what was the fruit in the garden of eden a metaphor for?

Question

i don't think it was sex because sex is like our ultimate way of connecting and why would god not want us to beable to experience that?

i think it has something to do with knowledge and wonder.
i think when man started questioning things like reality it created negativity. but i have to wonder though what was the ultimate factor that brought this desire to know? i think adam wasn't keeping up his end of the bargain with eve then. or maybe he turned gay?

maybe what happened was god told them to keep masculinity and vanity completely seperate. and once adam began thinking he was pretty it created a resentment from eve. which could be the reason for all the negativity in the world today. adam was jealous of eve.

i dunno what do you think. do you think men should look in mirrors anymore?

Answer 1

the fruit was not a metaphor.
The taking of the fruit was symbolic of rejecting God's right to rule, or set the rules for man. By taking the fruit, Adam was in effect saying, that he and his offspring could successfully decide for themselves what is right, and what is wrong. Therein lay the entire theme of the Bible. That being, rulership. All time ever since has been allowed by God to prove whether or not that man can succeed with self rule.

Answer 2

It wasn't a metaphor for something. It reported that God instructed Adam and Eve they might consume of any tree interior the backyard. They have been forbidden from the tree of the understanding of reliable and evil. The serpent instructed them that in the event that they ate of the tree, they could understand all issues like God. you don't get understanding from oral intercourse. They did get understanding of reliable and evil. it extremely is why while they ate the fruit (which isn't inevitably an apple) they found out that it replaced into incorrect to be bare, and clothed themselves in fig leaves.

Answer 3

Excellent question! If you look at the text, they ate from the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil". The "Fruit" of the "Knowledge of Good and Evil" is....Guilt. That is, as long as you know you've done evil, you'll experience guilt.

The story is a metaphor, for the sense of innocence that humankind was supposed to experience, blissfully free of guilt, blissfully ignorant of good or evil, because there was only one evil thing they could really do - to disobey God. But as soon as they disobeyed, they reaped the fruit of their actions. They felt the guilt that comes only from knowing you have done something wrong.

Answer 4

Where do you base your idea that it anything to do with being gay? God would have destroyed Adam. It would be more likely your first idea, Knowledge. This is, if you believe the bible. If not, it was more likely a metaphor for unnatural sex. If you believe the bible, but not in a literal sense (creationism) but as a great metaphor than I think it was a for knowedge.

Answer 5

It was fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They had to be put out and the tree of life guarded so they didn't "eat" that also. So metaphor is quite accurate I'd suppose. I have no idea what these "fruits" are but the good fruits in Galatians are not physical items, they are natures.

Answer 6

I'm glad that you've looked into this. You have some really good thoughts on it. Many people wouldn't think this deeply and just believe that the fruit is just a fruit... end of story. You make it a lot more interesting and meaningful by making the story more about philosophy. As for an answer to your question... I don't have one. I think it depends on each person, but then again, I'm not as deep of a thinker as you. Sorry.

Answer 7

Obviously we are dealing in metaphors, since what they ate was fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And what did they do immediately after? They hid from God because they were naked. Later God made them clothes of animal skins. Meaning? Meaning that nudity was evil in the eyes of God.

Aww, your God is no fun. Ever since, we've been made to feel guilty about being in the nude. What a lot of misery religion has delivered over the centuries!

Answer 8

What does theistic religion always forbid?
Naturalisitic knowledge. Knowledge of reality gained from direct experience and empirical reasoning always conflicts with "revelatory" knowledge.
This is why religions seek to ban and burn books.
This is why religions seek to impede scientific inquiry.
This is why religions denigrate and dismiss naturalistic learning.
This is why patriarchal religions in particular have a tradition of forbidding the schooling of women except for religious indoctrination. They fear an educated woman will refuse to be subordinated.
You will note that Eve, who had been subordinated to Adam, was the first to seek knowledge.
You will also note the gods expelled Adam and Eve lest in addition to gaining the god-like ability of discerning good and bad choices they should also gain immortality and compete with the gods directly.

Answer 9

For me, aided from some astute observations from others, the metaphor of the fruit represents "judgementalism".

A "higher than thou" attitude, based on theoretical knowledge & not the practical (love).

When we think of Sensuality being "wrong", we tend to cut ourselves off from ourselves & others in a kind of conflictive "ivory tower" state.

Instead of using the very passion required to quench itself, we become entrenched in dogmatic views in what is 'right & wrong', instead of using the energy / effort to do good - which is what of course ultimately quenches sensuality.

We thus set up a Catch-22.

We throw the baby out with the bath water.

Good Question.

I'd asked it of mself, too, in the past.

This is my most up-to-date understanding. :-)

Best Wishes,

A. R.

Answer 10

Adam and Eve were eating the "lies" of Satan. Had nothing to do with sex at all. It all had to do with obedience to God, which Adam and Eve failed. They disobeyed God by listening and eating the lies of Satan.