Once Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree in the Garden of Eden, they both gained a higher knowledge of everything around them. It was and is a human beings greatest asset. We have the power to learn and apply our knowledge to everything we do. It's what sets us apart from the plants and animals around us. Did God really want us to live like the plants and animals of this Earth? Stupid and uneducated? Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they were completely innocent. Unknowing of everything around them. And it wasn’t until after did we learn the difference between good and evil, and much more until future generation came about only to discover and invent many innovation and forces that our Earth contains. The Tree of Knowledge left in the Garden of Eden was forbidden right? Then did God want to live as animals?
2007-02-24 08:31:38 · 11 answers · asked by ~Soy Yo~ 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
A rather Freudian interpretation is that knowledge of good and evil, or simply good and bad, refers to the recollection of a memory with an implied judgment. This is a natural process for neurological systems (humans and animals) to make to avoid pain or gain pleasure. However, human consciousness includes extensive recollection and teaching such as by the use of books, which could be called a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. It is clearly distinguishable from the simple awareness of other animals. This allows human beings to make deliberate choices that they consider beneficial even if they include an element of pain.
The process of maturation occurring in the incidents around the tree describes, in an abstract way, the splitting of the human consciousness into the limited context of conscious thought and the underlying all-aware subconscious. It also implies the existence of an entheogen that lets humans experience a God-like state of oneness.
2007-02-24 09:00:10 · answer #1 · answered by Parercut Faint 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When the bible speaks of partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you are reading what is called a metaphor. Knowledge of good and evil is a metaphoric reference to judgment. When you judge something you attempt to determine if it is acceptable or not. In effect you are deciding if it is good or evil from your point of view.
Once we were just like the animals and recognized that everything in the garden that God had given us was good. At some point we started to judge some thing as being better than others are. This set up a situation where something’s were more appealing to us than others. We started wishing for these things and were no longer happy with some of the other things in the garden.
This is what is referred to as the fall of man, or separation from God. Some references actually call this the detour into insanity. This self-induced separation from the knowledge of the perfection of god’s gifts to us was never shared by the animals. They were too smart to fall for this silly idea and were not fooled by the ideas of good and evil. For this reason they exist along side of us still experiencing the perfection of the garden. While we have excluded ourselves with our ideas of judgment. This is a truly fascinating subject that has many interesting facets. Including how to reverse the process and return to the original state.
Love and blessings.
don
2007-02-24 12:52:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A cursory reading of several of these answers leads me to recommend that first, DON'T listen to them. Actually read the Book of Genesis analytically at least once. Two or three times may be better. Then get your hands on a good commentary and read that. Then read the passage again with the new appreciation you will have gained. Genesis was written thousands of years ago by authors who had a view of the world very different from ours, so it bears some study. (e.g. they thought the sky was enclosed by a dome, the firmament.) I am not going to pretend to know it well enough to provide my own commentary and join the cacophony your question set off. I will say one thing: God did not want us to live as animals--He made us in His image.
2007-02-24 16:33:18 · answer #3 · answered by sargon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it goes a bit deeper. You see, to me, it means that A&E (heh) didn't know about death or hardship until they ate the apple. In some ways, I think God left it there so that Adam and Eve would learn, yes; but he also made it clear that they had to live with the consequences, of which there were plenty. (I'm going with my own interpretation of the Bible, so I hope you can forgive my agnostic musings...) There's a book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett titled "Good Omens." I recommend reading it, because Gaiman and Pratchett come up with some interesting notions of the whole affair. And it's pretty damn funny, too.
2007-02-24 09:35:12 · answer #4 · answered by knight2001us 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There were two trees. One was the tree of immortality and the other was the tree of knowledge. The tree of knowledge was forbidden but not the other tree. Couldn't Eve had partaken of the fruit of the tree of immortality? Noooooooo! She had to get it backwards. Just like a woman! So now we know a bunch of stuff but die before we can enjoy it!
2007-02-24 09:07:06 · answer #5 · answered by Sophist 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Animals? I higly doubt God wanted us to live like animals. Adam and Eve were living in Eden, it was perfect! They were provided everything they needed and much more! I think the reason that God didn't want them to know the difference between good and evil was because it was painful and unneccessary. They had perfect lives and had a wonderful Creator, what would be the point of knowing the evils of the world? You say they would be stupid and uneducated and we would live like animals?? I personally think we live like animals in society today! I'm a Catholic and a lot of the things we're doing today are SO far from God's plan, why? Because of evil! We wouldn't be living like animals because we have free will and man was and is superior to animals and plants.
2007-02-24 08:51:43 · answer #6 · answered by Ana Banana 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
This may help. The Tree of Life is - Jesus. Revelation is hard to understand but Gen 1-3 ties into the last few chapters of Genesis.
2007-02-24 08:37:11 · answer #7 · answered by mad_mav70 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the tree of knowledge is exactly like the reality of life outside the cave in the story told by plato... the more knowledge you have, the more logical you become, and thus the more you realize that religion isn't really neccessary for one to lead a good life... god (or the writers of the bible, rather) of course don't want us to be too wise, because if we were, we'd see that we don't need religion.
2007-02-24 08:36:23 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
all that came from eating from the tree(knowlede, inventions) apparently cant create even a fraction of the happiness that was before the fall from grace.
i consider the first 18 or so chapters of genesis to be allegory. if you disobey God, you will suffer because you're being selfish.
2007-02-24 08:43:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
you are mistaken about the gaining of knowledge. all they gained was the knowledge that they had been tricked into chaos.
just a thought in passing---doesn't anyone actually read the Bible before commenting on it?
2007-02-24 13:59:44 · answer #10 · answered by lightperson 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