What Is Original Sin and Why Must It Be Forgiven?
It's a question many of us have asked: if we weren't around to eat the forbidden fruit, why do we need to be forgiven for original sin? The Catholic Church has a profound answer, one that distinguishes between the personal sin of Adam and Eve and the fallen state we all inherit. The Church teaches that we cannot be guilty of another's personal sin. That would be metaphysically and scripturally absurd. Instead, Adam and Eve alone committed the personal act of original sin. What we inherit is not their action, but a state of being—a "sin" by analogy, not a personal sin. This inherited condition represents a real and proper sin that must be addressed, even though it's in its own unique category. This distinction is crucial. When the Church calls original sin a "sin," it is not using the term in the same way we talk about personal sins like lying or stealing. Original sin is not an act we commit, but a fallen state of human nature we receive through ...