Is Original Sin, eating the "fruit from the tree of knowledge," symbolic of the church's fear of science?

Answer 1

I think its a symbol that religion and science are basically incompatible. Would that all those intelligent designers pick up on this and quit trying to force religious views into scientific frameworks.

HOWEVER, when the story was written maybe three millenia ago there was no such thing as science; thus the original story could not have a sciencephobic message. Instead I think it delineates between what God alone knows and what God allows man to know. When man crosses this boundary, he acquires "knowledge" that, perhaps, God feels is not in his best interest to know.

Answer 2

The symbolism between the eating of the fruit from the tree of knowledge is not of science at all. It symbolizes to all people that they have a choice between good and evil. By Adam and Eve eating that apple that God specifically told them not too, banished them from the Garden of Eden. We are all held accountable for our actions and we all have consequences to face. If we believe in God and His son Jesus Christ and that He died on the cross for our sins and we accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior, then we will be rewarded into Heaven. But if we don't believe in God and His son Jesus Christ and we don't believe Jesus is our Lord and Savior, then we must face the consequences of not believing in Him. Only God knows what and when He will punish us for and only He knows where we will go. He is the ultimate judge, not us humans.

Answer 3

It is not what you think. Look, God is truth and science is the pursuit of truth. God, as a creator, is the most awesome scientist. Creating existence and life was a feat of science that even today we cannot comprehend. As an example, in order to biologically program the brain for sight, to accept 2 images, combine them, provide near instant assessment and reaction, this is beyond our capability to understand, even though we can read genetic code and peer into the operations of the brain.

Religion and science both use reason to understand truth. If you think my faith came easy, you have no idea how hard it was for me to get close enough to God to take a small step of faith. You have done no where near as much research and thought. If you did, you would not ask such small questions that lead to I am sure, the small, pat answers you will get.

I wish you luck.

Answer 4

I don't think that science is the thing they fear. Although it is one thing that they fear. I think the main thing is free thinking and rational thought. I mean, if people started to use their brains, they would see through the whole thing and the church would have a lot less followers. My hope is that eventually people WILL see, and religion will become a joke or just a tale like Santa Claus.

Answer 5

No, not at all. You're misinterpretting the scripture.

The Original Sin happened because of the disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, against God. They were told not to eat the fruit, but they did anyway. They ate because of a deception by Satan. He told them they could be like gods themselves, having all the knowledge of good and evil, just like God. In effect, he was telling them that they would not need God.

The trick is that Satan didn't tell them the fine print: that without God, they would be doomed to death.

So, they disobeyed and now we have what we have today.

Answer 6

I have often wondered this myself.

Right from the start, what are humans forbidden from having? Knowledge.

Cause then they'll start asking questions, become pesky little buggers, and cause a whole lotta trouble.

But if God is all-knowing, what better teacher could we learn from? (And I am not trying to convert anyone or devalue science - far, far from it)

And it's been asked a bazillion times - if God is all-knowing, wouldn't He know better than to put the tree there in the first place (here comes the free will argument) and didn't he know we were gonna wanna know, sooner or later?

And as someone mentioned above, it might refer to the "truth" about God. Well, what aren't we supposed to know about Him?

Answer 7

Ooh, I like this theory! It really does make sense. I mean seriously, why would eating from the tree of knowledge be a sin? Isn't the pursuit of knowledge a crucial part of life?

Answer 8

Well, wasn't the tale of Adam and Eve created long before science really became an issue?

And I don't believe that the "knowledge" was about gravity and sex. I think it was more about the "truth" of God.

Answer 9

I don't think that they has "science" as a branch of knowledge when Genesis was written.

Answer 10

since when does the church fear science?