Well if God told them not to eat of that tree how is it that they were able to eat of it with the consequential circunstances that followed being that they made a wrong choice in eating of the tree before they had the knowledge neccessary to know that it was wrong to do so? Wouldn't they have to have the benefit of knowing it was wrong to begin with in order to be culpable for the choice they made? How is this possible if it was by eating of the tree first that would enable them to know whether it was wrong to be disobedient?
2006-11-23 12:13:28 · 22 answers · asked by messenger 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It's not the tree of the knowledge of right and wrong, exactly. It's the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You will agree with me that right and wrong is not the same as good and evil. It may be wrong of me to litter, but is that evil?
So Adam and Eve could have known it was wrong to eat of the tree, without knowing what it means to be evil. But it turns out that that is not the important thing in that story. What is important is that God said they would die, eating the fruit, which did not happen. And why did God deliberately tempt them with the tree in the first place?
A modern interpretation would be that God intended for Adam and Eve to eat from the tree, and the fall from the garden of Eden is not a punishment, but rather a lesson in consequence and responsibility. It is only with the fall that humans can begin to grasp the concept of free will and of its associated responsibility.
Even if you are not religious and do not believe in the story, you can still understand it on a metaphorical level, because the fall is something that happens to all of us as we mature. That is, at some point we leave the child mentality behind and begin to embrace our free will, taking with it the responsibility for the consequences of our choices.
2006-11-23 12:32:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The story says that Adam and Eve were instructed by God not to eat of the tree lest they die. This is the first, and at the time, the ONLY commandment with a consequence. Even with this very limited knowledge of right and wrong they still chose rebellious action rather than obedience. The warning of, "Lest you die," was a warning that open communication with God would be cut off. Still, even with the open relationship, Adam and Eve chose to seek self indulgence over friendship with God. The knowledge of good and evil is the self evidence that we do not have to follow Gods commands, even though we were supposedly created with the ability to do so. Over time, this ability was lost, or at best forgotten and unpracticed by most. According to scripture, until the incarnation and later resurrection of Christ, who supposedly returned to mankind the ability to walk again with God by faith.
2006-11-23 12:33:31 · answer #2 · answered by kotagator 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The tree of understanding became the valuables of God. He on my own understood the flexibility in the back of it. whilst Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, the Bible says their eyes have been opened. What we later come across is they and their offspring did no longer cope with this new understanding o.k.. the ten commandments and the different 603 regulations are there to remind us what's misguided. it rather is like all of us recognize incorrect exists ... we purely can not know it from time to time.
2016-10-17 11:12:11 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Eating from the tree did not give them the knowledge of right and wrong, it gave them the idea that they would be the ones to determine what was right and what was wrong not God. That is a big difference.
2006-11-23 12:17:45 · answer #4 · answered by Midge 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It was a direct command of God that they should not eat of the tree or they would surly die. The serpent (satan) tempted Eve because she was the weaker sex, and told her she would not surly die, but know as much as God. Eve ate of the fruit and gave to Adam. They didn't die in the sense DEAD ready to be buried, but like when a virgin loses her virginity, and is made known to sexual sin, you can never go back to being a virgin again. So if Adam had been a real man and not eaten the fruit, this world might not be in the shape it's in now.
2006-11-23 12:38:56 · answer #5 · answered by Gordongirl 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it began with one rule, they disobeyed it. this is not a paradox. they didn't have the knowledge. god told them specifically to not eat from the tree. compare this to the child you tell not to touch the stove because its hot. the child has no knowledge of the consequences. but what does the child do? they touch the stove anyway just to see what all the hubub is about. its not a question of right and wrong, it is a matter of temptation.
2006-11-23 12:22:51 · answer #6 · answered by alex l 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They knew it was wrong to eat of the tree because God Himself had told them not to do it. He told them they would die if they ate of it. They were innocent until they chose to disobey and eat the forbidden fruit.
It's no different than me telling my child not to run out into the road. He doesn't understand WHY I'm telling him not to because of his innocence. He has to trust me and obey me to ensure his safety. I warn him not to restrict him but because I love him and I don't want to see him die.
It was exactly the same in the Garden of Eden. God warned them of a very real danger. They took their chances. They lost.
2006-11-23 12:24:09 · answer #7 · answered by Pamela 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not quite sure; although God had told them not to eat the apple off of that tree, and they did so anyway. It helps explain sin.
2006-11-23 12:20:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
you're right of course. the knowledge wasn't in the fruit itself but in the guilt of having been disobedient and in being caught at it. being innocent, having never known guilt, they would not have known the consequence of improper action.
but it's just a story, a morality tale meant to warn against disobeying any authority figure and a warning to beware of women too because if you give into one you'll have to work for a
living. adulthood is Paradise Lost.
PS arewetheryet? Adam and Eve knew nothing about death so that threat/warning would be meaningless to them.
2006-11-23 12:22:23 · answer #9 · answered by nebtet 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Roy, sometimes it is good for one to be and/or to think naive but when the limits of naïveté are violated by luck of common sense, logic approaches the limits of foolishness and it becomes a serious dilemma in one’s way of thinking!
Have nice day any way!
2006-11-23 12:30:23 · answer #10 · answered by Nikolas S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