Original Sin Research Articles

May food become medicine - does carp meat have a chance to become a functional food for people with cardiovascular disease?

Abstract Fish consumption is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality. The health benefits of fish consumption are attributed to high content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid. Animal and human studies have demonstrated that n-3 PUFAs improve the function of the normal and damaged endothelium. It is recommended to eat two servings of fish per week. The aim of the review was to find publications about the nutritional value of carp meat and its possible uses as functional food for patients with cardiovascular disease. A search for open–access original full texts sin PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline Complete database was performed in June 2022. A total of 490 results were found. Eventually 22 articles were included for systematic review. Carp consumption improves plasma lipid profile and therefore it could be considered a functional food. Carp meat is rich in essential amino acids too. The carp culture systems decide about PUFA and protein content in the meat. Carp can be cooked as traditional dishes or carp powder can be added to other dishes to enrich their nutritional value. The recommended method of carp meat preparation to preserve its’ nutritional value is oven baking. Carp meat or carp powder can be used as functional food for patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Vaccination impairs de novo immune response to omicron breakthrough infection, a precondition for the original antigenic sin

Several studies have suggested the imprinting of SARS-CoV-2 immunity by original immune challenge without addressing the formation of the de novo response to successive antigen exposures. As this is crucial for the development of the original antigenic sin, we assessed the immune response against the mutated epitopes of omicron SARS-CoV-2 after vaccine breakthrough. Our data demonstrate a robust humoral response in thrice-vaccinated individuals following omicron breakthrough which is a recall of vaccine-induced memory. The humoral and memory B cell responses against the altered regions of the omicron surface proteins are impaired. The T cell responses to mutated epitopes of the omicron spike protein are present due to the high cross-reactivity of vaccine-induced T cells rather than the formation of a de novo response. Our findings, therefore, underpin the speculation that the imprinting of SARS-CoV-2 immunity by vaccination may lead to the development of original antigenic sin if future variants overcome the vaccine-induced immunity.

인간 행위에서 정념의 위상과 기능: 중세 그리스도교적 맥락

This article is a study to explore the theory of passion in Thomas Aquinas’s Moral Theology from a pedagogical perspective. Aquinas’s discussion on the passions is an advantageous position in examining how the philosophical discussion on the passions that started in ancient times developed in the medieval Christian context. As a matter of fact, on the one hand, his discussion can be seen as representing the tradition of medieval Christianity as it is based on the Bible and the thoughts of the Church Fathers, and on the other hand, it can be seen as reflecting discussion of ancient philosophy as it is based on Aristotle’s discussions of metaphysics and ethics. 
 To this end, first, the view on human nature was confirmed through the doctrine of original sin regarding the origin of sins as the context in which passion was dealt with in medieval Christianity. Next, the study attempted to examine the practical impact of the theoretical discussion on passion through the doctrine of capital sins regarding the aspects of sins on the moral life of medieval people, especially through the ascetic life of the monastic system. According to Aquinas, original sin corresponds to the sin of human nature, and it is not simply due to the disorderly action of a single element called passion. The privation of original justice, whereby the will was made subject to God, is the formal element in original sin; while every other disorder of the soul’s powers, is a kind of material element in respect of original sin. On the other hand, cardinal sins correspond to the sin of an individual personality, and it can be defined as a disorder that appears in relation to the good pursued by certain areas of human nature. These doctrines can be seen not only as an understanding and explanation of human existence, but also as directing educational practice regarding moral life, and rather, they can be seen as being justified by educational practice. Passion can become materials for sin and vice but at the same time, it can also become materials for ethical virtues through its interaction with reason. We are given educational tasks to continuously ethically explore the meaning of goodness and to form habits of virtue.

Original sin: Fiscal rules and government debt in foreign currency in developing countries

Developing economies often borrow abroad in foreign currency, which exposes them to the problem of “original sin.” Although the literature on the issue is relatively extensive, there is limited discussion about the role of fiscal frameworks, such as fiscal rules, in addressing original sin. Using a panel of 59 developing countries from 1990-2020 and applying the entropy balancing method, this study reveals that fiscal rules play a crucial role in reducing government debt in foreign currency, and that the effects are statistically and economically significant and robust. Furthermore, we find that the effectiveness of fiscal rules in curbing original sin is enhanced by factors such as the strengthening of the rule itself, improved fiscal discipline before the reform’s adoption, financial development, financial openness, exchange rate flexibility, the level of economic development, and sound institutions. Finally, transmission channels analysis reveals that the effect of fiscal rules on original sin is driven by fiscal and monetary policy credibility.

