After eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge in Genesis 3:6, did Adam and Eve develop a conscience and suddenly became responsible for their moral choices? Were they now able and obliged to reason and make moral decisions unlike the other animals in the Garden? This is one of the perspectives offered by Bible scholars, Kalter, McKenzie, and Kilpatrick propose in their book, The Uncensored Bible.
The authors suggest that use of the phrase, “knowledge of good and evil” in Genesis means that by eating of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Even unleashed not just the sinful attributes of “being like gods,” but also the positive attributes of humanity’s full potential to know, learn, explore and cultivate wisdom. To me it sounds like a bit like putting a positive spin on a bad situation, but the authors argue that human beings were not meant to live in paradise so this rebellion by Adam and Eve was inevitable. They suggest that by design, humans need challenges to face, problems to fix, and sense of purpose. So the Adam and Eve story, in their view, demonstrates humanity’s need for purpose and how that purpose is explored and fulfilled.
The authors suggest that the actions that led to original sin were a basically a tradeoff. By eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve lost immortality for themselves and us, but gained a measure of self-determination, the ability to learn and explore and understand and enhance life. They were no longer naïve, dependant, children held in the blissful, protective comfort of God’s Garden sanctuary, but were now adults living in a world where their fate was uncertain, but their ability to reason and adjust to the circumstances was now stimulated and engaged.
I think the authors have oversimplified the impact of Adam and Eve’s rebellion in Genesis. Before the Fall they only had one choice, to love and serve God by being the authentic persons he made them to be. After the Fall, they now HAD to reason about right and wrong when making choices in how to live. By eating the forbidden fruit they now had to accept both the rights and responsibilities of their newfound ability to reason. Prior to their rebellion, all of their choices were Godly choices so there was no need for them to reason. As Adam and Eve learned, the veil of sin makes it more challenging to consistently make Godly choices.
1 comment:
Ed:
Great job getting a jump on the "uncensored Bible" paper. Your summary of the authors arguments is excellent and I look forward to reading your full evaluation in coming weeks.
Given all we have read of late regarding God's willingness to put humans in awkward or even untenable situations, e.g., Job and Satan, I would not be at all surprised God was ultimately behind the act of eating the apple. Perhaps obtaining knowledge of good and evil was part of God's original intent. The rights and responsibilities of being human, along with the pains and pleasures, give humans a unique opportunity to become fully enlightened. At least this is the perspective taken by Buddhists such as myself.
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