Pelagianism
Pelagianism is a theory named after Pelagius. It is the belief that people are not born with original sin and that mortal will is still capable of choosing good or evil without Divine aid. For this reason, Adam's sin was there to set a bad example for those that came after him; other than that it had no consequences. Jesus was there to set a good example (much like Adam's bad example) but also to pay the price for our sins. Pelagius believed that because people choose to sin, they are like criminals who need to be pardoned, not victims of an inherited sinful nature.
Pelagianism was condemned as heresy at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. However, some people believe that Pelagius was simply misunderstood. Today there are no known Pelagians, but there are people who follow Celtic Christianity tradition, which respects Pelagius as a good example of Celtic Christian.
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- Canons From The Council Of Carthage Against Pelagianism, May 1, 418
- CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Pelagius and Pelagianism
- Pelagians, Donatists, Monks, Anabaptists and other Perfectionists Archived 2006-02-11 at the Wayback Machine - a sympathetic look at Pelagianism and similar 'perfectionist' movements
- Pelagius Library Archived 2016-07-04 at the Wayback Machine: Online site dedicated to the study of Pelagius
- Pelagianism: The Religion of Natural Man Archived 2007-04-01 at the Wayback Machine - a critical look at Pelagianism
