original sin

Christians believe in an old fable that when God first created humans, he started with a man and woman named Adam and Eve. It is said that God put them in a beautiful garden and allowed them to have everything they wanted but one forbidden fruit. It is also said that there was a snake who roamed the garden with them that represented temptation. One day, the snake tempted Adam into eating the fruit from the forbidden tree and thus creating the original sin. Now our sin is a consequence of the original sin of Adam and Eve. Many protestants hold the doctrine of orignal sin to be necessary in philosophy but not as prominent in the explination of evil. The declaration that one man transmitted sin onto the whole human race is a little far-fetched for some. However, almost every christain believes in what it Adam and Eve represent, that people inevitably inflicted sin and suffering upon themselves. The original sin is the defect we all share, the one thing that seperates us from God.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11312a.htm