The Pelagian heresy, though little known and not often discussed, nevertheless dealt with a most profound aspect of humanity – are we evil by nature, or does man, as Ayn Rand said, possess a self-made soul? The bishop Pelagius argued the latter and through his chief acolyte Julian of Eclanum, sought to make orthodox the idea that one might attain salvation through the actions and choices he himself made during life. Augustine, with good reason, saw this as a particularly pernicious heresy and, after a great long-distance debate between himself and Julian, was ultimately able to defeat the Pelagians and weave original sin into the very fabric of Christian theology. During this talk, I’ll introduce you to Pelagius and Julian and what we know about the Pelagian movement itself. I’ll discuss the actual argument with Augustine and highlight how it was conducted, the points made on both sides, and the ultimate defeat of Pelagianism by Augustine. It should also be fun to consider the ramifications of what might have been if Pelagius and Julian had won.