostle]] in {{bibleverse||Romans|5:12-21}} and {{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|15:22}} for its [[Bible|scriptural]] base,<ref name="ODCC"/> and see it as perhaps implied in Old Testament passages such as {{bibleverse||Psalm|51:5}} and {{bibleverse||Psalm|58:3}}.
-==The original sin (the Fall)==
-===Classical Biblical and Orthodox Jewish view===
-Adam's sin, as recounted in the [[Book of Genesis]] is sometimes called in Hebrew החטא הקדמון (the original sin), on the basis of the traditional Christian term. But the term used in classical Jewish literature is חטא אדם הראשׁון), (the first sin of man, or of Adam).
+Some Christians do not accept the doctrine indicated by the terms "original sin" or "ancestral sin", which are not found in the Bible.<ref>The same applies to terms such as "Trinity" used to express other Christian doctrines.</ref> The doctrine is not found in other religions, such as [[Judaism]],<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Original_Sin.html Judaism's Rejection Of Original Sin]</ref> [[Hinduism]]<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=9XC9bwMMPcwC&pg=PA264&vq=original+sin&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1_1 What is the Hindu view of sin?]</ref> and [[Islam]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}
-The account in [[Genesis]] 2-3 implies that [[Adam and Eve]] initially lived in a state of intimate communion with [[God]]. God warned Adam not to eat of the fruit of "the [[Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil ]]" (Genesis 2:15-17).[http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=1&CHAPTER=2] The [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpent]] persuaded Eve, who in turn persuaded Adam, to disobey this commandment. After eating of the fruit, they immediately recognized their mistake, and became ashamed of their [[nudity|nakedness]] (Genesis 3:1-7).[http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=1&CHAPTER=3] God cursed the serpent, apparently changing its physical form, and setting up eternal enmity between mankind and serpents (Genesis 3:9-15).[http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=1&CHAPTER=3] God pronounced judgements on both Eve and Adam. Eve's judgement was the difficulties of pregnancy and subjection to her husband. Adam's was toil and struggle for his sustenance (Genesis 3:16-21).[http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=1&CHAPTER=3] Adam and Eve were expelled from the [[Garden of Eden]](Genesis 3:22-24).[http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=1&CHAPTER=3]
+Catholic teaching regards original sin as the general condition of [[sin]]fulness (lack of holiness) into which humans are born, distinct from the [[actual sin]]s that a person commits. This teaching explicitly states that original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam's descendants.<ref>[http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1C.HTM Catechism of the Catholic Church, 405]</ref>
+The prevailing view also in Eastern Orthodoxy is that human beings bear no guilt for the sin of Adam.  Orthodoxy prefers the term "ancestral sin",<ref>While the traditional term in Latin is "peccatum originale", with reference to the "origin" of the human race, the traditional term in Greek is "προπατορική αμαρτία" (or "προπατορικό αμάρτημα", more rarely "προγονική αμαρτία"), with reference to the "ancestor" of the human race). This is the term used also by Roman Catholics when speaking or writing in Greek.</ref> which indicates that "original sin is hereditary. It did not remain only Adam and Eve's. As life passes from them to all of their descendants, so does original sin. We all of us participate in original sin because we are all descended from the same forefather, Adam."<ref>[http://www.gocanada.org/catechism/catorsin.htm Metropolis ''Basic Teachings of the Orthodox Faith''by Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios of Toronto (Canada): ''Original Sin and Its Consequences'']</ref> An important exposition of the belief of Eastern Christians identifies original sin as physical and spiritual death, the spiritual death being the loss of "the grace of God, which quickened (the soul) with the higher and spiritual life".<ref>[http://www.pravoslavieto.com/docs/eng/Orthodox_Catechism_of_Philaret.htm Catechism of St. Philaret], questions 166, 167, 168</ref> Others see original sin also as the cause of [[actual sin]]s: "a bad tree bears bad fruit" ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 7:17, [[New International Version|NIV]]), although, in this view, original and actual sin may be difficult to distinguish.<ref>Johann Gerhard, <cite>Loci theologici</cite>, 5.17, quoted by Henri Blocher, <cite>Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle</cite>, (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), 19.</ref>
-According to Jewish tradition, the divine prohibition was to give them free choice and allow them to earn, as opposed to receive, absolute perfection and intimate communion with God, a higher level than the one on which they were created.
+[[Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 022.jpg|300px|thumb|right|[[Michelangelo]]'s painting of the sin of Adam and Eve (the Fall of Man)]]
-The consequences affected Adam and Eve's descendants. People are not intrinsically condemned and sinful, but nevertheless begin life at a spiritual and metaphysical level inherited from Adam and Eve, far lower than Adam's original level. The course of history is meant to return humanity to Adam's original level, and then allow it to surpass that level by completing the task that Adam failed to complete. The curses and changes imposed on mankind following their sin are meant to facilitate this return to glory.
+==The Fall of Man==
+Original sin is said to result from the Fall of Man, when [[Adam and Eve]] ate the forbidden fruit of a particular tree in the Garden of Eden.  This first sin ("''the'' original sin", as distinct from "original sin"), an ''action'' of the first humans, is traditionally understood to be the cause of "original sin", the fallen ''state'' from which humans can be saved only by God's grace.
+{{See|Fall of Man}}
-According to this tradition, Adam and Eve would have attained absolute perfection and retained immortality had they succeeded in withstanding the temptation to eat from the Tree. After failing at this task, they were condemned to a period of toil to rectify the fallen universe. In Jewish tradition, this is a 6,000 year period.
+==History of the doctrine==
-Jewish tradition views the serpent, and sometimes the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil itself, as representatives of [[evil]]. Evil's job was and is to mislead Mankind and give the appearance that God does not actually control all elements of Creation. Adam's task was to see through this veil. After his failure, this became humanity's task through history.