Back to the Future: Immune Protection or Enhancement of Future Coronaviruses.

Before the emergence of SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV, and most recently, SARS-CoV-2, four other coronaviruses (the alpha coronaviruses NL63 and 229E and the beta coronaviruses OC43 and HKU1) had already been circulating in the human population. These circulating coronaviruses all cause mild respiratory illness during the winter seasons, and most people are already infected in early life. Could antibodies and/or T cells, especially against the beta coronaviruses, have offered some form of protection against (severe) COVID-19 caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2? Related is the question of whether survivors of SARS-CoV-1 or MERS-CoV would be relatively protected against SARS-CoV-2. More importantly, would humoral and cellular immunological memory generated during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, either by infection or vaccination, offer protection against future coronaviruses? Or rather than protection, could antibody-dependent enhancement have taken place, a mechanism by which circulating corona antibodies enhance the severity of COVID-19? Another related phenomenon, the original antigenic sin, would also predict that the effectiveness of the immune response to future coronaviruses would be impaired because of the reactivation of memory against irrelevant epitopes. The currently available evidence indicates that latter scenarios are highly unlikely and that especially cytotoxic memory T cells directed against conserved epitopes of human coronaviruses could at least offer partial protection against future coronaviruses.

Creationism - a Pseudoscience or Pseudoreligion

The research is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of spiritual culture of Modern times - creationism. Authors analyze the causes of creationist teachings, as well as develop a classification of forms of creationism. As such, the following are distinguished and analyzed: biblical creationism, scientific creationism, theological evolutionism, teleological creationism, alterism, missionary creationism. Biblical creationism is a literal understanding of the texts of the Bible relating to the creation of the Earth and man. Scientific creationism is an attempt by individual scientists to combine scientific knowledge with religious beliefs. It gathers scientific evidence in favor of the biblical narrative, and, at the same time, rational arguments against the scientific theory of evolution. On the contrary, theological evolutionism, especially in the form of concordism, tries to reconcile the scientific and religious view of evolution. This is achieved through the interpretation of Biblical symbols through modern scientific concepts, or by the creation of a new pseudo-religion (for example, Teilhardism). Teleological creationism, in the modern form of Intelligent Design theory, popular in Western Protestantism, using the data of natural sciences, criticizes the foundations of the theory of biological evolution, thus demonstrating the gap of natural causality in order to justify the supernatural purposefulness of the Universe. Alterism asserts that the very nature of the world before original sin was different, therefore, the current knowledge of nature cannot correspond to the original plan of God reflected in the Bible. For the first time, highlighted and explored in this work, missionary creationism seeks to interpret the Bible from the point of view of concepts of modern science in order to bring a person with an already formed scientific picture of the world to faith. It is shown that most of the above forms demonstrate a pseudoscientific or pseudo-religious essence. The authors make an assumption about the origins of creationist teachings rooted in the introduction of elements of Neoplatonic philosophy into Christian teaching. The seeming contradiction between science and religion in understanding the evolution of nature finds its explanation through the disclosure of creationism's claim to understand the world as a "thing in itself".

A Theology of the Spirits

Anthony Reddie has said that while Black Theology has always spent a great deal of time and effort on Jesus, there has been “comparatively little on the Holy Spirit.” Recognizing this reality, one hope of this paper is to invigorate and contribute to a conversation on the Spirit in Black Theology. After a brief examination of the intriguing work of Jawanza Eric Clark, who challenges taken-for-granted views of original sin and Christocentrism, the paper will explore understandings of spirit(s) within select religions of Africa and the African diaspora. The study will build from these pieces with a consideration of possibilities for constructive pneumatologies within contemporary Black Theology. The paper’s interest in the Holy Spirit is concerned primarily with the relationship between divine power and presence and human potential and responsibility, and especially in creative formulations of this dynamic that call for human action toward social justice, wholeness, and positive transformation.

