Final answer:
Original Sin is the term used to describe Adam and Eve's disobedience in the Garden of Eden, which is believed to have caused a separation from God and introduced sin into human nature. It destroyed the 'likeness of God' by corrupting human freedom, rationality, and the capacity for love, leading to spiritual death and the necessity for redemption.
Step-by-step explanation:
How did Original Sin destroy our "likeness of God"? In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Original Sin refers to the first act of disobedience by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, as described in Genesis 3. This act is believed to have fundamentally altered the nature of humanity, causing a separation between God and humankind.
According to Christian theology, humans were created in the image and likeness of God, which means they were endowed with freedom, rationality, and the capacity for love. The Fall of Man, represented by the consumption of the forbidden fruit, corrupted this divine likeness by introducing sin and moral imperfection into human nature. This resulted in spiritual death, or a state of separation from God, who is the source of life and goodness.
Philosophers like St. Augustine and theologians argue that this act of disobedience upset the intended moral order, necessitating the need for redemption and salvation through the Christ figure. This belief emphasizes the development of the soul and the journey from a purely physical existence to one that is spiritually aligned with divine love and goodness. The concept of Original Sin and the related theology wrestle with the problem of evil, questioning how an all-loving and all-powerful deity could permit such a fall and suffering to occur.