+[[Image:Sandro Botticelli 050.jpg|150px|thumb|right|[[Augustine of Hippo]] wrote that original sin is transmitted by concupiscence and enfeebles freedom of the will without destroying it.<ref name ="ODCC"/>]]
+The [[Apostolic Father]]s and the [[Apologist]]s mostly dealt with topics other than original sin.<ref name ="ODCC"/> The doctrine of original sin was first developed in second-century Bishop of [[Lyon]] [[Irenaeus]]'s struggle against [[Gnosticism]].<ref name ="ODCC"/> The Greek Fathers emphasized the cosmic dimension of the Fall, namely that since Adam human beings are born into a fallen world, but held fast to belief that man, though fallen, is free.<ref name ="ODCC"/> It was in the West that precise definition of the doctrine arose.<ref name ="ODCC"/>
+[[Augustine of Hippo]] taught that original sin was both an act of foolishness (''insipientia'') and of pride and disobedience to God of Adam and Eve. He thought it was a most subtle job to discern what came first: self-centeredness or failure in seeing truth<ref>Augustine wrote to [[Julian of Eclanum]]: ''Sed si disputatione subtilissima et elimatissima opus est, ut sciamus utrum primos homines insipientia superbos, an insipientes superbia fecerit''. (''Contra Julianum'', V, 4.18; PL 44, 795)</ref>. The sin would not have taken place, if satan hadn't sown into their senses ''„the root of evil”'' (''radix mali'').<ref>''Nisi radicem mali humanus tunc reciperet sensus''  („Contra Julianum”, I, 9.42; PL 44, 670)</ref> The sin of Adam and Eve wounded their nature, affecting human intelligence and will, as well as affections and desires, including sexual desire. The consequences of the fall  were transmited to their decendants in the form of ''concupiscence'', which is a [[Metaphysics|metaphysical]] term, and not a [[Psychology|psychological]] one. [[Thomas Aquinas]] explained Augustine's doctrine pointing out that the ''libido'' (''concupiscence''), which makes the original sin pass from parents to children, is not a ''libido actualis'', i.e. sexual lust, but ''libido habitualis'', i.e. a wound of the whole of human nature.<Ref>''Libido quae transmittit peccatum originale in prolem, non est libido actualis, quia dato quod virtute divina concederetur alicui quod nullam inordinatam libidinem in actu generationis sentiret, adhuc transmitteret in prolem originale peccatum. Sed libido illa est intelligenda habitualiter, secundum quod appetitus sensitivus non continetur sub ratione vinculo originalis iustitiae. Et talis libido in omnibus est aequalis'' (STh Iª-IIae q. 82 a. 4 ad 3).</ref> Augustine insisted that concupiscence was not ''a being'' but ''bad quality'', the privation of good or a wound.<ref>''Non substantialiter manere concupiscentiam, sicut corpus aliquod aut spiritum; sed esse affectionem quamdam malae qualitatis, sicut est languor''. (''De nuptiis et concupiscentia'', I, 25. 28; PL 44, 430; cf. ''Contra Julianum'', VI, 18.53; PL 44, 854; ibid. VI, 19.58; PL 44, 857; ibid., II, 10.33; PL 44, 697; ''Contra Secundinum Manichaeum'', 15; PL 42, 590.</ref> The bishop of Hippo  admitted that sexual concupiscence (''libido'') might have been present in the perfect human nature in the paradise, and that only later it had become  disobedient to human will as a result of the first couple's disobedience to God's will in the original sin.<ref>Augustine  wrote to [[Julian of Eclanum]]: ''Quis enim negat futurum fuisse concubitum, etiamsi peccatum non praecessisset? Sed futurus fuerat, sicut aliis membris, ita etiam genitalibus voluntate motis, non libidine concitatis; aut certe etiam ipsa libidine – ut non vos de illa nimium contristemus – non qualis nunc est, sed ad nutum voluntarium serviente'' (Contra Julianum, IV. 11. 57; PL 44, 766). See also his late work: ''Contra secundam Iuliani responsionem imperfectum opus'', II, 42; PL 45,1160; ibid. II, 45; PL 45,1161; ibid., VI, 22; PL 45, 1550-1551. Cf.{{cite book |title=Le mariage chrétien dans l'oeuvre de Saint Augustin. Une théologie baptismale de la vie conjugale |last= Schmitt|first=É. |year= 1983|series = Études Augustiniennes | location= Paris|pages= 104}}</ref> The  original sin have made humanity a ''massa damnata''<ref name="ODCC"/> (mass of perdition, condemned crowd). In Augustine's view (termed "Realism"), all of humanity was really present in Adam when he sinned, and therefore all have sinned. Original sin, according to Augustine, consists of the guilt of Adam which all humans inherit. As sinners, humans are utterly depraved in nature, lack the freedom to do good, and cannot respond to the will of God without [[divine grace]]. Grace is [[irresistible grace|irresistible]], results in conversion, and leads to [[perseverance of the saints|perseverance]].<ref name="Gonzalez">{{cite book
+|author=Justo L. Gonzalez
+|title=A History of Christian Thought: Volume 2 (From Augustine to the eve of the Reformation)
+|publisher=Abingdon Press
+|date=1970-1975}}</ref>
+In the struggle against [[Pelagianism]],  which denied the doctrine of original sin,<ref name="Gonzalez"/> the principles of Augustine's teaching was confirmed by many councils, especially the [[Councils of Orange|Second Council of Orange]] in 529.<ref name="ODCC"/> Some of the followers of Augustine identified original sin with concupiscence, but this identification was challenged by the eleventh-century Saint [[Anselm of Canterbury]] , who defined original sin as "privation of the righteousness that every man ought to possess", thus separating it from concupiscence. In the twelfth century the identification of original sin with concupiscence was supported  by [[Peter Lombard]] and others, but was rejected by the leading theologians in the next century, chief of whom was [[Thomas Aquinas]].  He distinguished the supernatural gifts of Adam before the Fall from what was merely natural, and said that it was the former that were lost, privileges that enabled man to keep his inferior powers in submission to reason and directed to his supernatural end. Even after the fall, man thus kept his natural abilities of reason, will and passions. Rigorous Augustine-inspired views persisted among the [[Franciscans]], though the most prominent Franciscan theologians, such as [[Duns Scotus]] and [[William of Ockham]], eliminated the element of concupiscence.
-===Reform and Conservative Judaism's views===
-The more modern liberal branches of [[Judaism]], such as [[Reform Judaism]] and [[Conservative Judaism]], which see no "evil" other than the evil actions of human beings, disagree with traditions that identify the serpent with [[Satan]]. Eve's only transgression was that she disobeyed God's order. Adam was with her the entire time and at no time stopped her. Therefore, it is incorrect to blame Eve alone. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden and had to live ordinary, human lives. In other words, they had to "leave home" and grow up and live as responsible human beings. If they had never eaten from the forbidden tree, they would never have discovered their capacity to act with [[free will]] in the world. God doesn't want human beings who have no choice but to always do what is good and right.
+[[Protestant Reformation|Reformers]]  [[Martin Luther]] and [[John Calvin]] equated original sin with concupiscence, affirming that it persisted even after [[baptism]] and completely destroyed freedom.<ref name="ODCC"/>
-===The original sin in [[Gnosticism]] ===
-Many Gnostic sects (particularly the [[Ophites]]) saw the figure of the serpent as a divine benefactor and liberator of humanity, rather than as [[Satan]], [[Lucifer]], or any other ill-intentioned figure. They held that the world was created by the [[Demiurge]], an imperfect creator who wished to rule it as a tyrant. However, the spirit of [[Christ]] interfered by possessing the serpent and telling Eve to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eating from this tree allowed Adam and Eve to have free will and thus defy, if need be, their Demiurge creator. Therefore, according to many Gnostics, what [[Christians]] call [[the Fall of Man]] was really the freeing of humanity's minds and souls.