Human Nature’s Deterioration in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies A Psychological Study

The study investigates the human nature degradation in “Lord of the Flies”, by William Golding. When society ABSTRACT: The study investigates the human nature degradation in “Lord of the Flies”, by William Golding. When society constraints and parental supervision are removed, these fortunate situations become accessible. Golding attributes mans bad character to the Original Sin, which occurred when Adam disobeyed Gods instruction in the Garden of Eden. When the boys believe they are no longer under parental authority and the instructors are unchecked, they begin to break the regulations of the island, even murdering one other, and a return to savagery occurs. The study examines different methods of deconstructing dichotomies to re-imagine the connection between humans and the environment. Of course, the underlying antithesis is between civilization and nature. The topic of human natures degeneration was the most well-known aspect of the novel, as a result, the depiction of the external environment was often disregarded. It is the purpose of this article to examine the worsening connection between man and the atmosphere from the viewpoint of psychologists to show the eventual demise of humanity in the book. As a critical endeavor, psychological analysis requires a rethinking of the link between man and external environmental factors which affect his life. It is the study of how humans and the physical world interact.

Pandemiczne doświadczenie zła

The article is an attempt to address the issue of evil philosophically and also in terms of theology, which is related to the global coronavirus pandemic that humanity has experienced. It emphasizes the metaphysical nature of understanding this evil, going beyond ethical categories. Difficulties in interpreting this evil as a moral consequence of original sin were pointed out. The issue of the impact of the pandemic on religious life was also raised. Attention was paid to possible attitudes towards the mysterious nature of this type of evil (heroic secular humanizm, Christian theology of suffering).

Excessive financialization and “Original Sin Theory”: Redemption from corporate reputation

Empirical studies suggest that excessive financialization that firms invest in a high proportion of financial assets will have a negative impact on firm value. This goes against the capital asset pricing theory, which suggests that high risk can produce high expected return. However, there is no explanation for the negative effect. We have empirically found that financial investments can yield higher expected returns compared with physical investments at any level, which aligns with the capital asset pricing theory. However, excessive financialization can harm a company’s reputation, which can be measured through product and service competitiveness, research and development output, and corporate social responsibility. As corporate reputation is an important intangible asset, excessive financialization has a negative impact on the overall firm value. Furthermore, excessive financialization has a greater negative impact on corporate reputation for firms with high financial leverage and sensitivity to economic policy uncertainty.

Проект «социальной теологии» в учении Вальтера Раушенбуша

The article examines the question of the possibility of transforming systematic theology in accordance with the main ideas of the "social gospel". This question was formulated in the last significant work of the eminent American theologian of the early twentieth century, Walter Rauschenbusch, Theology for the Social Gospel. The work was published in 1917, a year before the thinker's death. Walter Rauschenbusch was convinced that it was necessary to transform a number of provisions of Christian doctrine, taking into account some important discoveries that became apparent in the context of the social interpretation of Christianity. These "discoveries" seem new only from the standpoint of historical Christianity, which was seriously influenced by the mystical, metaphysical and ascetic tendencies of the Greco-Roman intellectual tradition alien to it. In reality, according to V. Raushenbush, these “discoveries” of the social gospel were part of the original content of the Christian gospel and are now again updated in the context of social interpretation. W. Rauschenbusch refers to such provisions of the social gospel, which should be introduced into systematic Christian theology, the following ideas: 1. A broader interpretation of the nature of evil (evil has not only an individual, but also a social nature). Evil is rooted not only in a person's freedom, but also in some social institutions that incline a person's will to a vicious life. 2. “Limiting the theological weight” of the doctrine of the original sin in order to educate Christians in active enthusiasm instead of passive contrition for the fall, the consequences of which no one can overcome. 3. Salvation has both a personal and a social dimension. The personal conversion of a Christian is necessarily linked to his social mission. Social responsibility should not be seen as a secondary consequence of acquiring personal faith. One is unthinkable without the other. By acquiring personal faith, a person also acquires social responsibility towards other people. 4. Democratic character of theology instead of despotic. Theology should be guided by the gospel understanding of God as a loving and merciful Father. 5. Social interpretation of eschatology. The posthumous existence of people in heaven and hell should not be regarded as a state of "eternal rest". It is necessary to admit the existence of active love in paradise, which will contribute to the correction of sinners and the perfection of the righteous. It is an eschatology of hope instead of an eschatology of punishment.

