Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Ps. 51:5)
It’s a curious truth that through their attempts to deny the doctrine of original sin, marketing companies and self-help gurus unconsciously end up reinforcing it. If we’re so wonderful and capable of so much, how is it that we’re so wrong? (And why do we need their products to reach our full potential?) Wherever we fall on the spectrum, there are generally only two possible responses to the question of why people do bad things: we sin because we’re sinful beings, or we sin because something or someone makes us sin. Some people choose Option C—“none of the above”—and argue that what we call “sin” isn’t really sin in the ethical sense, but a misunderstanding based on a wrong conception of the self or the universe. This isn’t a real answer, though; it simply sidesteps the problem of people doing bad things by arguing that those things aren’t really bad at all. For this issue, we asked someone skilled in determining what the law considers “bad” to help us sort out how the major religions in the world today define “original sin.” Andrew DeLoach is an attorney in Los Angeles, California, and an adjunct professor at Trinity Law School and Concordia University Irvine.
(1) Christianity (Roman Catholic)
Adam’s sin cost him—and all humanity—the original holiness that God gave to him, but this original sin does not impute any personal guilt to any of Adam’s descendants. Only voluntary transgression is sin; the concupiscence that remains is not. Original sin is merely a deprivation of holiness, a stain or deformity. The fallen human nature has not been totally corrupted, nor has it been deprived of the ability to respond to God’s love. Thus, original sin has weakened, but not entirely destroyed, the freedom of the will.
(2) Christianity (Orthodox)
After Adam’s first sin, humanity inherited only its consequences—chief among them, death—but not Adam’s guilt. Thus, original sin is often called “ancestral sin”—it is the first sin but not the condition humanity is born into. Humankind inherits mortality and a disordered, sinful impulse. Original sin is moral weakness that, nevertheless, leaves the will free to choose (with the assistance of divine grace) to be God’s child.
(3) Christianity (Reformed and Lutheran)
Since the fall of Adam, all humans are conceived and born in sin (Ps. 51:5). We are also born with the inclination to sin (“concupiscence”), which itself is sin. This hereditary sickness, by which our entire nature is corrupted, is the chief sin and condemns us all to eternal death.
Adam’s guilt is passed down and imputed to his descendants (Rom. 5:12–19). We inherit a corrupt, sinful nature (1 Cor. 15:21–22). This is a corruption so deep that there is nothing uncorrupted left. We sin because we are sinners—not the reverse.
Some streams of Protestantism (following Zwingli) do not teach total depravity; instead, original sin caused serious but not irreparable damage. Likewise, some (following Arminius) deny that Adam’s sin was imputed to his descendants. Instead, man retains some free will to follow God’s law and accept the grace of God.
(4) Judaism
Rabbinic Judaism speaks of the yetzer ha-ra’, or “evil inclination,” instead of original sin. The rabbis taught that people must fight against the evil inclination inside of them and that they are responsible to God for their actions. Rather than speak of sin as a quality that is hereditary, Judaism prefers to speak of sinful acts performed by individuals. The rabbis urge Jews to avoid sin through study of and practice of God’s law. In the Mishnah, God says, “My children! I created the evil inclination, but I created the Torah as its antidote; if you occupy yourselves with the Torah you will not be delivered into [the inclination’s] hand” (Kid. 30b).
(5) Islam
Original sin is completely denied. While Adam and Eve did disobey God, God forgave them (Sura 20:121–22). Thus Adam’s descendants do not have a sinful nature. We are born innocent, with the free will and ability to do good or evil; we become sinful only when, through weakness, we consciously rebel against Allah.
(6) Hinduism
There is no original or inherent sin. Sin is ignorance about ultimate reality (“the One”)—misapprehending the true nature of the cosmos and the self. We are not separated from God by our sin; rather, we are separated from the One by our belief in sin. By recognizing that everything—including the self—is one undifferentiated, impersonal reality, we escape from an otherwise endless cycle of reincarnation. “Sin” may also refer to intentional, wrongful action that causes us to accumulate karma, which prevents us from escaping ignorance and illusion.
(7) Scientology
There is no concept of original sin in Scientology. Humankind is basically good, and our survival depends on our own action and our unity with the universe. Despite our sinless nature, our experiences in the physical universe (over many lifetimes) have led us to depart from rational thought and behavior and commit evil acts or “sins,” which reduce our innate goodness as spiritual beings.
(8) Christian Science
Humans are not born in sin but are part of a divine and flawless reality. Sin, sickness, and death are beliefs—illusive errors—that arise from our distance from God (Science and Health [Boston: Christian Scientist Publication, 1875], ch. 11, 343:19–20). God would not create us in the divine likeness yet still subject to these three errors. In order to return to the divine reality, we must pray and seek physical and spiritual healing.
(9) Mormonism
The LDS Church rejects the concept of original sin. Humans are not conceived in sin or with a fallen nature of any kind. In fact, the prophet Mormon said that children are not capable of sinning. We will be punished only for our own actual sins, not for the sin of Adam (Pearl of Great Price, Articles of Faith, 1:2).
(10) Buddhism
Buddhism has no concept of original sin. “Sin” is rarely viewed in ethical terms (where it may refer to unwholesome action), but as ignorance of, and separation from, the true nature of reality (“the Void”). Since all existence is one undifferentiated ultimate reality, there are no distinctions such as good and evil. Humanity does not have a corrupt or sinful nature; instead, “all beings are Buddha” by nature. The Buddha-nature is always present in all beings, obscured only by our ignorance, preventing the attainment of deathless nirvana.
(11) Jehovah’s Witnesses
Adam and Eve were created perfect, not inclined to error. When they chose to sin, they damaged their perfect nature, and that disobedience affected all future generations. All humanity inherits that sin; we are born with a damaged nature, imperfect and inclined to error. The consequences are guilt, sickness, and death. We cannot rid ourselves of this inclination by our own efforts, but nonetheless must exercise faith in Jesus and change the course of our lives.
