What does it mean to say that one is born into original sin? For us, this poses a very significant

theological problem, a hurdle in explaining how the Catholic faith is coherent and that it has

reasons to marshal in its defense. Just at the outset, quite a few conundra arise. Are we to say

that we are born broken, that we are born bad, that we are born bent? And what

sense is that a coherent claim, and what does that say about a good God who so fashioned us? We could also

ask, how is it that we can sin inevitably while still being held responsible? It seems as if we are caught in the trap of human nature

from which we cannot hope to escape by our own resources.

Such seems a terrible fate.

We can ask further, how can guilt, which again seems a moral characteristic,

be inheritable, which seems like a natural feature.

So, at the heart of this mystery, there are a lot of different features that require explanation,

and though we cannot probe the depths of them, we can at least begin to inquire as to how the mystery itself is not irrational,

or how the mystery can give reasons in its defense,

martial in its defense, and how it can further illumine the human condition.

So let's just begin with a small point then about scriptural exegesis.

Some of us will kind of be inclined to say that original sin is very patent there in the scriptures.

It seems undeniable.

So how could people have objections to it? Well, we just begin by noting that Genesis 3,

the famous passage there, the sin described in Genesis 3, 5, and the fallout described

in the rest of the chapter, is not, well, it's not to say that that is the only way by which to read the text.

So, for instance, if we consult the Jewish interpretation of the scripture, there are a wide

variety of ways in which to kind of identify what precisely transpires in this event, and it's not

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