Why couldn't God forgive?

Question

If he is all knowing, he would have known that putting the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden would cause Eve to eat it, if he was all powerful he should have done all he could to stop her being tempted. And if he is all good, he should have forgiven Eve more making a mistake that he knew she would make. And thus condeming man kind to the world we live in today.

I no there is free will.
But if he knew that she would eat it, causing both her and Adam to leave the Garden, he should have been a better father then.

He made us what we we are (aparently)
Why should he need to test us??
I thought we were his 'childre' not his toys.

Answer 1

I understand what you mean.

That's one of the many reasons that I don't agree with condoning traditional religion: Far too many inconsistencies along the way.

After all, if we are in fact his children, then he would treat us as such, correct? Well, if I knew my child were about to make the mistake that would ruin mankind to come, and I had the power to do ANYTHING I chose, just as God does, I sure as hell would've stopped my kid from making that mistake.

Maybe I shouldn't be a parent, which is fine with me; I don't want kids. But I find it unethical to allow your child to be subjected to pain and "evil," if I could stop it.

For example: If your three year old is playing with blocks on the dining room table, then waltzes into the kitchen where dinner is boiling over a flame on the stove, and the child walks toward it holding his or her hand out, one might prresume they're about to become "curious" about flame, and test that curiosity, correct?

So: As a parent, if you're watching, you either run over, and pull their arm away from the flame, or you just watch it happen. And if you do the latter, you shouldn't be a parent.

God has the power to "pull our arms from the flame," so to speak. And yet, he is an example of the latter example; if he does in fact know all, then he has the knowledge of what mistakes we will make.

ANY good parent would try to at least help their child to see the right choice, and if necessary, they will in fact use force.

God didn't do that.

Answer 2

AH, Sunday School 101.
First, you have to decide if this is a true story or an allegorical one. As a Christian, I believe it's allegorical. Others believe it's verbatim.

He wouldn't have known she'd eat the fruit (I don't think the Bible actually calls it an apple)because - and this goes to the "core" ( pardon the pun) of your question - of "free will" that mankind has been given as a gift. You could be given a 500 HP car for your 16th birthday but if you abuse or mishandle the responsibility, as a result of your free will, terrible things would likely happen.

Being "all good" and forgiving is a bit trickier. On the one hand, forgiving is certainly the image of God given in the New Testament and some of the Old. But a totalitarian, demanding God is also portrayed in the O.T. If this is just an allegorical story, it is meant to teach us a lesson like a parent might teach us. And isn't appropriate punishment by a loving parent still loving guidance? You might argue whether the punishment was appropriate, but then the story wouldn't be nearly so interesting!

Answer 3

Ok I didn't read all the answers so I don't know if I'm being reptitive....

I use to get confused about this too. but my parents set me straight. God did know that Eve and Adam would eat the fruit. He knew they would be tempted, but if they didn't eat it....where would we be? We wouldn't even be here because Adam and Eve would still be like kids in the garden, not knowing anything. Christ would not have to come because there would be no sin. And then what's the point to life?

But because the fall happened and because Eve sinned, we were able to come to earth, sin, death and all those things that make us stronger came into the world. And so Christ came to die for our sins.

Why didn't he forgive? I think he did forgive Adam and Eve, it wasn't a sin that hung over them for the rest of their days. I mean really, Adam became a great patriarch of the whole earth and was a great instrument in the Lord's hands. It doesn't say in the scriptures he forgave them, but I like to believe that he did. (They don't say he DIDN'T) They still had to suffer the consequences, though (God is a just God and justice had to be satisfied).

I hope this makes sense. If it doesn't email me and I'll explain more.

Answer 4

Well, to go a little further, Jesus is called "The Lamb Slain Before the Foundation of the World."

He knew what would happen even before the Earth was created.

So it's a tough thing to believe, that God put the tree there even though He already knew what would happen when He did. But that's something that a person needs to be strong about. Christianity isn't 'fluffy'. It's a strong and determined thing to believe in. It's supposed to be strange to us, it's supposed to be different than what we accept as normal.

Answer 5

God is all seeing and all knowing (if you believe in that) and he knew Eve would be tempted by the Devil. John Milton writes about the Fall of Man in his work, Paradise Lost.

God knew that the devil would tempt Eve and that was his plan all along. The devil was trying to ruin God's latest creation, but he was actually playing into his entire master plan. Without the temptation and the deed done, you would not be here today, because without having eaten the fruit, Adam and Eve would have never been kicked out of the Garden of Eden, thus they would have never procreated, thus you would not be alive.

Answer 6

king the law today, just as there was in the Garden of Eden. Just because they received their consequence, doesn't mean God didn't forgive them, nor should He have.

The whole point of having the tree there was to give us free will. Without that tree, that choice for evil, we would be a bunch of "yes men" robots all worshipping God all day. God wanted a p

Answer 7

there was in the Garden of Eden. Just because they received their consequence, doesn't mean God didn't forgive them, nor should He have.

The whole point of having the tree there was to give us free will. Without that tree, that choice for evil, we would be a bunch of "yes men" robots all worshipping God all day. God

Answer 8

God did forgive, that's why they were given a second chance by sparing there life. God knows that there's two ways it can happen his way or the other way. Adam and Eve choose the other way. If you have kids and they do something wrong naturally you'll forgive them, but you'll still want to punish them in order to teach them a lesson.

Answer 9

hat's one of the many reasons that I don't agree with condoning traditional religion: Far too many inconsistencies along the way.

After all, if we are in fact his children, then he would treat us as such, correct? Well, if I knew my child were about to make the mistake that would ruin mankind to come, and I had the power to do ANYTHING I chose, just as God does, I sure as hell would've stopped my kid from making that mistake.

Maybe I shouldn't be a parent, which is fine with me; I don't want kids. But I find it unethical to allow your child to be subjected to pain and "evil," if I could stop it.

Answer 10

We are being tested, it was all part of God's plan. We are here to be tested, realize that we fail without Jesus, and be given the opportunity to choose good or evil. We are all spiritually dead because we aren't living with God anymore, our lives are hid in Christ. and he is the way the truth and the life.

but then why don't we remember who we really are?

because this is a test of who we are not what we know.