Original Sin – A Childhood Memory

I was in elementary school when, one day, the priest who taught our religion class spoke to us about original sin. I remember being deeply upset. I burst into tears and, sobbing, protested that I was innocent, that I had done nothing wrong, that I had never known Adam and Eve, that I had not been there, and therefore had nothing to do with what they had done.

What I do not remember is how the priest responded. The very fact that I have forgotten his reaction suggests that it cannot have made much of an impression on me.

Looking back on it now, I realize that my uneasiness has never completely disappeared. The Christian doctrine of original sin essentially maintains that the guilt of our first ancestors falls upon their descendants. Fortunately, with the exception of North Korea and a few other countries, the legal systems of the nations we generally regard as “civilized” do not recognize such an ill-fated form of inherited liability. My parents were good people, but they must have committed a few youthful misdemeanors in their lives. I am very glad that I am not required to answer for them before a court of law.