+The [[Council of Trent]], while not pronouncing on points disputed among Catholic theologians, condemned the teaching that in baptism the whole of what belongs to the essence of sin is not taken away, but is only cancelled or not imputed, and declared the concupiscence that remains after baptism not truly and properly "sin" in the baptized, but only to be called sin in the sense that it is of sin and inclines to sin.<ref>[http://www.ewtn.com/library/councils/trent5.htm Decree 5 concerning original sin]</ref>
-=== The original sin in [[Islam]]===
-The [[Qur'an]] recounts the story of Adam and Eve in a similar way to that of the [[Bible]]. However, the blame of disobedience is either put squarely on Adam, or both are blamed for the sin; Eve never convinces Adam to sin. Adam and Eve are forgiven by God after they repent.
+In 1567, soon after the close of the Council of Trent, [[Pope Pius V]] went beyond Trent by sanctioning Aquinas's distinction between nature and supernature in Adam's state before the Fall, condemned the identification of original sin with concupiscence, and approved the view that the unbaptized could have right use of will.<ref name ="ODCC"/>
-The idea that the sin propagates to their offspring is categorically refused by the majority of [[Sunni]] and [[Shia]] muslims, citing [[ayah]]s such as: [6:164] "Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another," and [2:286] "On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns." There are minor factions, such as the [[Qur'an Alone]] Muslims, who accept a concept of original sin according to which every single human has sinned individually before coming to this earth.
+From about the 18th century, belief about original sin has tended to become softened, but has persisted in some form as in [[Immanuel Kant]]'s idea of "radical evil".<ref name ="ODCC"/>
-===The original sin in the [[Unification Church]]===
-Unification theology views the Biblical tale of the fall in symbolic terms. The serpent here, as in some other interpretations, represents [[Lucifer]]. Eve's acceptance of the fruit symbolizes an act of adultery, by which evil enters into Eve; Adam's acceptence of the fruit likewise is an act of intercourse, which spreads the evil from Eve to Adam. Having not waited until they had reached a more perfect form, their congress became tainted with sin.
+==Unbaptized infants==
-The Unification Church sees the four aftereffects of the fall as:
+Augustine believed that the only definitive destinations of souls are heaven and hell. He concluded that unbaptized infants go to hell as a consequence of original sin.<ref>"''Infernum''", literally "underworld," later identified as [[Limbo#Limbo of Children|limbo]].</ref><ref>"Limbo: Past Catholic statements on the fate of unbaptized infants, etc. who have died"[http://www.religioustolerance.org/limbo2.htm]</ref>  The Latin [[Church Fathers]] who followed Augustine adopted his position, which became a point of reference for Latin theologians in the Middle Ages.<ref>Study by International Theological Commission (19 January 2007), ''[http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070419_un-baptised-infants_en.html The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized]'', 19-21</ref> In the later mediaeval period, some theologians continued to hold Augustine's view, others held that unbaptized infants suffered no pain at all: unaware of being deprived of the [[beatific vision]], they enjoyed a state of natural, not supernatural happiness. Starting around 1300, unbaptized infants were often said to inhabit the "[[Limbo#Limbo of Children|limbo of infants]]".<ref>Study by International Theological Commission (19 January 2007), ''[http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070419_un-baptised-infants_en.html The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized]'', 22-25</ref> The [http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a1.htm#VI ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 1261] declares: "As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: 'Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,'<ref>{{bibleverse||Mark|10:14}}; cf. {{bibleverse|1|Tim|2:4}}</ref> allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism." But the theory of Limbo, while it "never entered into the dogmatic definitions of the Magisterium ... remains ... a possible theological hypothesis".<ref>Study by International Theological Commission (19 January 2007), ''[http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070419_un-baptised-infants_en.html The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized]'', secondary preliminary paragraph; cf. paragraph 41.</ref>
-# a failure to see from God's viewpoint and love as God loves
-# a failure to receive God's love
-# a reversal of dominion
-# a multiplication of evil.
+Augustine's formulation of original sin was popular among Protestant reformers, such as [[Martin Luther]] and [[John Calvin]], and also, within Roman Catholicism, in the [[Jansenism|Jansenist]] movement, but this movement was declared heretical by the Roman Catholic Church.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08285a.htm  "Jansenius and Jansenism" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'']</ref>
-A better treatment of the fall of man in Unification theology can be found [http://www.unification.net/dp96/dp96-1-2.html#Chap2 here].
+Like other traditional church doctrines, original sin has been denied or reinterpreted by various modern Christian denominations (such as the [[Unity Church]]) and theologians (such as [[Matthew Fox (priest)|Matthew Fox]]). Under such different views, Augustine's example of newborn babies would suffer the temptation to sin from their nature, but would not bear any guilt because of not actually committing sins of their own.
-{{Christian theology}}
-==Original sin (Christian doctrine)==
+==Christian doctrine==
+[[Image:B Escorial 18.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Illuminated parchment, Spain, circa AD 950-955, depicting the Fall of Man, cause of original sin.]]
-There are wide-ranging disagreements among Christian groups as to the exact understanding of the doctrine about a state of sinfulness or absence of holiness affecting all human beings, even children, with some Christian groups denying it altogether.
+There are wide-ranging disagreements among Christian groups as to the exact understanding of the doctrine about a state of sinfulness or absence of holiness affecting all humans, even children, with some Christian groups denying it altogether.
-=== Original sin in the New Testament ===
+===New Testament===
+The scriptural basis for the doctrine is found in two New Testament books by [[Paul the Apostle]], Romans 5:12-21 and 1 Corinthians 15:22, in which he identifies Adam as the one man through whom death came into the world.<ref name="ODCC"/>
-The doctrine of original sin is thought by some to be implied in the Apostle Paul's description of human sinfulness as no less universal than Christ's free gift of righteousness, especially in the verses here italicized: "''Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned'' - sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For ''as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous''. Law came in, to increase the trespass; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans (RSV) 5:12-21).
+<ref>''Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned''—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. —[[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]] 5:12-14, [[English Standard Version|ESV]] "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For ''as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous''. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." —Rom. 5:18-21, ESV</ref>
+===Catholicism===
-Those who identify original sin with concupiscence apply to it also Paul's description of a general experience: "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh.  I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:15-24).
+The ''[[Catechism of the Catholic Church]]'' says:
+<blockquote>
-Those who see original sin not as a positive reality but as something merely negative, namely lack of holiness, see the doctrine as implicit also in the teaching of Jesus, as expressed, for example, in the words: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
+By his sin Adam, as the first man, lost the original holiness and justice he had received from God, not only for himself but for all humans.
+Adam and Eve transmitted to their descendants human nature wounded by their own first sin and hence deprived of original holiness and justice; this deprivation is called "original sin".
-===Original sin in [[Roman Catholicism]]===
-After quoting Saint Paul's letter to the Romans 5:12, 18, the ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' says: "[T]he Church has always taught that the overwhelming misery which oppresses men and their inclination toward evil and death cannot be understood apart from their connection with Adam's sin and the fact that he has transmitted to us a sin with which we are all born afflicted, a sin which is the 'death of the soul.' Because of this certainty of faith, the Church baptizes for the remission of sins even tiny infants who have not committed personal sin" (403).
+As a result of original sin, human nature is weakened in its powers, subject to ignorance, suffering and the domination of death, and inclined to sin (this inclination is called "concupiscence").
