This is something I have never understood.

Original sin? Does this mean that we are accountable for the actions of
our ancestors?

If human government applied this principal to their penal systems (I
know some of them do) I would still be paying for 'crimes' committed by
all the ancestors that came before me.

That just don't make sense.

one Church states original sin was commited by eve. Another states that
original sin was commited by adam. Yet another states they both were
responsible.

What I am wondering is why a forgiving god would punish an entire
species for thousands of years over an apple.

its very simple. At the time, the entire species consisted of one man
and one woman.

So says one book.

IMHO that is (no offense meant) balderdash.

And even if true. Would you punish the sons and daughters of a thief...
and their sons and daughters... on and on for generations...

lol sorry ab I wasnt trying to bash ya, lol.... I happen to agree with
you that kids should not be punished for the parents. I also believe
kids should not be required to take on parents debts upon death either,
but it happens ya know?

also I agree with both evelotuion AND christianity, lol this gets
confusing but its really simple.

I believe "god" created his people as he is known for calling them. I
also believe that only a certain number will reach heaven (as dictated
in the bible, although that nuber is worng).
when you add everything up though, it does not all add up unless you
take into account of evelotion. I think those the evolved through the
ages, are not the christian gods children.

Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. We as children of God are not
punished for what they did but are given choices as to sin or not. Men
and women chose to sin and as a result we as their children do sometimes
feel the consequences of that sin. We can chose to continue in that sin
or not but we all do sin.
I know this from first hand experience, first through my earthly father
and then through my awesome Father that has forgiven me for my sins.

i think its a good lure for religious belief if you work on peoples
minds you sway them to the fold by working on their fears of consequence
of sin.there are a lot of things considered sinfull in all religious
beLIEf systems sin in my mind is simply learned bad behaviour.to do
anything to another you would not like to be done to you is bad
behaviour and ya pay for that in this life .

We need to realise that not everything that happens on earth is
according to God's will. This is why the Lord Jesus taught us to pray,
"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Mat.6:10. He taught us
to pray like this because so often His will isn't being done.

God gave man a will and the liberty to make choices. This is why we say
mankind has a free will. (Genesis 1:27)

Adam and Eve had free will. The command they were given was not to eat
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Gen.1:16-17) However,
they were not created incapable of disobeying this command or will of
God. They could choose to eat or not to eat. They were free to do what
they wanted but God's hope was that they would do what His will was.

God did not make humans as robots but as free moral agents. God created
man that way out of His desire to have a creation that would voluntarily
give Him their love and their respect. The measure of their love and
respect would be their obedience.

God's will was for Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. Their obedience to this His will would have
kept them in the glory of God.

Adam chose to disobey
Adam chose to do other than the will of God. He rebelled against God's
will. (Gen.3:6)

Adam's descendants - all of mankind - have continued to sin as Adam did.
This sinning hasn't been happening according to the will of God but
because mankind in his free will has been choosing to exercise that free
will in disobedience instead of obedience.

We are deserving of God's punishment because we have disobeyed and gone
against God's will.

We have sinned and are deserving of punishment but God, by His abundant
mercy, has made a way for us to miss out on punishment and get in on His
saving grace.

God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world so that instead of being
punished and banished we could be forgiven and brought back to God.
Jesus became the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. God
laid on Jesus the sins ((inequity)) of us all. (John 1:29; Isaiah 53:6.)

"He was wounded for our transgressions, and by His stripes we are
healed." Isaiah 53:3.
Now everyone who accepts that sacrifice - the sacrifice of Jesus as the
Lamb of God - is forgiven, redeemed and reconciled to God. Jesus' death
paid the total price of sin! ((((There is no price left to pay.))))

All you, me or anyone else has to do is accept by faith God's merciful
act in Jesus and the law of sin and death will no longer have a hold on
our lives. The law of the spirit of life in Christ will make us free
from all of the miseries arising from sin both now and hereafter.
(Romans 8:2)

For the believer there is no fearful expectation of punishment but
intense joy at salvation.

((Here is a saving prayer that I copied.))
"Heavenly Father, I accept your Son Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I
accept the sacrifice He made for me. I invite Jesus to come into my
heart and life. I believe that Jesus is alive today because You, Father,
raised Him from the dead. I accept Him and with Him I accept life -
eternal life, the life of God. I now receive my privilege of becoming
your child, I renounce citizenship of the kingdom of darkness and
receive citizenship of the kingdom of your Son. In Jesus' Name, I pray.
Amen."

In Romans chpr.9 and 11, Paul has a simple message for us as his
readers. He basically declares, "God's chosen to have mercy and
compassion on whomever He wills. And His will is that, it's on those who
come to Him through Jesus. God has set up this condition for salvation.
He has not made salvation out of reach of anyone, He has merely insisted
you receive it on His terms.
The writings of the prophets in the Bible make clear to us that God
doesn't prevent anyone from accessing eternal salvation! He invites
everyone to receive salvation through Jesus. He even has his prophets
declare that He wants to see everyone saved! 2 Peter 3:16 and 1 Timothy
2:4.

god is a joker the barstard used entrapment on adam and
eve and now there are bad apples everywhere ya go i wish i could find a
good one so i can have another bite.

I'm sorry.

watt the hell is gods will scttrbrain?ill give you a medal if you can
tell me the answer.

AB wrote:
“What I am wondering is why a forgiving god would punish an entire
species for thousands of years over an apple.”

In what way are you being punished?

Where did the concept of original sin come from?

Which religion originated it?

Abra I am not being punished. I don't believe in such nonsense. I am
just trying to make sense out of the mish-mash of religious doctrines
that are being worn by the human race like a ball and chain.

AB wrote:
"Abra I am not being punished. I don't believe in such nonsense. I am
just trying to make sense out of the mish-mash of religious doctrines
that are being worn by the human race like a ball and chain."

They're masochists. Leave them be.

Garden of Eden, the fall of Adam and Eve the Original Sin.

Kat wrote:
"Garden of Eden, the fall of Adam and Eve the Original Sin."

What about Lucifer and his band of cut-throat angels?

They must have gotten kick out of heaven first since it was Lucifer or
one of his cronies who seduced Eve to eat the apple in the first place.
Unless there’s more than one devil lurking about?

Unless you flip the coin...

since god was supposed to be in heaven what if the jelous one was the
one they say as god.

And god was the serpent.

Trying to get them to see the truth.

Hmmmm Abra. Gonna make me do some research are ya?
Kat

AB,that is something that has been discussed before. To no avail by my
discussion groups. Good question.
Kat

hmm i didn't really read everyones post, but just from the general
topic of it, St. Paul or Saul which ever one prefers to call him grew
up along the roads of the mystery religions ( mystery cults) which ever
you'd like to call them , but just some things is that St. Paul on my
list is higher than Jesus for Christianity, because Jesus never wanted
to create Christianity he was there to reform Judaism which is why he
was born and died a Jew. ST. Paul took the notions of creating original
sin, which is the sin that is inherited from Adam and Eve and passed
down from the time of conception( in christianity when the egg and the
sperm begin development) and thus if you do not conform to
christianity you will go to hell.. an idea popularly held by christians
as there was no such thing in judaism as satan, but the character is
the accuser in Judaism or the advirsary ( sp) this was a method for st.
paul to use to get people to convert otherwise.. why would they beside
the fact of not wanting to have to get circumsized! lol ultimately i
think original sin is more of a gimmick that was imported from the
mystery cults just like the name change in mystery cults once you
became a member you under went baptismals and you were renamed, hence
saul becoming paul after the vision on the road to damascus.... but just
my opinion