60 minutes Nov 18 - Young babies and morality

[jgress]

What I don't understand is why it has to be either/or: either people are born good, or they are born bad. It seems obvious to me that people are born neither good nor bad, but somewhere in between, which, of course, is precisely what the Church has always taught: we are born in corruption, and yet paradoxically remain fashioned in the image of God.

[Matthew]

Yes, I think you are bringing things into focus. There is good and bad. God created us so each of us is good by design, but there is also fallenness, the results of transgression of Eden is at work in our members and the will remains free enough to maintain responsibility for our actions and behaviour. And so each of us is capable of sanctity and salvation, or sinfulness and deprivation of the Kingdom, and this must be the case to some degree or another from the time of our conception. If I said anthing other than the Orthodox position previously, I apologise and correct myself as much as I can.

[Maria]

Yes, I think you are bringing things into focus. There is good and bad. God created us so each of us is good by design, but there is also fallenness, the results of transgression of Eden is at work in our members and the will remains free enough to maintain responsibility for our actions and behaviour. And so each of us is capable of sanctity and salvation, or sinfulness and deprivation of the Kingdom, and this must be the case to some degree or another from the time of our conception. If I said anthing other than the Orthodox position previously, I apologise and correct myself as much as I can.

Only through the grace and mercy of God can we reach sanctity and be saved.
Christ's Holy Mysteries help us in our struggle to attain salvation.

[Matthew]

Amen, how very true! God help us.