-"By the 'unity of the human race', all men are implicated in Adam's sin, as all are implicated in Christ's justice. Still, the transmission of original sin is a mystery that we cannot fully understand. But we do know by Revelation that Adam had received original holiness and justice not for himself alone, but for all human nature. By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a ''personal sin'', but this sin affected ''the human nature'' that they would then transmit in a ''fallen state'' ... original sin is called "sin" only in an analogical sense: it is a sin "contracted" and not "committed" - a state and not an act" (404). This "state of deprivation of the original holiness and justice ... transmitted to the descendants of Adam along with human nature" (''Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 76) involves no personal responsibility or personal guilt on their part (cf. ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 405).   Personal responsibility and guilt were Adam's, who because of his sin was unable to pass on to his descendants a human nature with the holiness with which it would otherwise have been endowed, in this way implicating them in his sin.
+[http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p7.htm ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 416-418]
-Though Adam's sinful act is not the responsibility of his descendants, the state of human nature that has resulted from that sinful act has consequences that plague them: "Human nature, without being entirely corrupted, has been harmed in its natural powers, is subject to ignorance, suffering and the power of death, and has a tendency to sin. This tendency is called concupiscence" (''Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 77), but is distinct from original sin itself .
+</blockquote>
+The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' explains that in "yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a ''personal sin'', but this sin affected ''the human nature'' that they would then transmit in a ''fallen state'' … original sin is called "sin" only in an analogical sense: it is a sin "contracted" and not "committed" — a state and not an act" (404). This "state of deprivation of the original holiness and justice … transmitted to the descendants of Adam along with human nature" (''Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 76) involves no personal responsibility or personal guilt on their part (cf. ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 405).  Personal responsibility and guilt were Adam's, who because of his sin, was unable to pass on to his descendants a human nature with the holiness with which it would otherwise have been endowed, in this way implicating them in his sin.
-The Church has always held baptism to be "for the remission of sins", and, as mentioned in ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 403, infants too have traditionally been baptized, though not guilty of any actual personal sin. The sin that through baptism was remitted for them could only be original sin, with which they were connected by the very fact of being human beings. Based largely on this practice, Saint [[Augustine of Hippo]] articulated the teaching in reaction to [[Pelagianism]], which insisted that human beings have of themselves, without the necessary help of God's grace, the ability to lead a morally good life, and thus denied both the importance of baptism and the teaching that God is the giver of all that is good.
+Though Adam's sinful act is not the responsibility of his descendants, the state of human nature that has resulted from that sinful act has consequences that plague them: "Human nature, without being entirely corrupted, has been harmed in its natural powers, is subject to ignorance, suffering and the power of death, and has a tendency to sin. This tendency is called concupiscence" (''Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 77), but is distinct from original sin itself, since it remains even when original sin is remitted.
-The Catholic Church did not accept all of Augustine's ideas, which he developed to counter the claim by Pelagius that the influence of Adam on other human beings was merely that of bad example. For instance, the Church did not adopt the opinion that involvement in Adam's guilt and punishment takes effect through the dependence of human procreation on the sexual passion, in which the spirit's inability to control flesh is evident.
+The Church has always held baptism to be "for the remission of sins", and, as mentioned in ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 403, infants too have traditionally been baptized, though not guilty of any actual personal sin. The sin that through baptism was remitted for them could only be original sin, with which they were connected by the very fact of being a human. First comprehensive theological explanation of this practice was given by Saint [[Augustine of Hippo]]. He articulated it in reaction to [[Pelagianism]], which insisted that humans have of themselves, without the necessary help of God's grace, the ability to lead a morally good life, and thus denied both the importance of baptism and the teaching that God is the giver of all that is good.
-There is a close link between the notion of original sin and the Catholic doctrine of the [[Immaculate Conception]] of [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Mary]], namely the Church's teaching that, in view of the saving power of the future death and resurrection of her son [[Jesus]], she was preserved from this "stain" (i.e. lack of holiness), which affects others, that is to say, that she was conceived without original sin. Those who deny the existence of original sin thus profess belief in the immaculate conception not only of Mary but of every human being.
+Also the Catholic doctrine on transmission of the original sin was first articulated thanks to [[Augustine of Hippo]] in the fifth century, to counter the claim by Pelagius that the influence of Adam on other humans was merely that of bad example (Cf.[[Catechism of the Catholic Church|CCC]] 406). Adam and Eve's "human nature depraved of original holiness and justice" is "transmitted by propagation to all mankind" ([[Catechism of the Catholic Church|CCC]] 404). This wounded nature come to the soul and body of the new person from his/her parents, who experience ''libido'' (or ''concupiscence''). This passion is a consequence of the original sin, which remains in the human nature even after baptism, and is not bound to sexual dimension alone, but "it can refer to any intense form of human desire (...) It unsettles man's moral faculties and, without being itself an offence, inclines man to commit sins" ([[Catechism of the Catholic Church|CCC]] 2515).<ref>Cf. Council of Trent, DS 1515.</ref> Augustine taught that human procreation was the way the transmission was being effected. He did not blame, however, the sexual passion itself, but the spiritual ''concupiscence'' present in human nature, soul and body, even after baptismal regeneration.<ref>Sexual desire is, according to bishop of Hippo, only one -  though the strongest - of many physical realisations of that spiritual libido: ''Cum igitur sint multarum libidines rerum, tamen, cum libido dicitur neque cuius rei libido sit additur, non fere assolet animo occurrere nisi illa, qua obscenae partes corporis excitantur. Haec autem sibi non solum totum corpus nec solum extrinsecus, verum etiam intrinsecus vindicat totumque commovet hominem animi simul affectu cum carnis appetitu coniuncto atque permixto, ut ea voluptas sequatur, qua maior in corporis voluptatibus nulla est; ita ut momento ipso temporis, quo ad eius pervenitur extremum, paene omnis acies et quasi vigilia cogitationis obruatur''. (De civitate Dei, XIV, 16; CCL 48, 438-439 [1-10]). See also: {{cite book |title=Le mariage chrétien dans l'oeuvre de Saint Augustin. Une théologie baptismale de la vie conjugale |last= Schmitt|first=É. |year= 1983|series = Études Augustiniennes | location= Paris|pages= 97}}. See also Augustine's: ''De continentia'', 8.21; PL 40, 363; ''Contra Iulianum'' VI, 19.60; PL 44, 859; ibid. IV, 14.65, z.2, s. 62; PL 44, 770; ''De Trinitate'', XII, 9. 14; CCL 50, 368 [verse: IX 1-8]; ''De Genesi contra Manicheos'', II, 9.12, s. 60 ; CSEL 91, 133 [v.31-35]).</ref> Christian parents transmit their wounded nature to children, because they give them birth, not the "re-birth".<ref>''Regeneratus quippe non regenerat filios carnis, sed generat; ac per hoc in eos non quod regeneratus, sed quod generatus est, trajicit''. (''De gratia Christi et de peccato originali'', II, 40.45; CSEL 42, 202[23-25]; PL 44, 407.</ref>
-===Original sin in [[Eastern Christianity]]===
+The Church also shows that original sin is not imputing the sin of the father to the son; rather, it is simply the inheritance of a wounded nature from the father, which is an unavoidable part of reproduction.
