"We were born into sin (or evil), and would be forever damned without God's grace."
Interesting, (and a bit terrifying) concept and very Western.
"But yet in our created state, we are evil."
Is God the author of evil?
Interesting, (and a bit terrifying) concept and very Western.
I think it would be more accurate to say we are born without sanctifying grace - a position we inherit from Adam. By being born without this grace, we cannot follow God's Will or merit eternal life. St. Aquinas makes the distinction more clearly than most. It is an absence of grace, rather than an actual "stain" that we are born with. We are not born into evil, but we are not born with the capability to choose God's Will freely. There is a difference - which better explains Catholic doctrine that says that we are wounded, not evil, by nature. Of course, if we were evil by nature, then how could Christ take on our nature?
Regards
Is God the author of evil?
NO, God is not the author of evil. I would say that God is the author of some things that become evil, and yes, He knows in advance. We also have to distinguish between an evil nature and evil acts. When we are created, we have an evil nature even though we have not yet done any evil.