Adam was so created, and yet he fell, as did Eve.
St. Mary did not fall because she chose otherwise, having already experienced the excellence of the glory of God. She did not desire sin because she had already experienced a stronger communion with God than any allurement of sin might offset. She was perfectly free to chose otherwise, but she didn't.
I'm curious, gentlemen.
I'm pretty convinced about what Kolokotronis and I (and some of the other Orthodox) are trying to do: convey to the respected Catholics on this forum that we do not share the same faith on original sin and its consequences and derivative implications (leaving it at that one point for now.)
How would you describe the fundamental point you are trying to convey? It sometimes seems to me that we are trying to be convinced that if we just understood Catholic doctrines and formulations correctly, we would find that they are the same as ours. At other times, it seems that we are trying to be convinced that if only we understood our own tradition's teachings properly, we'd find that they were the same as those of Catholicism.
There doesn't have to be a point -- just discussing things is interesting. But to the extent that there *is* a point from the Catholic "side", it's escaping me.
Agreed, but then how was she any different from us? You will say: she was exempt from the original sin. And the Orthodox will say "what original sin?" And at that point we are back on square one.