+The Catholic doctrine of the [[Immaculate Conception]] of [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Mary]] is that Mary was conceived free from original sin: "the most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin."<ref>Pius IX, ''Ineffabilis Deus'' (1854) quoted in ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 491[http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p122a3p2.htm#490]</ref> The exceptional character that Catholic doctrine attributes to the conception of Mary thus depends on the reality of original sin. If, as some hold, original sin did not exist, not only she, but all humans would be conceived "immune from all stain of original sin".
-[[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodoxy]] acknowledges that the introduction of ancestral sin into the human race affected the subsequent environment for mankind, but denies (or rather never accepted) Augustine of Hippo's notions of original sin and hereditary guilt.[http://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/orthodoxy/articles/2004-hughes-sin.php] The act of [[Adam and Eve|Adam]] is not the responsibility of all humanity, but the consequences of that act continue and plague the world.
+===Eastern Christianity===
-Instead of the term "original sin", some prefer to use in [[English language|English]] the term "ancestral sin". This distinction does not exist in, for instance, [[Greek language|Greek]]: the Greek translation of the ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' (Cactus Editions, Athens, 1996) renders ''peccatum originale'' (original sin), the traditional term in [[Latin language|Latin]], as ''προπατορική αμαρτία'' (ancestral sin), the traditional term in Greek. Thus no significance can be attached to the use of the traditional English term, ''original sin'', in Orthodox catechisms such as the following, one written originally in English, the other translated from Russian: "[O]riginal sin is hereditary. It did not remain only Adam and Eve's. As life passes from them to all of their descendants, so does original sin. We all of us participate in original sin because we are all descended from the same forefather, Adam. This creates a problem for many people. They ask, Why should we be responsible for the actions of Adam and Eve? Why should we have to pay for the sins of our parents? they say. Unfortunately, this is so, because the consequence of original sin is the distortion of the nature of man. Of course, this is unexplainable and belongs to the realm of mystery, but we can give one example to make it somewhat better understood. Let us say that you have a wild orange tree, from which you make a graft. You will get domesticated oranges, but the root will still be that of the wild orange tree. To have wild oranges again, you must regraft the tree. This is what Christ came for and achieved for fallen man" (''Orthodox Catechism - Basic Teachings of the Orthodox Faith'' by Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios).[http://www.gocanada.org/Catechism/catorsin.htm] "As from an infected source there naturally flows an infected stream, so from a father infected with sin, and consequently mortal, there naturally proceeds a posterity infected like him with sin, and like him mortal" (''The Longer Catechism of the Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Church'' also known as the ''Catechism of Philaret'', question 168).[http://www.tserkovnost.org/catechism_filaret/catechism_filaret-2.html#_fnb1]
+[[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholicism]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodoxy]] and [[Oriental Orthodox Churches|Oriental Orthodoxy]] which together make up Eastern Christianity, acknowledge that the introduction of ancestral sin into the human race affected the subsequent environment for mankind (see also [[traducianism]]), but never accepted Augustine of Hippo's notions of original sin and hereditary guilt.<ref>[http://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/orthodoxy/articles/2004-hughes-sin.php stmaryorthodoxchurch.org]</ref> The act of [[Adam and Eve|Adam]] is not the responsibility of all humanity, but the consequences of that act changed the reality of this present age of the cosmos. The Greek Fathers emphasized the metaphysical dimension of the Fall of Man, whereby Adam's descendants are born into a fallen world, but at the same time held fast to belief that, in spite of that, man remains free.<ref name="ODCC"/> Instead of accepting the Lutheran interpretation of [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]]'s teaching, Orthodox Churches accept the teaching of [[John Cassian]], which rejects the doctrine of [[Total Depravity]], by teaching that human nature is "fallen", that is, depraved, but not totally (see also [[semi-Pelagianism]]).
+===Mainstream Protestantism===
-The website of the Eastern United States diocese of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]], speaking of Mary, states: "According to the teaching of the Armenian Church, at the time of the Annunciation when the Holy Spirit entered her she was cleansed of all sin (original sin) as she was to be the vessel in which God manifest was to be incarnated."[http://www.armenianchurch.org/worship/mary/]
+The notion of original sin as interpreted by [[Augustine of Hippo]] was affirmed by the Protestant [[Protestant Reformation|Reformer]] [[John Calvin]]. Calvin believed that humans inherit Adamic guilt and are in a state of sin from the moment of conception. This inherently sinful nature (the basis for the [[Calvinism|Calvinistic]] doctrine of "[[total depravity]]") results in a complete alienation from God and the total inability of humans to achieve reconciliation with God based on their own abilities. Not only do individuals inherit a sinful nature due to Adam's fall, but since he was the federal head and representative of the human race, all whom he represented inherit the guilt of his sin by imputation.
+[[John Calvin]] defined original sin in his ''[[Institutes of the Christian Religion]]'' as follows: {{cquote|Original sin, therefore, seems to be a hereditary depravity and corruption of our nature, diffused into all parts of the soul, which first makes us liable to God's wrath, then also brings forth in us those works which Scripture calls "works of the flesh" (Gal 5:19). And that is properly what Paul often calls sin. The works that come forth from it--such as adulteries, fornications, thefts, hatreds, murders, carousings--he accordingly calls "fruits of sin" (Gal 5:19-21), although they are also commonly called "sins" in Scripture, and even by Paul himself.<ref>John Calvin, ''The Institutes of the Christian Religion'', II.1.8, LCC, 2 vols., trans. Ford Lewis Battles, ed. John T. McNeill (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 251 (page 217 of CCEL edition). Cf. [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.html ''Institutes of the Christian Religion''] at the [[Christian Classics Ethereal Library]]</ref>}}
-In [[2 Esdras]] 7:46(116)-48(118),[http://www.anova.org/sev/htm/ap/15_2esdras.htm] a book that some Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches regard as canonical, Ezra states:
-:I answered and said, "This is my first and last word, that it would have been better if the earth had not produced Adam, or else, when it had produced him, had restrained him from sinning. For what good is it to all that they live in sorrow now and expect punishment after death? O Adam, what have you done? For though it was you who sinned, the fall was not yours alone, but ours also who are your descendants."
+The [[Methodist Church]], founded by [[John Wesley]], upholds Article VII in the [[Articles of Religion (Methodist)|Articles of Religion]] in the ''[[Book of Discipline (United Methodist)|Book of Discipline of the Methodist Church]]'': {{cquote|Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly talk), but it is the corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually.<ref>[http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=1649 The United Methodist Church: The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church - Article V—Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation]</ref>}}
+Because of this conundrum, Protestants believe that God the Father sent [[Jesus]] into the world. The personhood, life, ministry, suffering, and death of Jesus, as God [[incarnation|incarnate]] in human flesh, is meant to be the [[atonement]] for original sin as well as actual sins; this atonement is according to some{{Who|date=June 2009}} rendered fully effective by the [[Death and Resurrection of Jesus|Resurrection of Jesus]].
