Why it's not a good idea to get mad at Adam and Eve
When I was a schoolgirl, a friend of mine remarked "God only knows what would have happened if Adam and Eve had not eaten from the forbidden tree." I still think this is very true. Before reading the Bible, I used to get mad at Adam and Eve for snatching away a paradise from us. Now I realize that attitude is a bit ridiculous, because it implies that I could do better. When I really asked myself, could I do any better than Adam and Eve? - the asnwer was simple: I don't think so. To do better than them, I would have to be perfect and resist any and all temptation. That is not me. I am an imperfect human being, a sinner.
Furthermore, to do better than Adam and Eve, I would need to resist eating from the forbidden tree for my whole life. The temptation wouldn't just be a one-time test. After thinking about it, I realized I almost certainly wouldn't be any better than Adam and Eve at resisting temptation.
To take this a step further, it seems from the words of the book of Genesis that this test of temptation applied to all of humankind. Even if Adam and Eve had resisted, could all of their descendents, forever, be able to resist the temptation of the forbidden tree? Because that is what we are implying if we get mad at Adam and Eve.
Then the Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. He told him "You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day."
Genesis 2: 15-17
In the reading above, it seems that the tree is forbidden to all of humankind (of which Adam was the first representative) i.e. if Adam had not eaten the fruit, it still would have remained forbidden to all his descendents.
A whole other reason that it's not a good idea to get mad at Adam and Eve is that it means we are judging them. Sure, their actions took away an earthly paradise from us, which is a pretty big deal. But if we are getting mad, it implies we could do better, which is a problem for two reasons:
1. The implication is incorrect. I can't speak for anyone else, but as for myself I can only say that this sinner isn't likely to do any better than our originators.
2. Implying we can do better is a spiritually dangerous situation because we are then in the position of judging Adam and Eve, and it is not our place to do that, only God's.
If you found this post interesting, you might also like these related posts on this blog:
Furthermore, to do better than Adam and Eve, I would need to resist eating from the forbidden tree for my whole life. The temptation wouldn't just be a one-time test. After thinking about it, I realized I almost certainly wouldn't be any better than Adam and Eve at resisting temptation.
To take this a step further, it seems from the words of the book of Genesis that this test of temptation applied to all of humankind. Even if Adam and Eve had resisted, could all of their descendents, forever, be able to resist the temptation of the forbidden tree? Because that is what we are implying if we get mad at Adam and Eve.
Then the Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. He told him "You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day."
Genesis 2: 15-17
In the reading above, it seems that the tree is forbidden to all of humankind (of which Adam was the first representative) i.e. if Adam had not eaten the fruit, it still would have remained forbidden to all his descendents.
A whole other reason that it's not a good idea to get mad at Adam and Eve is that it means we are judging them. Sure, their actions took away an earthly paradise from us, which is a pretty big deal. But if we are getting mad, it implies we could do better, which is a problem for two reasons:
1. The implication is incorrect. I can't speak for anyone else, but as for myself I can only say that this sinner isn't likely to do any better than our originators.
2. Implying we can do better is a spiritually dangerous situation because we are then in the position of judging Adam and Eve, and it is not our place to do that, only God's.
If you found this post interesting, you might also like these related posts on this blog:
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