I used to struggle with this question myself. In particular if you take into consideration Genesis 1:26 where it said they were already created in God's image, which would imply all godly attributes and characteristics including knowing difference of good and evil. How was it possible being created in his image and lack in some aspects? OR did something else change? Or is bible simply inconsistent?
The Eden Story
by choosing life 27 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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choosing life
Sheepish,
So if God wanted to decide when Adam and Eve were to gradually be allowed to decide things, then why allow Satan to fool Eve and cause her to sin? From the information in the Bible, you would have to admit that Satan was much more experienced and Eve was no match for his many years of experience.
I would not allow someone who I knew was a terrible influence to spend time alone with my innocent child, which was what Eve was in all respects. Granted she started her life as an innocent adult rather than a child, but she was way too new to be allowed to associate with Satan and be able to match his experience. Sort of like letting your 5 year old run with a 20 year old drug dealer. where's the gradual training that she so very much needed?
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PrimateDave
Sheepish said:
Today,we are eternally judged on whether we have admitted our sinful state, and accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for it, and our relationship is restored with God. The standard for good and evil are still God's. It isn't necessary to make our own.
Well, God's ex-wife Asherah told me the whole story. Yep, no such thing as original sin. It was all made up for laughs. Yahweh just likes jerking people around, and he didn't really have a thing to do with creating them in the first place! She said she got a divorce from Yahweh after several millenia because he was such an abusive, controlling type. She also said that Jesus used to be a real momma's boy, too.
Go preach somewhere where they haven't heard it all before. lol.
Dave -
Hortensia
Shawn - Primate Dave thumbs up!
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JamesThomas
What if we look at the trees within the garden of Eden metaphorically; by bringing the story into our own life here and now? Is there a pertinent lesson here?
It can be said that when we awaken to Reality, there is realised a boundless oneness and wholeness of life in-which our fragmented and broken sense of isolated "self" is seen as illusory. This awakening could be symbolised as eating from the Tree of Life. So then eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil could then symbolize the unquestioning acceptance of -- and so identification with -- the ever-changing duality. Most of us eat from the good and evil Tree every moment of every day. Blind to our true nature we live the chaotic rhythms of good and bad, up and down, sick and well, etc. We see "self" as a mere object being tumbled about within a hostile and unforgiving universe.
Nature does manifest in rhythmic ways, but what is aware of the dual "good and evil" nature of things? Does IT change? What/who is the foundational Self, really?
As far as the two angels and spinning sword back into Eden that we may eat from the Tree of Life, as far as my own journey I would say this implies that we must die of all we believe our-self and existence to be. Everything false must be let go, that what is True be lived and breathed.
j
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nvrgnbk
we must die of all we believe our-self and existence to be. Everything false must be let go, that what is True be lived and breathed.
James Thomas!
An excerpt from a song I like:
You have to lose
You have to lose
You have to learn how to die
If you wanna be alive
You have to die
You have to die
You have to learn how to die
If you wanna be alive -
Dagney
I have thought of this "story" so much in the last few years...and have come to agree, that is all it is.
That's a good illustration about a parent giving their children knowledge on an as needed basis. But, we are talking adults here. So it doesn't work for me in this instance.
On a side point, what has been irritating me more is how the WTBS doesn't want their adherents to have knowledge. It has copied it's God magnificently.
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choosing life
Dagney,
In this story of Eden Adam and Eve were adults, but they were created (born) as adults and would have the innocence of newborn creatures. That is what makes them so vulnerable. And that is why I asked about God's failure to protect them fron Satan who had been around for eons. The same applies to teaching these new creatures progressively.
Just a thought. Choosing Life
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choosing life
James,
So as we continue to struggle in our many efforts to figure out the answers to life's questions and how we fit in, we continue to eat of the tree of good and evil. When we give up the struggle, and see ourselves for what we really are, we choose to eat of the tree of life.
But there is a relinquishing of all the many concepts of what we see self to be. This is a conscience choice to strip self down to the very essence of being, as you compare it to a type of death. All the superfluous ideas of self must be discarded, not an easy thing to do. Interesting how many of the sacred scriptures of different religions have kernals of truth to be extracted.
By the way, I received my copy of The Power of Now in the mail today. Looking forward to reading it. Purps has been quoting from the book and I already find it quite inspiring.
Sincerely, Choosing life
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Narkissos
Illyrian, welcome.
I think you make a very insightful point: the two Genesis creation stories have an opposite stance on "divine likeness". In one (chapter 1) it is given by God (or the gods). In the other (chapters 2--3) it is stolen from them.
This double perspective is quite interesting provided you don't take the second story as a continuation of the first (as most readers do) but as an alternative to it.
