Original sin

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/original-sin

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the key formulator?Augustine of Hippo, who first used the term 'original sin' (peccatum originale)
2. What is the historical development?Shaped by early Church Fathers and significantly debated during the Protestant Reformation
3. Why do people say we all have a little "oopsie" inside us?The idea started with the story of Adam and Eve in the first book of the Bible, where they ate the forbidden fruit. This story explains why people can choose to do wrong.
4. How did the idea of Original Sin start?Early Christian thinkers like Irenaeus and later Augustine of Hippo wrote about it. Augustine used the phrase "peccatum originale" and helped shape how many churches talk about it.

Peccatum Originale: The Latin term for Original Sin, referring to the inherited state of sinfulness.
Image of God: The theological concept that humans are created in God's likeness, which is believed to be distorted by Original Sin.
Salvation History: The theological framework that interprets historical events as part of God's plan for humanity's salvation.