Rylee Kopchak

Mr. Bayardi
Honors Religion IV
October 16, 2017

Original Sin and its Effects on Society

God created man with a unique purpose—to unite the material and spiritual world. God

called humans alone to share, by knowledge and love, in His own life. God’s relationship with

man and woman, Adam and Eve, was prefect until they lost trust in Him and abused their

freedom. The sin by which the first human beings disobeyed the commandment of God,

choosing to follow their own will rather than God’s will, is known as original sin. By eating the

forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve preferred

themselves to God and acted against their own good. Original sin caused both immediate and

lasting effects that disrupted the relationship between God and all generations of humans.

Immediately after committing humankind’s first sin, Adam and Eve realized that they

were unclothed. This symbolizes that Adam and Eve became afraid of God and conceived a

distorted image of Him. The devil convinced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit by telling her that it

would make her all-knowing and equal to God. Thus, Adam and Eve believed in a God who is

jealous of His prerogatives, rather than one who wants the best for each of His children. Because

of original sin, women also received the pains of childbirth and were placed under the dominion

of man. In addition, humankind now experiences a separation between ourselves and creation. I

believe that Adam and Eve chose to disobey God because they thought they could better

themselves and become more powerful. Today, many people experience similar feelings and are

driven by the desire to acquire more of something, whether it is wealth, fame, or material
possessions. As humans, we are also extremely prideful. We often compete with others to be

the best and covet what we cannot have. In these ways, we are similar to Adam and Eve and

repeatedly sin because we are blinded by our own ambitions.

A grave consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin was the loss of original holiness and

original justice for all human beings. God created Adam and Eve out of love with original

holiness—they were given sanctifying grace to share in God’s own life. In addition, because

Adam and Eve’s relationship with God, each other, and creation was unblemished before the fall,

they lived in a state of original justice. Because of man’s first sin, however, humans no longer

live a harmonious life with the rest of God’s creation. Our relations with others are marked by

lust and domination and are subject to tension. Although man remains free, the devil has made

an entrance into our lives and has a certain level of control over us. This loss of original holiness

and justice not only affected Adam and Eve, but has impacted every human descended from

them. Often, I imagine what it would be like to live in a perfect world. Without original sin,

there would be no evil or suffering and everyone would live a happy life. However, because of

the sin of Adam and Eve, we experience disconnect between ourselves and God that allows the

devil to infiltrate certain parts of our lives. It is only through prayer and strengthening our

relationship with God that we can grow to resist temptations and fulfill His plan for us.

Original sin led to death’s entrance into human history. This is one of the greatest and

most significant effects of Adam and Eve’s sin. Because of original sin, death is inevitable and

experienced by every human. Death often causes suffering, pain, and sadness for those who

encounter it. In our world today, death is even feared by many. I believe that although death

was brought into our world as a consequence of original sin, God has taught us to be fearless in

the face of death. By sending down His only son, Jesus Christ, our world was redeemed and we
were given hope. Now, rather than fearing death, we can look forward to meeting our Father and

Creator in heaven. As Catholics, our goal in life is to love and serve God so that we may be with

Him forever. Despite death’s entrance into the world being an effect of original sin, Jesus

conquered death by dying on the cross for our sins and inspired us to enter into a relationship

with God so that we may live with Him forever.

Once sin entered the world, human nature was wounded and inherited by all peoples.

Concupiscence, or the inclination to sin, now existed. Because of original sin, our lives are a

constant battle between choosing right and wrong. We often veer off course and distance

ourselves from God by sinning repeatedly. Concupiscence leaves us vulnerable and predisposed

to desires that are against God’s commandments. Despite this, with the acceptance of God’s

grace we can deny this tendency to sin. This can be accomplished by asking for God’s help and

guidance in making good decisions. By developing a relationship with God, we can gain the

strength to resist the weakness of our fallen nature and live a moral life.

After Adam and Eve committed the first sin, people abused free will and rejected God’s

plan for creation. Society became inundated with evil, as sin multiplied and spread throughout

the world. God permits this in order to lead human beings to desire the peace, happiness, and

fulfillment that can only be reached by restoring original goodness. Thankfully, God redeemed

the world through Jesus Christ and defeated sin. He extends mercy and forgives to us despite our

constant wrong-doings and sinfulness. Throughout our lives, we must remember that God has

power over all of creation. He has conquered death and invites us to be with Him in heaven. It

is up to us to accept this invitation by living as children of God and serving Him while on earth.