Potential immune evasion of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron variants.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused a global pandemic. The Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) was first discovered in November 2021 in specimens collected from Botswana, South Africa. Omicron has become the dominant variant worldwide, and several sublineages or subvariants have been identified recently. Compared to those of other mutants, the Omicron variant has the most highly expressed amino acid mutations, with almost 60 mutations throughout the genome, most of which are in the spike (S) protein, especially in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). These mutations increase the binding affinity of Omicron variants for the ACE2 receptor, and Omicron variants may also lead to immune escape. Despite causing milder symptoms, epidemiological evidence suggests that Omicron variants have exceptionally higher transmissibility, higher rates of reinfection and greater spread than the prototype strain as well as other preceding variants. Additionally, overwhelming amounts of data suggest that the levels of specific neutralization antibodies against Omicron variants decrease in most vaccinated populations, although CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses are maintained. Therefore, the mechanisms underlying Omicron variant evasion are still unclear. In this review, we surveyed the current epidemic status and potential immune escape mechanisms of Omicron variants. Especially, we focused on the potential roles of viral epitope mutations, antigenic drift, hybrid immunity, and "original antigenic sin" in mediating immune evasion. These insights might supply more valuable concise information for us to understand the spreading of Omicron variants.

The role of convexity in defining regular polyhedra

It is almost twenty years since Branko Grünbaum lamented that the ‘original sin’ in the theory of polyhedra is that from Euclid onwards “the writers failed to define what are the ‘polyhedra’ among which they are finding the ‘regular’ ones” ([1, p. 43]). Various definitions of ‘regular’ can be found in the literature with a condition of convexity often included (e.g. [2, p. 301], [3, p. 77], [4, p. 47], [5, p. 435], [6, p. 16]). The condition of convexity is usually cited to exclude regular self-intersecting polyhedra, i.e. the Kepler-Poinsot polyhedra, such as the ‘great dodecahedron’ consisting of twelve intersecting pentagonal faces shown in Figure 1 with one face shaded. Richeson also notes ([4, pp. 47-48]) that, for a particular definition of ‘regular’, convexity is needed to exclude the ‘punched-in’ icosahedron shown in Figure 2.

윤동주와 T. S. 엘리엇의 작품에서의 영국 성공회 가톨릭의 죄

Dongju Yoon’s poetry implied Anglo-Catholic’s belief and creed similar to Roman Catholic, even though he had protestant faith inherited from his family. All poems of Dongju Yoon contain conscience sin as well as original sin, because he felt ashamed of his country being persecuted by Japanese country. T.S. Eliot also felt ashamed of anglo-Catholic sin due to betrayal of his former wife, devoted lover and his mother. Eliot had to go to way of suffering and expiation for his sin of Anglo-Catholic belief and creed. Dongju Yoon probably studied Eliot’s poetry from professor yangha Lee during Yonhi College in 1940’s period before he went to Japan. The Anglo-Catholic traces in Dongju Yoon’s poetry are shame, original sin, sky, fear, suffering, death and resurrection, Eve’s effort, cross of the words that represents T. S. Eliot poetry and Anglo-Catholic’s belief and creed.

« Guerre » et « Londres ». Pour une relecture contemporaine de Céline ?

During 2022, Gallimard released two of Céline’s “unpublished novels”, recounting Brigadier Ferdinand's convalescence after suffering serious wounds on the Flanders front (Guerre), and the same hero's subsequent wanderings through the capital of the United Kingdom, where Ferdinand lives among French pimps (Londres). After examining the circumstances surrounding the publication of both texts, we will focus on the direct and indirect representation of the war, which functions here as a kind of “original sin” from which all subsequent evil results, but also as a radical paradigm shift in relationships between men and women, written language and spoken language, etc.

