Augustine's Confessions: The Odyssey of Soul - Literature review Example

Original Sin Religion is the moral and social fabric which brings people together. Political agendas have been pushed through religion. Needs have been met through the church, culture has evolved from religion (Mann 51). The world today has various religions with their own doctrines. All the religions in the world believe in God. However, each of them look at their creator differently and have a unique name. All the religions believe that suffering is a result of past life hatred, greed, and ignorance returning as suffering. All the religions believe in the original sin of Adam and Eve. Freedoms related to religious practices are among the most common fundamental human rights in several countries across the world. This leads to the rise of different religious practices worldwide. I chose this topic because of the various beliefs and values of the world’s existing religions (Vaught 21-22). The distinctive differences have attracted the world’s attention as some religions prohibit one thing that is allowed by the other. However, there is a common belief on the original sin. This is what interests me in this topic. This paper seeks to discuss the original sin according to the confessions of St. Augustine confessions on faith. Adam and Eve were the God’s very first created people on earth. God created them after everything was beautifully created. Adam and Eve forms a very important part of the God’s creation. Due to this fact, their original actions still influence or affect the world’s current circumstances. The implication of their original misconduct is still a problem to humanity. People are continually haunted across several religions due to their original sin. God gave Adam and Eve a well, beautifully created paradise to live in. With everything available to them, God gave them only one rule, restriction: the tree of knowledge. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve could not obey the only rule in paradise. They ate from the forbidden tree. This was the first sin they committed: the original sin. The world still experiences the consequences of this sin today (OConnell 30-31). According to me, the transgression and disobedience of Adam and Eve is the original sin. Adam and Eve had all they needed. They could eat from all the trees save for the tree of knowledge. God warned them that they shall die when they eat from this tree. I think Adam and Eve went against the only rule in the Garden of Eden. God condemned man because of this sin. The consequences are so dare: spiritual death, man was separated from God; bodily death, God condemned man and got separated from the soul and body return to earth; the distortion and shattering of the image, man is prone to corruption and depravity of the heart, darkness of mind, loss of free will, loss of independence, and tendency to do evil; guilt, bad conscience and shameful feeling; and worse of, the sin became hereditary, the sin never remained with Adam and Eve, the original sin passes from one generation to another through to all the descendants (Vaught 24-25). I think the original sin makes Adam and Eve vital to this generation and a generation to come. According to me, as descendants of Adam and Eve, we face the consequences of the sin committed by the two. God condemned Adam and Eve as well as their descendants, and we face the reality of these actions as human beings. The current generations continually ask several questions about the original sin: why should our generation be held accountable for our forefathers’ sins? Why do the sins of our forefathers still haunt us to date? Must we face the consequences of the sins committed by Adam and Eve? Several ethnologists have given varied explanations to the consequences of the original sin: the distortion of the man’s nature. However, these explanations are mere realm of mystery to man. I think Adam and Eve had self-interest. The two thought they would be just like God when they eat from the forbidden tree. We trace our origin from Adam and Eve. We look at the two as the source of our problems. This makes them pivotal to our and all other generations. God sent Adam and Eve out of their paradise: Garden of Eden, and have ever since tilled the ground, toiled for livelihood. The pride led to the denial of eternal life. I think man no longer have access to the tree of life basically because of the implications of the original sin committed by Adam and Eve. In my opinion, the relevance of the original sin is still witnessed to date. Human beings face dare challenges in life because of this sin. I think the original sin still remains and will remain important to human race for generations to come. According to the beliefs in Christianity, religion starts its reign as early back as from the before the appearance of Jesus Christ who reigned till he was persecuted by those who feared that he has drawing up too much power from his followers. Christians have their dos and don’ts documented in the Bible for them to follow and some kind of order is established (Mann 56). These establish a sense of order and identity among Christians. The original sin still binds all Christians. This is because all the religions in the world practically believe in God. However, each of them look at their creator differently and have a unique name. All the religions believe that suffering is a result of past life hatred, greed, and ignorance returning as suffering. All the religions believe in the original sin of Adam and Eve (OConnell 33-34). According to me, the image of God given to man was dimmed and tarnished because of the original sin. Man’s body became subject to corruption, sickness, and death. Material things became the basis of man’s needs for survival. This is the curse, ancestral sin human race inherited from their forefathers: Adam and Eve. Although we did not inherit the guilt coming from bad choice made by Adam and Eve, I think we inherited the consequence of that choice, change in nature, sinfulness, and subjectivity to corruption and death. Therefore, I think Adam and Eve are very important to human race today: we are their descendants and everyone inherited the consequences of their fall. In my opinion, the guilt of sin has followed man to this generation. Whenever we commit any sin, consequences result from the sin. Today every nation has a constitution that guides the conduct of citizens. There are various sentences, jail term and punishment for various crimes. This is something inherited from the earlier generations: the consequences of the original sin. In this relation, we see some of the consequences of sins are physical while some are spiritual. As in the Bible, Adam and Eve experienced both spiritual and physical consequences of the original sin. I think death is one of the worst consequences of their actions. It is unimaginable that there was no death until this time. Human life became limited. In conclusion, today we die from all sorts of causes: accidents and diseases. All the religions in the world believe in God. However, each of them look at their creator differently and have a unique name. I believe that suffering originates from hatred, greed, and ignorance returning as suffering. The original sin is still haunting us and we continually pay for the actions of our forefathers: Adam and Eve. According to me, this makes Adam and Eve: their sin and consequences very important to the human race. I believe evil originates from attachments, cravings, and ignorance which accumulate through unending rebirths leading to hatred, greed, and violence. All these results from the original sin of our forefathers: eating from the forbidden tree. In my opinion, the sin passes from one generation to the other, and the condemnation is inherited and remains hereditary to the human race. This is why Adam and Eve remain important to us now and forever. Works Cited Mann, William E. Augustines Confessions: Critical Essays. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2006. Print. OConnell, Robert J. St. Augustines Confessions: The Odyssey of Soul. New York: Fordham University Press, 1989. Print. Vaught, Carl G. Access to God in Augustines Confessions: Books 10-13. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2005. Print. Read More