How can the Original Sin taint/damn souls if the souls come from G-d and not from Adam and Eve?

Question

A person's body is a product of his parents. A person's soul is not the product of his parent's (they are not at all involved in its creation), rather it comes directly from G-d. It therefore follows that the sin of Adam and Eve could taint the product of Adam and Eve (the physical human body of their descendants), but it does not follow that it could taint that which does not derive from them at all (the human soul which comes directly from G-d). It therefore makes sense that the human body will be punished (and all the punishments in Genesis 3 are physical). But it does not make sense that the souls that are breathed into their descendants by G-d can become tainted/damned/needing of salvation as a result of their sin.

Answer 1

Another point would be this: if Jesus' death on the cross forgives all sins, then wouldn't Original Sin not be an issue anyway? If His death really cleansed away sin, then there would no longer be Original Sin. Now about free will...

Adam and Eve ate of the apple from the Tree of Knowledge. Prior to this, they would have lived in total ignorance except for what God had already told them. Free will would have been irrelevant because they would have had no concept of right and wrong or of good and evil. Also, if God didn't want Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit, then why did he put the tree there in the first place? As a Supreme Being, all that would matter is total obediance. The motivation behind it would also be irrelevant. If God wanted man to worship him and follow his teachings, he would have left them in ignorance. Free will isn't "free" at all if you are punished for excercising it.

Answer 2

A human being is a body and a soul. When the body suffers, the soul does as well. Adam and Eve, representing all of mankind, broke the covenant that man enjoyed with God. Before 'The Fall', Adam and Eve did not suffer from concupiscence (an inclination to sin). This was one of the effects of the Fall. Once the covenant had been broken, God could not arbitrarily fix it, because he is perfectly just. A man would have to fix it. And so a man did (Jesus). The reason that the effects of original sin still affects us is because he has not restored everything yet. He will do this at the end. Protestants find this hard to understand, because it does not fit into their 'replacement theology'. Replacement theology is a legalistic view of Jesus' sacrifice. Jesus' work on the cross did not wipe away sin per say. It did not remove the effects of sin (suffering, concupiscence, etc.) It established a new and everlasting covenant for those who could accept it.

A question for Protestants:
By calling original sin a 'Catholic doctrine', you imply that you do not believe it. How do you think sin entered the world? The doctrine of original sin was a divinely revealed truth to the Jews. One that the Church still believes, because truth does not change.

Answer 3

Adam and Eve weren't kicked out of heaven. They have been not at all in heaven. They have been created on the earth. The soul is the guy themselves, no longer some thing that lives self sufficient of the physique.

Answer 4

Well said. I don't believe in the original sin doctrine, and you've made an impressive argument that if it were a true doctrine, it would indicate God was deliberately condemning the most innocent of his children; infants.
I believe that the result of Adam and Eve's eating of the fruit is that mankind was cast out of Eden and spiritually separated from God (a spiritual death, so to speak,) and that all mankind would eventually die (physical death). My beliefs are that both changes were always a part of God's plan for us. Adam & Eve didn't ruin anything. Sure, those of us who believe in God would like to see Him and hear His voice, but he wants us to live by faith, and prove by our actions that we believe in Him and in the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Again; well said.

Answer 5

It's simple.

If there was no original sin, or if it didn't work like we understand it to work, there would be no need for a redeemer.

We needed a redeemer. Christ came and died to redeem us.

Hence original sin must be a reality.

Does anyone really think Jesus went through all the trouble he did, just to see what life was like down here?

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Answer 6

First off, remember that God is not fair. He has a real history of slaughtering innocents (like the firstborn babes of the egyptians, for example, who died with original sin and therefore were condemned for all time just because they were born into an egyptian household.)
Basically, God can do whatever he wants, because hes god, and you aren't but a speck of dirt to him. And though he loves you very, very much, if you somehow fail in this lifetime, to live up to what he wants, for whatever reason, he will toast your dumb self in a lake of fire, where the smoke of your torment will ascend up into heaven for ever and ever.
Be good.

Answer 7

Original Sin comes with the body, not the soul.

Answer 8

by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil adam and eve created in themselves the ability and nature to sin, which was passed down through the generations. a sin nature is part of our physical bodies.

Answer 9

God gave Adam and Eve free will to do good ,or to do evil. Original sin came about because they decided to disobey God's law not to eat the furit from a certain tree. Why did God give everyone free will?Because without it love cannot exist. You have to want to love, noty be coerced into it.

Answer 10

Original Sin is a man made teaching - not found in the Bible.