But the doctrine of original sin, precisely
qua
doctrinal,
is not the conclusion of observation and reflection on the
presence of moral evil in the world. The most compelling
empirical
explanation for this undeniable feature of the hu-
man landscape is simply that people commit morally bad
actions which faith sees as sinful. There is in principle no
need to appeal to a theory of inherited sin. A persistent
problem is the confusion of original sin with the fact of
actual sins committed by human beings and the cumulative
consequences of these personal sins as they ramify through
history and society. In the Catholic tradition, especially as
expounded by Thomas Aquinas, original sin figures as a
causal factor in this dismal situation only as contributing
to the defective character of human moral agency, a lack
of facility in choosing the good. Its causality is indirect.
In fact, the doctrine of original sin is a
datum
of revela-
tion. We learn about the peril of our state—the alienation
from God that is the human condition—and our need for
Christ the Savior only through the witness of the Sacred
Scriptures and the constant Tradition of the Church.
20
The
Genesis account is a divinely inspired narrative that depicts
in symbolic but realistic form the causes of moral evil. It
constitutes, as it were, a divine explanation for the existence
of moral evil in the world. Although apologetics might ap-
peal to empirical evidence to support the doctrine, it does
not depend on such evidence. As a revealed doctrine, it can
only be known by faith—that is, it can only be known by
faith that the moral evil in the world can be traced to the
personal actual sin of the first human beings.
Note that the endeavor to account for the existence
of moral evil is not restricted to cultures influenced by
the Christian doctrine of original sin. There are a variety
20 cf. Dubarle