What is original sin?
What is original sin?
Original sin is a Christian doctrine that says that everyone is born sinful. This means that they are born with a built-in urge to do bad things and to disobey God.
Original sin is not just this inherited spiritual disease or defect in human nature; it's also the 'condemnation' that goes with that fault.
An explanation for the evils of the world
Christians believe that original sin explains why there is so much wrong in a world created by a perfect God, and why people need to have their souls 'saved' by God.
A condition you're in, not something you do
Original sin is a condition, not something that people do: It's the normal spiritual and psychological condition of human beings, not their bad thoughts and actions. Even a newborn baby who hasn't done anything at all is damaged by original sin.
The sin of Adam
In traditional Christian teaching, original sin is the result of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God when they ate a forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
Effects of original sin
Original sin affects individuals by separating them from God, and bringing dissatisfaction and guilt into their lives.
On a world scale, original sin explains such things as genocide, war, cruelty, exploitation and abuse, and the "presence and universality of sin in human history".
How to cure original sin
Christians believe that human beings can't cure themselves of original sin. The only way they can be saved from its consequences is by the grace of God.
The only way people can receive God's grace is by accepting his love and forgiveness, believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross to redeem their sins, and getting baptised.
Secular ideas of original sin
Modern thinkers don't think the doctrine of original sin is literally true, but they do think it contains real truths about the human condition:
- The world is not as good as we want it to be
- We are not as good as we want to be
- Individual behaviour is greatly influenced by things outside the individual's control
- Many of these are historical things:
- events in the individual's past
- events in the past of the individual's family
- customs that their culture has built up through history
- These things affect humanity as a group as well as individuals