The original sin was forged by Augustine, refers to the state of sinfulness shared by all humans from birth. It’s the extension of Adam’s and Eve’s sin that is transmitted from one generation to the next. Augustine By pressuring Pope Innocent I, managed to have original sin declared an official Church dogma, adopted at the Council of Carthage in 418. He even made it the very foundation of Christianity. -Mona Chollet discusses on the fierce debate between Saint Augustine and Julien d’Eclane on original sin which Julien visibly lost. Real tragedy.
What’s the impact of the original sin on guilty?
- In 380, Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. From that point, Christianity stood on the side of power. It is at this moment in the history of Christianity that the idea took hold that all suffering stems from sin.
- This idea that guilt is at the root of suffering provided a powerful tool for controlling populations: Better guilty than powerless, as Elaine Pagels notes. By accepting guilt, humans accepted authority.
- Let’s deep-dive on The unforgivable sin, being a woman
References
(2025). Original sin. [Online]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_sin [Accessed 28 April 2025]. Chollet, M. (2024). Résister à la culpabilisation: Sur quelques empêchements d’exister. [Online]. Available at: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=RkEYEQAAQBAJ&pli=1 [Accessed 27 April 2025].