original sin & god’s grace

• Original sin


  The doctrine that all humans are born in a state of sin; original sin is not an action, but it is part of our nature
• St. Augustine: 'From the bad use of free will, there originated the whole train of evil, which conveys the human race from its depraved origin, as from a corrupt root'
• Sex after the Fall


  Every act of sex is tainted with lust; sex is infected with concupiscence, and so the results of sex, children, are also tainted
• Augustine: 'Even infants, not personally in their own life… have all broken God's covenant'
• Original sin & humanity


  • We all have a weakened and divided will, often working at odds with our body
  • Our selfish appetites can gain control over us; this can be either in the form of sexual lust, or the selfish desire for earthly things
• St. Paul: 'I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but the very thing I hate.'
• St. Augustine: 'We will do what we love, and since what we now love is our own satisfaction, that is what we pursue'
• Original sin & society


  • Our friendships have become poisoned by selfishness, and we have become corrupt and selfish, and this is a danger to other people
  • The lack of harmony is a problem for society since we only think of ourselves, and not the needs of the population
• St. Augustine's view on political leadership


  We need strong, forceful political leadership to establish boundaries; this would enforce control over human behaviour
• God's grace


  Allows us to overcome sin and achieve the greatest good
• St. Augustine: 'The only way to be freed from the consequences of original sin was by the grace of God'
• Grace & free will


  • Our 'captive free will' is weighted in favour of sin, but grace can remove the weights
  • God's grace can liberate our free will and thus restore our ability to make the right decisions