Zobel said:

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If it is an individual decision and each is held accountable for that decision what about that two day old child? That's exactly the point. You have to invent an exception for that child to accommodate your theory

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Random thought - If Adam and Eve had Cain, Abel, and Seth before they sinned chronologically, seems like it would have then been dependent on them sinning originally instead of their parents. Abel would have survived I suppose!

This has me thinking - are there any other metaphysical things that we consider pass to children from their parents as well? Born in to the faith (without baptism? hmm)? Perhaps loyalty to crown and country depending on where you live? Loyalty to family?

Sort of an aside but it's kind of interesting to think about for me.

It still was. Cain made the choice to kill Abel - the Lord told him that sin was crouching to master him, but he had to master it. Adam brought death; Cain is the prototypical sinner.

What still was? Not sure which part of my post you're responding to.

If Adam and Eve had had Cain and Abel before falling, they would have been free from original sin. In this case they would be in the same starting place that Adam, Eve, and Mary (just those 3, right?) would have been. Mary did not sin (according to RCC teaching) and along with Jesus has become the new Adam and Eve as a result. But any children born before the fall would have been perfect and would have had to fail at the same monumental level as Adam and Eve.

I suppose Cain would have made that choice regardless of having original sin, and failed just as his father did? But maybe not... hmm. Not sure where I'm going in this other than confirming that the transmission of original sin is tied to Adam and Eve's state when they had children, and that it's just a given that they fell before having kids.

Sorry I meant that Cain still made the decision to sin.

The fall can be split into more than one. In the early fathers it was. Listen here for a couple of three-hour take…

https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/lordofspirits/fall_of_man_part_1_garments_of_skin

https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/lordofspirits/fall_of_man_part_2_crouching_sin_hidden_dragon

https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/lordofspirits/the_fall_of_man_part_3_the_gate_to_heaven