Original Sin

[TomUK]

The Orthodox and Catholics agree on some things about Mary, but due to the Latin doctrine of Original Sin, the Catholics have many novel doctrines that are both foreign and unneccessary to the Orthodox. That, however, is a whole other post

Do Orthodox Christians reject original sin?

[Rilian]

I wouldn't say reject, I would say it is viewed differently. The west came to see Original Sin in a few different ways. One is that the conseuquences of the fall are passed genetically from generation to generation and the other is that the fall completely corrupted our goodness and ability to exercise free will. This has had the side effect of leading to a bunch of doctine the east would reject.

Perhaps the best way to sum up the eastern view is that man gave up complete communion with God by choosing to go his own way. The essential image of God is still in us, but evil in the form of death is introduced in our world. Our relationship with God is damaged, but not destroyed. I believe in part of the evening vespers services the priest reads the prayers before the closed royal doors symbolizing Adam's weeping before the closed gates of paradise as he contemplates what has happened.

There is an excerpt from Bishop Kalistos Ware's book about the church which talks about The consequences of the Fall (http://home.it.net.au/~jgrapsas/pages/original.htm).

[Kripost]

As far as can understand, Orthodox Christians do not reject Original Sin, but reject the transmission of guilt of Original Sin, and accept the inheritence of consequence of Original Sin.

What this means is that only Adam and Eve bears the guilt of Original Sin, but as their children, we suffer from the inclination towards sin, as well as mortality. The implication is that death is not so much a punishment from God to all humanity for the Transgression, but is the natural result of being enstranged from God.

[Oblio]

The implication is that death is not so much a punishment from God to all humanity for the Transgression, but is the natural result of being enstranged from God.


Correct. And death is a blessed release from perpetual corruption. It was communion with God, the author of life that kept us alive prior to the fall. Separation from God severs that lifeline, and death reigns.

[Peter]

The "inherited guilt" idea leads one to the Immacualte Conception of the Roman west. Augustine, from whom we get the majority of this idea in the west, said that if a couple could have intercourse without passion, and thus create a life, that child would be born without the guilt of sin. Well, seeing as how passion and intercourse are linked, the only other way would be for the mother of God to be created in the same manner as the Son (The Immaculate Conception).

The whole earth groans as a result of Adam's sin. All creation bears the consequences, but all of creation is not guilty. {Were all Germans guilty of Hitler's wrongs in WWII? No. but many innocent German people suffered because of his actions. }

All of this really goes back to the idea of knowing one's history. If one reads the writings of the 1st-4rd century writers, one will see that the idea of shared guilt is not a universally taught or accepted teaching. That is, it is not a teaching of the apostles to their students. Not until Augustine, and then only in the west were he was under authority of the Patriarch of Rome, do you find the shared guilt idea catching on.

The idea of shared guilt was a doctrine that the Reformers continued to accpet and teach, and so we find this Roman Catholic doctrine within Protestant teaching as well. However, among most Protestant denominations, the Ever Virginity of Mary and the idea of her Immacualte Conception are not received. The idea that Jesus was "virgin born" means only that Mary was a virgin at the time of her pregnancy.

Oops, I'm late for class. Gotta run.

Peter

[Oblio]

James ! Good to see you again :clap: