Doctrines are used as the foundation of Christian beliefs. They serve many churches as foundational elements in the direction their members have chosen to live their lives. It is important to understand the historical context of the doctrines that pertain to your particular beliefs. I will discuss this very information for the doctrine of original sin. The doctrine of original sin mainly concerns the Roman Catholic religion. I will cover when, where and why the doctrine was born. Original sin is the theory that every man is born in sin because our mother and father sinned. The definition given by the Catholic Encyclopedia is: “(1) the sin committed by Adam; (2) a consequence of this first sin, the hereditary stain with which we are born because of our origin or descent from Adam." # Saint Augustine was the fundamental theologian in the formulation of this doctrine, which states that the essentially graceless nature of Humanity needs redemption to save it. The purpose of Baptism is to wash away original sin and restore the individual to an innocent state, although even after baptism there remains a tendency towards sin as a consequence of original sin. Although the concept of original sin derives from the story of Adam and Eve's disobedience, recorded in Genesis, the term "original sin" and the concept of hereditary sin transmitted to all mankind are totally absent from the Old Testament and the Gospels. It does not appear that Jesus ever mentioned original sin, and Genesis only reports that the sin of the first parents had consequences for them. The theology of original sin developed from questions that arose in the third century regarding the custom of infant baptism. “St. Augustine (354-430 AD) is credited with developing the traditional doctrine in response to Pelagius, who denied original sin. sin is passed on to all of Adam's descendants, an idea later supported by St. Thomas Aquinas. Original sin was taught by the Council of Carthage in 418 AD and the Second Council of Orange in 529 AD “The doctrine was formally defined by the Council of Trent in its Decree on Original Sin (1546 AD)” # The basis… . .. middle of the paper ...... seph, and since Mary was a virgin no sin was passed on. I also discussed that since this doctrine believes that everyone is born with sin, everyone must be saved and baptized to receive the gift of heaven. The purpose of Baptism is to wash away original sin and restore the individual to an innocent state. The doctrine of original sin is a very controversial topic among denominations today for many reasons, there will likely always be differences in beliefs about this doctrine, and there will likely be no progress towards common ground in the foreseeable future. Bibliography The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company by K. Knight Nihil Obstat, 1 February 1911. Remy Lafort, STD, Censor Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New YorkReverend M. James Divis, Original Sin http://users.binary.net/polycarp/origsin.htmlWilliam B. Lindley, Original Sin (New York, New York 1972)Jim Stoffels, Original sin : An Understanding from Human Psychology © Copyright 2001J. Weatherman, “The Importance of Doctrines,” (1984) 101-102 Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia Copyright © 2001 by Penguin Publishing Company