Original sin a modern interpretation
Original sin a modern interpretation. Does the Church teach that the human soul is created at the moment of conception? Second, how does the soul contract original sin from Adam? Many things can go wrong in considering both of these questions. The Church has always maintained that the human person is the union of a rational body and soul. That each soul is individually created by God.
An original sin a modern interpretation: how the church sees it
An original sin a modern interpretation: how the church sees it. But over the centuries we have witnessed theological debates about the exact moment when the soul is created and infused into the human body. The revelation does not answer this question. But the Church has always responded philosophically in this way: the soul is created at the same instant it is infused into the body, and this happens as soon as the matter is suitable. In other words, biology plays a key role in answering this question. This is why, in the medieval period, most theologians argued that the soul is created and infused at the moment of "vivacity". which is essentially when we become aware of the baby's movement in the womb.
Original sin: the soul is created by God
Original sin: the soul is created by God. However, we now know that "matter" ie the body is distinctly human from the moment of conception. When the sperm and egg come together to form the zygote. There is no time after successful fertilization that the embryo is or can be anything other than a human being. Consequently, Catholics can now confidently affirm that the soul is created by God. United with the body at the precise moment of conception. Furthermore, of course the soul remains united with the body until matter becomes unsuitable. That is, until death, after which the soul continues in a disembodied state.
Original Justice
Original Justice. Original sin is a harder nut to crack. Our first parents are created in Original Justice. Which is essentially a participation in the life of God which ensures that our passions always operate in full agreement with reason (therefore no lust) and that our bodies do not have to suffer the corruption of death (which, left exclusively to nature, must occur. ). But our first parents broke the relationship between grace and nature through pride. They trusted their own judgment more than they trusted God's judgment, and so they lost original justice. That is, they have lost the special graces that elevated their human nature to a higher supernatural state.
From this point on, we like to say that our first parents could not pass on to their children what they themselves no longer possessed, and so all their descendants are born in a state of separation from God that we call Original Sin. Looking ahead, of course, is the mission of Jesus Christ to remedy that problem and bring us back into union with God by means of the sanctifying graces He has obtained for us through his universal atonement for sin.
To my surprise, my correspondent responded to my answers by saying the following: "I believe the soul is present at conception, but I do not believe that God creates a sinful soul or a soul in a state of death." This told me immediately that my explanation did not address some of his main concerns. Given his particular assumptions about sin and death, a more thorough discussion is essential for a correct understanding.