What is Original Sin?

Christians, is there a difference between 'Original Sin' and 'Imputed Sin'...........?

• From what i heard, this is the definition i was given when i looked up both terms. (i)Original Sin -Adam sinned by eating the fruit in the Garden of Eden -Sin and death entered into the world -As a result of Adam's actions, sin has entered the world and corrupted out nature, because we are born with it (ii)Imputed Sin -Adam was representative of all humanity at the fall -Therefore, we share the same guilt as Adam Now in terms of Original Sin itself, i can see where one can get it, it being taught in Romans 5:12-21, Psalm 51, and Genesis 1-7. Its imputed sin that i am skeptical of. It seems as if this comes from an interpretation of Romans 16( "for the judgement was by one to condemnation"), but while that seems to indicate judgement because of our sinful nature, it doesn't seem to indicate that we "share Adam's guilt". It would seems as if the Western conception of this form of Original Sin came from Augustine of Hippo(whom i greatly admire, respect, and love reading because he's my favorite Church Father), which has passed down to both the Roman Catholic Church, and the many Protestant Churches(especially ones with a Calvinist bent), while many of the Fathers in the East did not share this view. Now, im not saying i "reject" imputed sin. Im just doubtful of it, and so far, i have an ambivalent position towards it(if there's a difference between it and original sin). Also, if one doesn't believe in Imputed Sin, but believes in Original sin, does that mean he's no longer a Christians? Just some insight would be helpfu

• Answer:

  First things first: "Also, if one doesn't believe in Imputed Sin, but believes in Original sin, does that mean he's no longer a Christians?" Don't trouble yourself about that. Can you honestly confess the Nicene Creed? Then nobody can doubt you are a Christian in your beliefs. All the rest is details: important details, but details. As to whether it is a universal Christian belief, as you say this is a difference in emphasis between East and West. The Catechism of the Catholic Church say (among other things): 404 How did the sin of Adam become the sin of all his descendants? The whole human race is in Adam "as one body of one man".293 By this "unity of the human race" all men are implicated in Adam's sin, as all are implicated in Christ's justice. Still, the transmission of original sin is a mystery that we cannot fully understand. But we do know by Revelation that Adam had received original holiness and justice not for himself alone, but for all human nature. By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected the human nature that they would then transmit in a fallen state.294 It is a sin which will be transmitted by propagation to all mankind, that is, by the transmission of a human nature deprived of original holiness and justice. And that is why original sin is called "sin" only in an analogical sense: it is a sin "contracted" and not "committed" - a state and not an act. 405 Although it is proper to each individual,295 original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam's descendants. It is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted: it is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin - an inclination to evil that is called concupiscence". Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ's grace, erases original sin and turns a man back towards God, but the consequences for nature, weakened and inclined to evil, persist in man and summon him to spiritual battle. You can read it in context here: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p7.htm To me, that sounds like a description of Original Sin and not Imputed Sin, so it sounds like Imputed Sin is not part of Catholic doctrine.