Original Sin

The doctrine that as descendants of Adam, we inherit his sinfulness, just as we inherit his humanity.

In the west, primarily because of St. Augustine, this concept grew to include the idea that we inherit Adam's guilt. Calvin took Augustine's position to the extreme, teaching that we are totally depraved and without any natural virtue or worth whatsoever.

The eastern Church teaches that we have inherited from Adam the state of sin, but not the guilt of sin. Therefore, despite original sin, we still possess the small amount of goodness necessary to realise our sinfulness, to choose good, and to repent of evil. The eastern Church teaches that if we were totally worthless, we would be totally irredeemable.