Jack Chesterfield
New member
One of the things that I remember from my twelve years of Catholic schooling was that in order for one to sin, he has to possess full knowledge that what he is doing is an actual sin. This brings me to the Garden of Eden fable. In this famous tale from Genesis, Adam and Eve commit the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, in violation of an order from God. I won't dispute that Adam and Eve disobeyed God. However, if they had no knowledge of good and evil, they could not have understood the wrongful nature of their action and therefore committed an innocent mistake, rather than a deliberate sin. Or did they possess knowledge of good and evil before eating the fruit? If so, what was the point of the tree? Like so many of the stories that come from religion, this one has gaping holes. I can't wait to see the intellectual contortions that the faithful will exhibit in an attempt to explain away this one.
A few more questions: Why did God put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden in the first place? If God is omniscient -- as many people claim -- would He not have already known what would happen in the garden? Did He not set Adam and Eve up for failure? How did the snake get in there (why did God allow it to enter)? Most significantly, is there any extra-biblical evidence that the events of this story actually took place? The tale appears indistinguishable from myth. Why should I believe it?
A few more questions: Why did God put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden in the first place? If God is omniscient -- as many people claim -- would He not have already known what would happen in the garden? Did He not set Adam and Eve up for failure? How did the snake get in there (why did God allow it to enter)? Most significantly, is there any extra-biblical evidence that the events of this story actually took place? The tale appears indistinguishable from myth. Why should I believe it?