reply to post by VeritasAequitas
reply to post by WhoKnows100
I would like to engage both of you in this discussion, if you don't mind. For the purposes of this discussion, I will treat the tale of Adam and Eve
as a metaphor. All things therein are metaphors for something deeper and more meaningful. If this upsets you, I apologize, but I promise you that I
only do so because it holds a great and sincere truth that I personally believe in with all of my being. And I daresay that, to a certain extent,
Veritas will wholeheartedly agree with me. Now, let's move on to the actual explanation.
Adam and Eve represented a base mindset where they understood the purpose of things, but made no judgments. They understood necessity, but not
curiosity. They understood what, but not why. They understood where, but not how. Essentially, they took what they were given, and nothing more. They
were pure in the Christian sense - you do what you are told, and nothing more. Because that's how "God" works.
One problem with this...they were spiritually stagnant. They had nothing to learn from, and so nowhere to step forward. At least, not in the sense of
actually getting somewhere. They continually traveled in a circle of ignorance and balance. An alternative account claims that "God"s advisers
suggested the Tree of Knowledge. I do not confirm or deny this claim, but I do hold it in consideration, for despite the lack of veracity or
falsitude, it still holds an interesting perspective from which to learn. Anyway, regardless of the cause, the Tree existed. "Satan", who had to have
been there with "God"s approval, or he would have been cast out, tempts Eve. One thing leads to another, and suddenly, they have knowledge. The
knowledge of good and evil. Or, more precisely, the ability to judge something according to how they felt about it. They didn't feel comfortable being
naked. They called it 'bad'. They acted on it. The very first act of judgment by the children of the Creator.
Now, at this point, someone might interrupt and say, "But didn't she judge the fruit? She had to have decided the fruit was worthy of disobeying,
right? So she judged even before!"
No, I don't quite agree with that. See, Eve didn't judge the fruit. Curiosity does not judge. She was exploring, testing. Tests do not judge, they
give a reason to judge. So lo and behold, Adam and Eve were given the capacity to judge. That's why "God" was upset, because he knew what would come
BUT WAIT! Was "God" upset? An omniscient, omnipotent being, who knew they would be tempted, knew they wouldn't resist and still arranged everything so
it would happen? There was a million ways to prevent it, and yet only one way for it to happen. 1/1000 chance. And it happened. He let it happen. This
suggests he wanted it to happen.
Let's entertain that thought. What possible reason would he have for letting that happen even though he prohibited it? Perhaps...he wanted mankind to
judge. Perhaps, he wanted to give us the capability so we could learn to resist it. The true test of power is to give someone the ability to judge
another, and see how they handle it.
So see, sin is necessary. Without sin, we have no opportunities to fight, no opportunities to learn. If we have no opportunity, do we have free will?
No. Sin was a necessary creation, necessary for our education and our spiritual development. Sin is our teacher. I'm not telling you to sin, I am
saying sin is not an enemy, it's an opportunity. Do not condemn it, USE IT.
Otherwise, the door of spirit will be pretty difficult to open. Sorry for taking it so far off topic, but I thought maybe you both would be interested
in seeing that perspective. This is what happens when I follow a road all the way to the end. This is what I find when I push philosophy and
metaphysics. I discover a circle.
Just like life. Just like the spirit. And that's why scientific spirituality is so sacred. It reveals the connection, the circle, in all of us. I hope
you enjoyed that as much as I enjoy your posts, Veritas.
edit on 2-12-2012 by AfterInfinity because: (no reason given)