The doctrine of original sin has great potential to completely confuse people and ultimately lead them astray. This hypothesis has since been smoothed out somewhat for reasons of ecumenism, but it still stands in stark contradiction to the Gospel.
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The so-called original sin seems to cause more confusion than clarity. Here it helps to find out where the concept of original sin actually comes from. As is so often the case, the spiritual author is not the Gospel, but the Roman Catholic Church. The Bible does not even know this doctrine of original sin advocated by the Church of Rome. According to the Roman Catholic Church, man is already born in guilt and therefore needs “cleansing” in the form of baptism. That is why the Catholic catechism prescribes baptism in infancy, otherwise the person would be hopelessly lost. In order to support this thesis, the “Church Fathers” also formulated a purgatory and a kind of “children’s hell”, the limbus, especially for unbaptized infants. A space somewhere between heaven and hell. However, Pope Benedict XVI abolished this limbo just as quickly as it was once acquired. Almost by decree.
Definition of original sin by the Catholic Church
It is not particularly helpful to follow the current explanations from Catholic media or representatives of the Catholic Church if the original idea of original sin, also known as hereditary guilt, is to be used. The explanations of original sin have now been adapted to the spirit of the times and for compatibility within ecumenism. The Roman Catholic Catechism is therefore the first address, because sudden changes in the written “law of faith” would result in too many questions, even within the church.
There are some definitions in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the Compendium on Original Sin (Source). The contradictions with the statements of the Gospel cannot be overlooked.
Position 75 (Catechism 396-403)
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When tempted by the devil, the first man and woman allowed trust in their Creator to die in their hearts. In their disobedience they wished to become “like God” but without God and not in accordance with God (Genesis 3:5). Thus, Adam and Eve immediately lost for themselves and for all their descendants the original grace of holiness and justice.
Contradictions:
Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). That is, in the nature and character of God. Righteous and not inclined to sin. The Church of Rome fundamentally supports the thesis that man himself is divine and that Jesus Christ came into the world to deify man (Catechism 460 – Info). Therefore, according to the Roman Church, the first sin is that man “justifiably” wanted to be like God, but not according to God.
A complete contradiction to the nature of God is the statement that Adam and Eve and all subsequent generations after the first sin lost the “original grace of holiness and righteousness.” This is not only simply wrong, but also completely illogical. What grace did Adam and Eve need before the Fall? No. Grace only comes into play when a just punishment is to be dispensed with. The grace of God was not required at all before sin. God’s righteousness is an eternal righteousness (Psalm 119:142). Therefore, the exact opposite of what the Church of Rome is trying to convey is the case. Only with the fall of man, which brought with it (final) death, was God’s grace necessary for man to still have the possibility of existence. What the Church calls grace in this context is actually the love of God.
Position 76 (Catechism 404, 419)
“What is original sin?
Original sin, in which all human beings are born, is the state of deprivation of original holiness and justice. It is a sin “contracted” by us not “committed”; it is a state of birth and not a personal act. Because of the original unity of all human beings, it is transmitted to the descendants of Adam “not by imitation, but by propagation”. This transmission remains a mystery which we cannot fully understand.“
Contradiction:
With the Fall, man lost his original nature in the image of God. Since then, man has been a fallen creature and inclined to sin. The rest of creation fell with man (Genesis 3:17-19). Life or existence became extremely difficult for the entire creation. But no human being after Adam and Eve bears responsibility for the crime they both committed. Since then, humanity has lived in challenging circumstances, even as a fallen nature, but no one bears the guilt of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve violated a commandment of God. “Do not eat of the tree of knowledge,” is the law. Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). No descendant has to share in the sin of their ancestor (Ezekiel 18:19-20). Only when a person violates one of God’s commandments does he or she fall into sin and from that moment on depends on God’s grace.
Also significant is the “lack of understanding” of this church’s own theology. You babble something together and the result turns out to be completely irrational, it is quickly explained as a secret that “we” cannot fully understand.
Position 77 (Catechism 405-409)
“What other consequences derive from original sin?
In consequence of original sin human nature, without being totally corrupted, is wounded in its natural powers. It is subject to ignorance, to suffering, and to the dominion of death and is inclined toward sin. This inclination is called concupiscence.“
Contradiction:
In fact, fallen man is prone to sin. But according to the Gospel, what else is good in people? “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” says Jeremiah 17:9. Paul also recognized that there is nothing good in anyone, as in Romans 3:10-12:
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Jesus Christ himself made it clear who the only good one is in Matthew 19:17:
“And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.“
It is also the Roman Catholic Church that likes to define what is good and what is evil. That’s why it’s easy for her to call something good if it corresponds to her own ideas. Anyone who has sinned can no longer be good in God’s eyes. The sinner is unjust and condemned to death without the grace of God. A sin committed can therefore no longer be compensated for by hundreds of “good” deeds (Info).
Position 78 (Catechism 410-410)
“After the first sin, what did God do?
After the first sin the world was inundated with sin but God did not abandon man to the power of death. Rather, he foretold in a mysterious way in the “Protoevangelium” (Genesis 3:15) that evil would be conquered and that man would be lifted up from his fall. This was the first proclamation of the Messiah and Redeemer. Therefore, the fall would be called in the future a “happy fault” because it “gained for us so great a Redeemer” (Liturgy of the Easter Vigil).“
Contradiction:
As if the first sin, which cannot be justified by anything, like every other sin cannot be justified by anything, was a “fortunate circumstance”. Without this sin and the absence of any further sin, the world today would still be as it was created by God in six days. This indescribable grace of God resulted in Him sacrificing His only begotten Son (John 3:16) for us because of our sins. The Church of Rome turns the tables on its head and celebrates the first fall as a “happy fault”.
The fact that the Roman Catholic Church likes to treat the path of salvation through Jesus Christ with scorn and ridicule (Eucharistie – Info) is reaffirmed with the term “happy fault”.
Original sin smoothed over for ecumenism
Every point in the Catholic Catechism on the doctrine of original sin contains at least one complete contradiction to the Gospel. Contemporary narratives from the Roman Catholic Church “smooth out” its own doctrine of original sin for better compatibility within ecumenism. The magazine “katholisch.de” explains this original sin in the following (Source):
“Original sin means that no one can be perfect, but is necessarily guilty. Redemption means being able to live in the certainty that there is no need to be perfect at all, because God does not distribute his love based on performance, but gives it freely and because this love has the final say over people’s lives.“
Contradiction:
Nobody can be perfect and you don’t have to be perfect? What a stark contrast to the demands of Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:48:
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.“
Such a softening of the circumstances of sin can also be observed in the former Protestant churches. This is of course for reasons of compatibility within the framework of ecumenism. Sin is simply redefined for this purpose – Info.
The doctrine of original sin is gross nonsense
No sinner can enter the kingdom of heaven in his guilt. Even the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church would agree with this basic statement. But according to the Catholic catechism, people are already burdened with original sin at birth and have no way of entering the kingdom of heaven without (Catholic) baptism. This fundamental principle can be refuted with a single statement by Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ met with his disciples and many people came. Children also wanted to come, but the disciples stopped them. Jesus Christ admonished them, Luke 18:16:
“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.“
Is the kingdom of God safe for unbaptized children? Like that? Because this original sin hypothesis as formulated by the Roman Catholic Church does not exist. It is a simple lie, introduced as part of their secretly practiced religion (Info) and as a potent tool of fear in the service of their insatiable lust for power and wealth.
Summary:
The Roman Catholic concept of original sin is an acquiescent concept that does not exist in the Gospel.
After the first fall into sin in the Garden of Eden, man is a fallen being. The guilt of a person due to a sin committed is not passed on to his descendants. The sin of the father is not the sin of the son. Although man is born “in flesh” and is very prone to sin, he is blameless. Only when a person commits a sin (violation of God’s law) does he take on the guilt and either has to answer for it or he appeals in true faith to the work of salvation and the grace of Jesus Christ. The doctrine of original sin is one of the numerous gagging concepts of the Church of Rome.
Nothing has changed in 6000 years
This world, full of sin after the first fall, must be overcome by man. No person who is still living in sin, who has never repented of it, who has never surrendered to Jesus Christ, will ever be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. God’s grace is actually almost inexhaustible and incomprehensible to us, but God’s justice endures forever. This world can certainly be overcome by humans, but not on their own. In his fallen nature, man is not capable of this. It is the grace of God that keeps a way open for man, despite his (previous) sins, to inherit the kingdom of God despite all adversities. And it’s easier than “thought” – Info.
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Revelation 22:14-15
Bible verses from King James Version