-===Original sin in mainstream [[Protestantism]]===
-The notion of original sin as interpreted by [[Augustine of Hippo]] was affirmed by the Protestant [[Protestant Reformation|Reformers]] [[Martin Luther]] and [[John Calvin]]. Both Luther and Calvin agreed that humans inherit Adamic guilt and are in a state of sin from the moment of conception. This inherently sinful nature (the basis for the [[Calvinism|Calvinistic]] doctrine of "[[Total depravity|total depravity]]") results in a complete alienation from God and the total inability of humans to achieve reconciliation with God based on their own abilities. Not only do individuals inherit a sinful nature due to Adam's fall, but since he was the federal head and representative of the human race, all whom he represented inherit the guilt of his sin by imputation.
+====Lutheranism====
-Because of this [[conundrum]], Protestants believe that God the Father sent [[Jesus]] into the world. The personhood, life, ministry, suffering, and death of Jesus, as God [[incarnation|incarnate]] in human flesh, is meant to be the [[Atonement|atonement]] for original sin as well as actual sins; this atonement is according to some rendered fully effective by the [[Resurrection of Jesus]].
+[[Martin Luther]] agreed with John Calvin that humans inherit Adamic guilt and are in a state of sin from the moment of conception. The second article in [[Lutheranism]]'s [[Augsburg Confession]] presents its doctrine of original sin in summary form:
+{{cquote|It is also taught among us that since the fall of Adam all men who are born according to the course of nature are conceived and born in sin. That is, all men are full of evil lust and inclinations from their mothers’ wombs and are unable by nature to have true fear of God and true faith in God. Moreover, this inborn sickness and hereditary sin is truly sin and condemns to the eternal wrath of God all those who are not born again through Baptism and the Holy Spirit. Rejected in this connection are the [[Pelagianism|Pelagians]] and others who deny that original sin is sin, for they hold that natural man is made righteous by his own powers, thus disparaging the sufferings and merit of Christ.<ref>Theodore G. Tappert, <cite>The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church</cite>, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1959), 29.</ref>}}
-===Original sin in [[Restoration Movement]]===
-Most Stone-Campbell [[Restoration Movement]] Churches, such as the Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, and other Congregational Churches of the same origin, reject the notion of original sin, believing only in the sins for which men and women are personally responsible. Adam and Eve did bring sin into the world by introducing disobedience. This spread to further generations in much the same way other ideas spread, thus ensuring an environment that will produce sin in any individual above "The Age of Accountability."
-Many Restoration movement churches and individuals, however, do believe that Adam's sin made us depraved (that is, with a tendency towards sin) without making us guilty of Adam's sin. Man is predisposed towards sin, but though every person sins, they are not intrinsically ''forced'' to sin.
+Luther, however, also agreed with the Roman Catholic doctine of the [[Immaculate Conception]] (that Mary was conceived free from original sin) by saying:
-===Original sin for [[Seventh Day Adventists]]===
+{{cquote|[Mary] is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin. God's grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil. God is with her, meaning that all she did or left undone is divine and the action of God in her. Moreover, God guarded and protected her from all that might be hurtful to her. <ref>Luther's Works, American edition, vol. 43, p. 40, ed. H. Lehmann, Fortress, 1968</ref>}}
-The official and authoritative Adventist position is probably best outlined by reference to publicly available and endorsed theological positions available on the General Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church’s official website on theological doctrine, Biblical Research Institute.
+===The New Church (Emanuel Swedenborg)===
-A quick scan of this site makes it abundantly clear that debate still rages within Adventism as to the origins of sin.  One will see that there has been a deliberate move by some scholars towards a more traditionally Augustinian understanding of original sin.  On the other hand, there does still appear strong theological support for the ‘traditional’ Adventist position, which is more in line with Eastern Orthodox understandings.
+[[The New Church]] interprets the first 11 chapters of Genesis in a symbolic manner, and does not view Adam as an individual person but instead sees Adam as a symbolic representation of the "Most Ancient Church", which had a more direct contact with heaven than all the successive churches that succeeded it.  So although there is no "Original Sin" derived from an individual man named Adam, there is hereditary evil derived from parents.  Swedenborg stated: "But as to hereditary evil, the case is this. Everyone who commits actual sin thereby induces on himself a nature, and the evil from it is implanted in his children, and becomes hereditary. It thus descends from every parent, from the father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and their ancestors in succession, and is thus multiplied and augmented in each descending posterity, remaining with each person, and being increased in each by his actual sins, and never being dissipated so as to become harmless except in those who are being regenerated by the Lord. Every attentive observer may see evidence of this truth in the fact that the evil inclinations of parents remain visibly in their children, so that one family, and even an entire race, may be thereby distinguished from every other." <ref>Swedenborg, Emanuel. [[Arcana Coelestia]], 1758. Trans. by John F. Potts, 1906, n. 313.</ref>
+Hereditary evil can not be completely abolished, but it can tempered when someone reforms his own life.  "There are evils in man which must be dispersed while he is being regenerated, that is, which must be loosened and attempered by goods; for no actual and hereditary evil in man can be so dispersed as to be abolished. It still remains implanted; and can only be so far loosened and attempered by goods from the Lord that it does not injure, and does not appear, which is an arcanum hitherto unknown. Actual evils are those which are loosened and attempered, and not hereditary evils; which also is a thing unknown." <ref>Ibid., n. 719.</ref> "It is to be observed that in the other life no one undergoes any punishment and torture on account of his hereditary evil, but only on account of the actual evils which he himself has committed." <ref>Ibid., n. 966.</ref>
-One will also notice this topic is very interesting and important in that it affects Christianity's understanding of the nature of Christ (see [[Christology]]), what sin is (an act or a state?), what exactly we inherit from fallen Adam (his guilt or nature?), and finally going to how and why exactly Christ saves mankind.
+===Seventh-day Adventism===
-===Original sin according to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ===
+One authoritative Adventist position is outlined by reference to publicly available theological positions available on the [[General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church]]’s official website on theological doctrine, the [[Biblical Research Institute]].<ref>[http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/ adventistbiblicalresearch.org]</ref> One such article commenting on original sin can be found
-[[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (also known as the LDS Church, and the "Mormons") teaches a doctrine, known as the Fall of Adam, that the actions of [[Adam and Eve]] in the [[Garden of Eden]] brought about spiritual and physical death. Latter-day Saints believe that separation from God (spiritual death) was an intended part of the plan of God. The main objective of the plan was that mankind should be tested (see [[Book of Abraham|Abraham]]). Because separation from God was necessary, Latter-day Saints see the transgression of Adam and Eve as a great and necessary sacrifice, rather than a "mistake". Adam and Eve were cast out of God's presence and suffered physical pain and death after committing the transgression. Their choice to enter that fallen state willingly meant that God's "Plan of Happiness" could proceed as intended, and was in line with his will.