A Proposition of Integral Protological Narrative: Modern Interpretation of the Fall of Man and the Original Sin

The Catholic doctrine of the fall of man and the original sin seems to pose serious difficulties when confronted with the results of empirical sciences concerning the antropogenesis. To answer those issues, the author of this work undertakes an attempt at their contemporary interpretation from the perspective of fundamental theology, basing on the findings of his previous publication, in which he covered the problem of anthropogenesis in the light of Christian faith and empirical discoveries. (M. Witała, A Proposition of Integral Protological Narrative: the Theological Criteria of Humanity and Anthropogenesis according to Empirical Sciences, “Poznańskie Studia Teologiczne” 41 (2022) 1, pp. 71–93). The interpretation of the fall of man and original sin proposed in this work is based on the analysis of biblical data and the review of the doctrinal statements of the Magisterium of the Church during the ages and leads to an integral protological narrative taking into account the research of empirical sciences on anthropogenesis, according to the concept of integration of theology and science.

Omicron BA.2 breakthrough infection elicits CD8+ T cell responses recognizing the spike of later Omicron subvariants.

Here, we examine peripheral blood memory T cell responses against the SARS-CoV-2 BA.4/BA.5 variant spike among vaccinated individuals with or without Omicron breakthrough infections. We provide evidence supporting a lack of original antigenic sin in CD8+ T cell responses targeting the spike. We show that BNT162b2-induced memory T cells respond to the BA.4/BA.5 spike. Among individuals with BA.1/BA.2 breakthrough infections, IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T cell responses against the BA.4/BA.5 spike increased. In a subgroup with BA.2 breakthrough infections, IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T cell responses against the BA.2-mutated spike region increased and correlated directly with responses against the BA.4/BA.5 spike, indicating that BA.2 spike-specific CD8+ T cells elicited by BA.2 breakthrough infection cross-react with the BA.4/BA.5 spike. We identified CD8+ T cell epitope peptides that are present in the spike of BA.2 and BA.4/BA.5 but not the original spike. These peptides are fully conserved in the spike of now-dominant XBB lineages. Our study shows that breakthrough infection by early Omicron subvariants elicits CD8+ T cell responses that recognize epitopes within the spike of newly emerging subvariants.

The Transformation of Hamartiology in Early Christianity: On Augustine’s Interpretation of Romans 5:12

Starting with Augustine’s controversial translation and interpretation of Romans 5:12, this paper compares Augustine’s and the apostle Paul’s different understandings of “sin”: Paul understands “sin” from the apocalyptic eschatological perspective, and regards “sin” as a cosmic power; Augustine, on the contrary, gradually understood sin as an ontological sin in the discussion of the concept of “original sin”. Through the development and transformation from Paul’s theory of sin to Augustine’s theory of sin, this paper further discusses the interactive relationship between the development of early Christian thought and its social and cultural contexts and tries to outline the path of interweaving biblical text and theological thought in history, particularly to teach how Chinese readers should interact with scriptures in the Chinese context.

Original sin, control, and divine blame: some critical reflections on the moderate doctrine of original sin

Abstract This article examines a construal of the doctrine of original sin which affirms the cognitive corruption of human faculties but denies that humans carry original guilt for Adam's fall or for cognitive corruption. All humans require Christ's atonement, because they either inevitably commit at least one sin or are rejected by God for other reasons. We go on to identify three problems with this account. The first problem is the ‘inevitability’ of sinning. Here, the defender is forced either to accept a compatibilist analysis of responsibility or provide a libertarian-friendly analysis of ‘inevitability’. The latter option contradicts the Augustinian contention that it is impossible for sinners to lead a life of virtue and holiness. The second problem has to do with the mechanics of the cognitive effects of sin. The cognitive effects of original sin make it very difficult or inevitable for humans to perform meritorious actions and very easy or inevitable for them to commit sinful actions. If the sinner's degree of control over her sinful actions is so low, it seems that she does not deserve divine blame and punishment for failing to commit meritorious actions. Finally, we raised some problems regarding the fate of the non-culpable sinners.

Original Sin, Human Evolution, and Gene–Culture Interactions

ABSTRACT We engage Robin Collins' Historical Idealist model, i.e. that the Fall occurred in history though not as a “one-off” distorting our “spiritual substance”. God aimed to bring humans closer to the Gospel vision while granting sufficient autonomy to cooperate or choose otherwise, which distorted human nature. We survey recent work concerning gene-culture interactions suggesting human culture affected the frequency of certain genes and versions of genes. Thus, human free choices have altered the human genome, making humans more likely to engage in sinful actions. The Fall into sin established a vicious cycle even at the level of genetic traits.