Godschild Wrote:Placing the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden was not for a task as you put it, it was there because God wanted Adam and Eve and everyone else to love Him through obedience. Just like parents want their children to show love to them by obeying them.
Parents don't want their children to obey them, because it is a sign of love. They want their children to obey, because it is for their own good. I want my son to listen to me, because there are going to be times when we would be unavailable to avoid situations in which danger might arise, such as crossing the street. If he doesn't learn to listen to me, then he might not listen when his safety truly matters. That is why I want him to obey.
Now, you might say that this is what god is trying to do. It does not follow, however, as god is responsible for the dangerous situation himself. He could have easily avoided this whole thing by not placing the tree of knowledge in the garden. Essentially, you are arguing that god created a dangerous situation simply out of the desire to have someone follow his command, and then, when the situation goes horribly wrong, lay the blame on the one who had no way to truly understand the consequences of their actions. It's like a parent giving their kid a loaded gun, telling them not to use it, and then when he shoots himself telling the police it's not your fault since you told him not to do it.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
