If God gave us this brain with amazing powers (yet we use only 10% of it), created us in his own "all powerful" image and we are his most complex creation, why wouldn't he want us to be knowledgable. I think the whole Garden of Eden story was created by the same church that wanted to keep its followers ignorant of corruption inside the church and the mass amounts of money preachers made off these ignorant people. They didn't even want people to learn how to read so they couldn't read the bible. And if they did learn how to read, they wanted you to get help from the church to understand it. Isn't this still going on?
2006-07-09 12:00:06 · 21 answers · asked by carpediem3000 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The reason G*d forbade Adam and Eve from eating of the Tree of Knowledge between Good and Evil was so they would become capable of developing this knowledge, and grow to commune with G*d, instead of succumbing to the serpent's promise that such knowledge could be easily obtained. They obtained the knowledge, but lost their chance at immortality.
Your interpretation - that the prohibition is an allegorical reference to the church's desire to keep people ignorant - is an interesting one, but it doesn't hold up within the narrative in Genesis. Adam and Eve did achieve the ability to discern between good and evil, but eating the fruit did not grant them an innate knowledge of the world around them. To survive, humans would have to learn to make their way, and suffer. That was their punishment for this original sin.
2006-07-09 12:12:56 · answer #1 · answered by © 2007. Sammy Z. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Okay, there was nothing wrong with the fruit, get it? The problem was with the disobedience of God. Not the fruit, the defiance. That was the big deal. When Eve took a bite, she put the snake ahead of God. Same thing with Adam, except he was worse, blaming the whole thing on Eve, trying to make her responsible for his sin.
Committing disobedience, then denying it was the problem, not the fruit itself.
Disobeying God is not the same as disobeying the church, because the church had made some bad moves! All I can say about the doctrines no one could read is thank God for Ireland! The politics distracts from the true Word of God.
2006-07-09 12:10:53 · answer #2 · answered by mithril 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, we can never really know what His original intention was for the development of man. It is reasonable to assume that they were innocent in all ways of understanding of the word, and that knowledge was something planned for a later stage in their development and maturation.
The image of God refers to the capacities man has that mirror capacities of God: primarily intellect, will, and emotion. It does not follow that we were intended to be "all-powerful" also.
Your opinion about the origin of the Garden of Eden story shows a tortured understanding of history. The church you refer to must be the Christian church, in it's Catholic and Protestant incarnations; yet the Old Testament, which contains the book of Genesis, is thousands of years older, and could not have been created by a church that didn't exist yet.
2006-07-09 12:12:57 · answer #3 · answered by Winsome 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the whole thing (from the Garden of Eden to His Son's Atonement and so forth) was and is God's plan. Adam fell so men might be...God put them on earth, into the garden, with the Tree of Knowledge, so they'd learn about right and wrong, to gain knowledge. God knew they would eat of it and that was the only way they could obey His commandment of populating the earth and therefore give everyone the chance of experiencing life. you have to experience unhappiness to know what joy is, hence our trials in life. in the Garden Adam and Eve were in a constant state of happiness and innocence but didn't know it. they also didn't know what consequences really were because they never experienced anything else. therefore it was just a matter of time until they'd eat from the tree...
and God knew He had to send His Son to earth to atone for our sins. it was all 'written' before our earthly life.
the church I'm attending promotes education and the clergy is not paid.
2006-07-09 12:16:25 · answer #4 · answered by sarea 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The type of knowledge that the forbidden tree had wasn't "intellectual" or "educational" knowledge, it was "the knowledge of good and evil". God had created them without sin, and I guess He was trying to protect them. That is why things changed so dramatically for them after eating the forbidden fruit - their spiritual eyes were open and they now noticed they were both naked. Before that, they were completely innocent. Think about it - life in the garden must have been wonderful...beautiful weather, fresh delicious food, walking and talking to the animals, etc...NOT A CARE IN THE WORLD! Imagine never having to worry, never knowing deppression, never growing old - and (more than anything) - never knowing DEATH! That is why their Creator was so protective over them about this issue. Remember, that our Heavenly Father never does anything without good reason - He had their very best interests at heart!
2006-07-09 12:30:57 · answer #5 · answered by hilda43 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To answer you first question...It was a test of love. God created man but He loved us so much He gave us a choice to love Him or not. He gave them a whole garden with a bunch of different trees to eat from animals to play with the world was theirs. But there was ONE tree they were not to eat from, the Tree of Knowlegde of Good and Evil. That's all He asked.
All to knwo that they really loved Him enough to obey His words. Do you enjoy people telling they love you if they really don't? Would you experience true love if the person you love really doesn't have a choice in the matter? I highly doubt it.
To answer your second question...It's sad but true the Roman Catholic church stood in the middle of the people and God. It is still going on today. But please know that this church doesn't fall under the religion of Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church is a religion all their own. But that's another question that should be posted.
2006-07-09 12:04:23 · answer #6 · answered by devasco 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We are all imperfect because of Adam deliberately sinning against God, we should be happy we can use 10% of our brains. It was a test of loyalty. Only God has the right to decide what is good and what is bad, Adam and Eve decided to be independant from God and decide what was good and bad for themselves, you see the results around you. God created all things and gave his intelligent creatures free will, but they still had to follow God's laws, after all he created us, its his right to expect that from us. Man's woes are brought about by his own inperfections and desires and Satan isn't helping any too. God will soon correct everything through his son Jesus.
2006-07-09 12:11:35 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
God made adam and eve. he gave them a home with only one rule. Not to eat from the tree. It was more a test of will power. if they never ate from it there would be no violence no hate ect. but because they did their sons became the first murders and as a punishment child labor hurts.
2006-07-09 12:04:52 · answer #8 · answered by virgogirljenn 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Knowledge of Good and Evil because until then we did not have the desire to sin as we did not have the ability to recognize right and wrong. Like a child before the age of reason is not held to their actions in God's eyes.
2006-07-09 12:03:29 · answer #9 · answered by Debra M. Wishing Peace To All 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You misunderstand the whole point of the tree. It was not placed there so that God could keep them from knowledge. They have EVERYTHING they would ever need or want. It was PERFECTION. They were on a perfect earth and had perfect fellowship with God.
The tree was there to test them. They could eat from all the other trees, but that one.
2006-07-09 12:06:26 · answer #10 · answered by My Avatar 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