PaulSacramento wrote: think that there are very few of us that could resist the temptation of immortality and acquiring all knowledge, just by eating a piece of fruit. So I think forgiveness was certainly in order, from a benevolent God. Why tempt your own creation in the first place? Why was this temptation in anyway necessary for a God? Especially since a God would know its outcome in the first place. In either case why should I suffer for the sins of the Father? If my father was a racist and a bigot, should I be labeled the same, or carry the guilt? Of course not! There may have been many local floods, but there is certainly no evidence to support a global flood. I also doubt the possibility of creating a population of 8 Billion people, populating all corners of the earth, in only a few thousand years. Especially when life span, disease, food, death, environment, clean water, war, stillborn, etc., are factored into the equation.
Why would you think that God tempted them, or anyone?
They were warned and yes, God knew they would disobey ( as any all-knowing entity would).
Of course God forgave them, if He hadn't not only would they have been killed instantly but He wouldn't have watched over them and provided for them.
God gave them what they wanted, so that they could learn what they needed.
I don't blame you for not understanding the story of the fall since you don't understand God AND even many believers don't understand that fall either.
The inherited "sin" from Adam was mortality, was that each individual person would now be responsible for their own actions and beliefs.
But this is another topic...
In regards to evolution and reconciling it with Genesis not only is reconciliation not needed in my view, since Genesis is NOT about the origins of Man in THAT way, it's not even relevant.
Since man was evolved and not created, this point is certainly irreconcilable and relevant. Also, knowledge of "THE FALL" is not exclusive to any one faith. Anyone can find similar stories in books that pre-date this Biblical account. If you will just read Gen 2:4 - Gen 3:24(or do you want me to highlight the specific quotes?), you might understand why anyone would think, that it was an unfair temptation.Telling anyone who was created in your own image, not to eat from a tree that would give you immortality and all knowledge(good and evil), is like telling a child not to touch anything in the candy store. But if you do touch anything, you will become a God just like me. Simply by eating its fruits, you could achieve immortality and ultimate wisdom, would be too much of a temptation for anyone. Let alone the first human. Did God and the snake not tell Adam and Eve about these properties of the Tree of Life? What is the meaning of, "And the Lord God said, "The man has now become
like one of us, knowing
good and evil. He must
not be allowed to reach out his hand and take
also from the tree of life and eat, and
live forever. So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden". What is meant by, "
like one of us". "The fall" opens up a very long slippery slope of questions. Seems He was more worried about man living forever, than with man himself. Other problems I have noticed,
1. Why did God need to ask why Adam and Eve were hiding, who told them they were naked, or if they had eaten from the
Tree of Life?
2. If Adam and Eve had indeed eaten from the Tree of Life, wouldn't they be Gods themselves, and produce a lineage of
all-knowing demigods, at least?
3. Was banishment from the Garden to not allow man access to the Tree of Life, or for mans disobedience to God?
4. Was Adam banned because he listened to his wife, or because he ate from the Tree of life?
5. Why would a
God need Cherubs and flaming swords to guard the way to the Tree of Life?
6. Why would a God clothe Adam and Eve?
7. Why would a loving, kind, benevolent God "
curse all wild animals because of a deceitful serpent; or for
Adam put "
enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel(promoting spousal abuse); or to tell Eve that, "I will make your
pains in childbearing
very severe; with
painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will
rule over you(machismo)"?
8. Did God change his mind, and not put Adam and Eve to death, as he said? Of course then we would not be around to
even ask this question.
9. What was the purpose of the Tree of Life in the Garden, accept as a temptation? Could animals eat from it?
The questions are rhetorical, since the answers are directly found in scripture. Not only are these not the actions of a benevolent, loving, and forgiving Deity, but can be seen from scripture alone, as the direct cause of all the evil and suffering in the world today. Now I'm sure no one here can attest to what is in the mind of a God, or what His reasoning might be. But to punish
all life for the actions of three, seems hardly reasonable and a bit over the top to me. And claiming abolition of sin through faith or good works, seems more like a "carrot on a stick". It also seems ironic to me that pious servitude is also based on the temptation of everlasting life, through faith in Jesus. If God did not want his first created human to be immortal, why would you think we have any hope? Hopefully, this will not be just another stupid and ignorant post. Don
