From: brian@lpl.arizona.edu (Brian Ceccarelli 602/621-9615)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: More on the Adam and Eve Thang
Date: 2 Sep 92 17:19:26 GMT
Organization: Lunar & Planetary Laboratory, Tucson AZ.


  
  >(Paul Harvey) replies:
  >The answer is very simple. It was the creator's intent that humans
  >should eat of the fruit of knowledge and thus know of the world, the
  >good and the bad, and also so that they might assume some responsability
  >for their actions, instead of always blaiming someone else. That's
 
 
  >(Dan O'Connell) reply to the reply:  Since it was the creator's intent,
  >the creator is responsible.  Although Adam & Eve may have thought they had
  >"free will", from god's point of view, they didn't have since
  >he was omniscent.
  >He could have given them the gift of knowledge without
  >exacting any price whatsoever, yet as he gave, he took away.
  >This could be called capricious behavior.


   I believe that the premise here in the statements above is "since it 
was the creator's intent that humans should eat of the fruit of knowledge 
. . . ."  This premise, I believe, is false.  God did not intend for
Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  
God told them not to eat from it.  One cannot derive anymore from the 
Genesis account than this.   

   I believe God put the tree there NOT to tempt them, but to offer them choice.  
I know from the rest of the Bible that God is not the one who tempts people.  Also,
"God is not a man that he should lie."  Also I know that God has not only given 
man freedom to choose between good and evil, but also to his angels.  Freedom
appears to be the 0th law that God built into his creation.  God does not interfere 
with this, not because he is unable to, but because he chooses not.   Why? 

    There is a reason for all this freedom and non-interference.  There is a
purpose to why God offers man choices.  The purpose is found in the answer
to why God created man in the first place and to what end is man.  You may
find insight from knowing what was the only thing that was "not good" in
the Genesis creation.  You may also find insight from Ephesians 5:25-33.
You may find some more insight by reading about the Wedding Supper of the
Lamb in Revelation.   In the end, you may find out why God loves man so much.
You may find out what kind of love this is. 

   The answer is so simple, but I will tell you.  The pleasure comes in 
when you discover it for yourself.  When you understand, you will then 
understand why God would not tempt, would not force, and would not deny man
freedom--regardless the cost.

  >(Paul Harvey) replies:
  >The answer is very simple. It was the creator's intent that humans
  >should eat of the fruit of knowledge and thus know of the world, the
  >good and the bad, and also so that they might assume some responsability
  >for their actions, instead of always blaiming someone else. That's


Allow me to address this last phrase from Paul Harvey.  What happened
in Genesis 3:12-13?   What happened six verses earlier?   Denying
responsibility and blaming others happened as a result of eating the
forbidden fruit, the fruit which God did not want them to eat in the
first place with good reason (Genesis 2:15-17).

--Brian