+[http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/documents/wesleyanconnectionSDA.htm here].
+==Clarifications and rejection of the doctrine of original sin.==
-Mormons do not believe that the transgression in Eden was of a sexual nature - nor could it have been, they hold, as God commanded Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the Earth, implying that sexual relations between our progenitors were sanctioned by Him, and that they were de facto married by God in Eden. Likewise, they do not blame Eve for being the first to partake of the fruit, but rather celebrate her wisdom in recognizing that her descendants would have to be born, live, and make righteous choices on Earth, learn to repent through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and pass through death, in order eventually to be fully redeemed and return to live with God again. The idea is that it is better to pass through the sorrow of this life, in order to know the Good from the Evil, rather than to exist in a perpetual state of innocence and stagnant ignorance. (see [http://scriptures.lds.org/2_ne/2/11#10 2nd Nephi 2:11])
+===Eastern Orthodoxy===
-Mormons do not believe in the concept of original sin as it is used in modern Christendom, but that everyone will be punished for their own individual sins and not for any transgression of Adam or Eve. Neither do Mormons believe that children are conceived in sin or come into the world with any kind of "impurity" whatsoever. Rather, Jesus Christ atoned for any "original guilt" and the sins of parents cannot be answered upon the heads of their children. Furthermore, Mormons hold that little children are incapable of even committing sin and as such have no need of baptism until they are accountable and capable of sinning. Little children who die before reaching such an age of accountability (even though they are unbaptized) are automatic heirs of salvation and are saved in the Celestial Kingdom of God.
+The Orthodox Church in America makes clear the distinction between "fallen nature" and "fallen man" and this is affirmed in the early teaching of the Church whose role it is to act as the catalyst that leads to true or inner redemption. Every human person born on this earth bears the image of God undistorted within themselves.<ref>Glory to God for all things [http://fatherstephen.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/do-not-resent-do-not-react-keep-inner-stillness]./</ref>
+<blockquote>
-==Problems with original sin==
+In our Tradition there is no such thing as fallen nature. There are fallen persons, but not fallen nature. The implication of this truth is that we have no excuses for our sins.
-The concept some have of original sin is thought by others to be full of inconsistencies. For those who see the effect of the Fall as deprivation of something that is their due, the doctrine of original sin contradicts the principle, stated even in the Mosaic Law, that the children are not to be punished for the sins of the fathers.
+[http://www.monasteryofstjohn.org/abbatialessays/Do_not_react.pdf ''Do Not Resent, Do Not React, Keep Inner Stillness'', 2-3]
+</blockquote>
+===Restoration Movement===
-Those who understand original sin as personal guilt and sin, rather than as sin in an analogous sense, are confronted with a yet graver difficulty, particularly if they conceive of sin as a matter of a person's soul as such, rather than of the ensouled body or enfleshed soul that is the person. Sin, they say, is an issue of the soul, but, if we inherit our bodies from our parents and our souls from God, then original sin, which is inherited with human nature from our parents, must be a matter of the body; or, if it is a matter of the soul, original sin must come from God. [[Martin Luther]]'s [[ad hoc]] solution was: ''Do not listen to human wisdom, but to the holy word of the Bible.'' Logically this is [[appeal to authority|argumentum ad auctoritatem]] [[fallacy]] combined with [[argument from ignorance|argumentum ad ignoramum]].
+Most Stone-Campbell [[Restoration Movement]] Churches, such as the [[Churches of Christ]], [[Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ|Christian Churches]], and the [[Disciples of Christ]], reject the notion of original sin, believing only in the sins for which men and women are personally responsible.  Such churches do not object to the idea that Adam and Eve brought sin into the world by introducing disobedience.  Disobedience influenced further generations in much the same way other ideas spread, thus making sin likely in any individual above "The Age of Accountability."
+In the Old Testament, in the [[Book of Ezekiel]], God's people are rebuked for suggesting that the children would die/suffer for their father's sins:
-Those who interpret the symbolic images in the account of the Fall as literal realities face the problem of reconciling with the assumed unconditional love of God an account that they must interpret as God setting a trap for the first human beings and then punishing them and their descendants for falling into it - in addition to problems such as explaining the whimsical picture of God "walking in the garden in the cool of the day" (Genesis 3:8).
+:The word of the Lord came to me: "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: <nowiki>'</nowiki>''The parents eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge''<nowiki>'</nowiki>? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
-On the other hand, those who accept Christianity but deny original sin have - unless they judge that baptism should not in fact be conferred on someone who has not committed sin in the ordinary sense (actual sin) - the problem of interpreting the ancient Christian practice of conferring on infants what the [[Nicene Creed]] calls the "one baptism for the forgiveness of sins".
+:—Ezek. 18:1-4, TNIV
+The Lord then gives examples of a good father with a bad son, of a good son with a bad father, etc. and states:
+:"Yet you ask, <nowiki>'</nowiki>''Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?''<nowiki>'</nowiki> Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
+:—Ezek. 18:19-20, TNIV
+God concludes: "house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to your own ways … Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit" (Ezek. 18:30-31, TNIV).
+Some Restoration movement churches and individuals believe that Adam's sin made us depraved (that is, with a tendency towards sin) without making us guilty of Adam's sin. Some also believe that man is predisposed towards sin, but though every person sins, they are not guilty on account of any ''sin nature''. Most, however, simply believe that Adam and Eve sinned as a result of their making a wrong free-will choice when they were tempted by the serpent and as a result brought "the knowledge of good and evil" upon themselves and all people after them, and that although man still retains his free-will it is this "knowledge of good and evil" that makes it difficult for him to live without committing sin. In keeping with the point contained in the passage of Ezekiel cited above, the sin committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden belongs to them alone.
+===The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints===
+Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as [[Mormons]], or LDS more specifically) do not believe in the concept of original sin as it is generally used in Christianity. The early blessing of God to Adam and Eve to "multiply and replenish" (Gen 1:28) is connected to the later command of God to Adam and Eve to not partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16-17). Therefore these two aspects of the creation account are taught as to be obligatory yet apparently contradictory commands of God. The disobedience of Eve and Adam, therefore, becomes not quite the cause for humanity's perpetual ancestral or original sin condition (were it not for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ), <i>per se,</i> but a "fall forward." The Fall was a separation from living communion with God, yet was a necessary transgression intended by God so that humankind may come to be and experience joy:<blockquote>
+. And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
+. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
+. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
+. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. [The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:22-25] </blockquote>
+<blockquote>10. And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.
+. And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. [The Pearl of Great Price, Moses 5:10-11] </blockquote>
+Furthermore, Latter-day Saints believe that everyone will be punished for their own individual sins and not for any transgression of Adam or Eve.<ref>[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1 Articles of Faith, article #2]</ref> Neither do Mormons believe that children come into the world with any guilt because Jesus Christ atoned for any "original guilt," and the sins of parents cannot be answered upon the heads of their children. Moses 6:53 in the [[Pearl of Great Price (Latter Day Saints)|Pearl of Great Price]] reads:<blockquote>
+And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water? And the Lord said unto Adam: Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden.
+Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world. </blockquote>
+Mormons also hold that little children are incapable of committing sin and, as such, have no need of baptism until age eight when they can begin to learn to discern right from wrong and are thus capable of sin and can be held accountable.  Moroni 8:8-9 in the [[Book of Mormon]] reads <blockquote>
+Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me.
+And after this manner did the Holy Ghost Manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children.</blockquote>
+Little children who die before reaching the age of accountability (even though they are unbaptized) are automatic heirs of salvation and are saved in the [[Celestial Kingdom]] of God through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Furthermore those who die "without the law" are under no condemnation nor accountability:  <blockquote>
+. For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—
+. But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works.
+. Behold, my son, this thing ought not to be; for repentance is unto them that are under condemnation and under the curse of a broken law. [The Book of Mormon, Moroni 8:22-24]</blockquote>
+It is interpreted that those who are incapable of understanding right from wrong, such as [[mentally handicapped]] persons, are also saved under the atonement of Jesus Christ without baptism. Any adults who die without a knowledge of God's commands (Law) do need baptism, which they can receive in the spiritual realm by accepting the Latter-day Saint vicarious practice of [[Baptism for the dead|Baptism for the Dead]].
+==Extraterrestrial beings and original sin==
+In an interview entitled "Aliens Are My Brother", granted to [[L'Osservatore Romano]], the Vatican newspaper, Father Gabriel Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, stated: "In my opinion this possibility (of life on other planets) exists"; "intelligent beings, created by God may exist in outer space" and "some aliens could even be free from original sin" concluding "there could be (other beings) who remained in full friendship with their creator".<ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNewsMolt/idUKL146364620080514 Reuters] [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24598261/ MSNBC] [http://catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12628 Catholic News Agency][http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7399661.stm?lsm BBC]</ref> And on 5 March 2009, [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] Brother Guy Consolmagno, another astronomer working at the Vatican Observatory, told the BBC, in relation to the search for Earth-like worlds about to be embarked upon by the [[Kepler Mission|Kepler Space telescope]], that "we Jesuits are actively involved in the search for Earth-like planets. The idea that there could be other intelligent creatures made by God in a relationship with God is not contrary to traditional Judeo-Christian thought. The Bible has many references to, or descriptions of, non-human intelligent beings; after all, that's what angels are. Our cousins on other planets may even have their own salvation story – including other examples of the incarnation of the second person of the Trinity. We are open to whatever the Universe has for us."<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7918497.stm Is there anybody out there?] Retrieved 3 March 2009]</ref>
+With regard to the attribution to "the Vatican" of similar statements by individuals working for the [[Holy See]], official spokesman Father [[Federico Lombardi]], also a Jesuit, published on 21 February 2009 a declaration that they must not be mistaken for statements of the Holy See.<ref>[http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/23450.php?index=23450&lang=it Declaration by the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Reverend Father Federico Lombardi, S.J.] Retrieved 22 February 2009]</ref>
+==References==
+{{reflist|2}}
 ==See also==
+{{portal|Christianity}}
+{{portal|Religion|P_religion_world.svg}}
+*[[Sin]]
+*[[Actual sin]]
+*[[Ancestral sin]]
+*[[Deadly sin]]
+*[[Eternal sin]] (also known as Unforgivable or Unpardonable sin)
 *[[Divine grace]]
+*[[Immaculate Conception]]
-*[[Justification]]
+*[[Fall of Man]]
+*[[Hamartiology]]
+*[[Incurvatus in se]]
+*[[Internal sin]]
+*[[Justification (theology)|Justification]]
+*[[Mortal sin]]
+*[[Pandora's box]]
 *[[Prevenient grace]]
+*[[The Antichrist (book)]]
 *[[Total depravity]]
-*[[Sin]]
+*[[Venial sin]]
-*[[Adam and Eve]]
-*[[Salvation]]
 ==External links==
 * [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11312a.htm Article "Original Sin" in Catholic Encyclopedia]
+* [http://www.bookofconcord.org/augsburgdefense/2_originalsin.html ''The Book of Concord''] ''The Defense of the Augsburg Confession'', Article II: Of Original Sin; from an early Protestant perspective, part of the [[Augsburg Confession]].
-* [http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/index.htm Catechism of the Catholic Church]
+* [http://www.romanity.org/htm/rom.10.en.original_sin_according_to_st._paul.01.htm Original Sin According To St. Paul] by [[John S. Romanides]]
-* [http://www.bookofconcord.org/augsburgdefense/2_originalsin.html ''The Book of Concord'' <tt>(www.bookofconcord.org)</tt>:] ''The Defense of the Augsburg Confession'', Article II: Of Original Sin
-* [http://gbgm-umc.org/umhistory/wesley/sermons/serm-044.stm Sermon #44: Original Sin] by [[John Wesley]]
+{{Hamartiology}}
-* [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/cgi-local/DHI/dhi.cgi?id=dv1-63 ''Dictionary of the History of Ideas'':] Cosmic Fall
-* [http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyan_theology/theojrnl/21-25/22-14.htm Original Sin as Privation: An Inquiry into a Theology of Sin and Sanctification] by Leon Hynson
+[[Category:Christian philosophy]]
-* [http://www.tenbiggestmyths.net/spirituality/original.sin Original Sin Myths]
+[[Category:Christian hamartiology]]
+[[Category:Jewish mysticism]]
+[[Category:Theology]]
+[[Category:Torah events]]
+[[Category:Adam and Eve]]
+[[Category:Christian terms]]
-''This article was forked from Wikipedia on March 27, 2006.''
-{{Wikipedia|Original sin}}
+[[ar:الخطيئة الأصلية]]
-[[Category:Theology]][[Category:Sin]]
+[[bg:Първороден грях]]
+[[ca:Pecat original]]
+[[cs:Prvotní hřích]]
+[[da:Arvesynd]]
+[[de:Erbsünde]]
+[[et:Pärispatt]]
+[[el:Προπατορικό αμάρτημα]]
+[[es:Pecado original]]
+[[eo:Prapeko]]
+[[fr:Péché originel]]
+[[gl:Pecado orixinal]]
+[[ko:원죄]]
+[[hr:Istočni grijeh]]
+[[id:Dosa Asal]]
+[[it:Peccato originale]]
+[[he:החטא הקדמון]]
+[[sw:Dhambi ya Asili]]
+[[lv:Iedzimtais grēks]]
+[[hu:Eredendő bűn]]
+[[nl:Erfzonde]]
+[[ja:原罪]]
+[[no:Arvesynd]]
+[[pl:Grzech pierworodny]]
+[[pt:Pecado original]]
+[[ru:Первородный грех]]
+[[simple:Original sin]]
+[[sk:Prvotný hriech]]
+[[sl:Izvirni greh]]
+[[sr:Првородни грех]]
+[[fi:Perisynti]]
+[[sv:Arvsynd]]
+[[th:ปฐมบาป]]
+[[uk:Перворідний гріх]]
+[[zh:原罪]]