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I MET GOD WALKING IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN

Adam and Eve: Real People or just symbols for humanity? by George Borten If we follow the current state of evolutionary studies, we would conclude that Adam and Eve are symbols for the first humans, and that these first humans would be in fact composed by a group with at least some dozens of beings, and not a pair of humans. This would create a difficulty with the idea of Original Sin, as put forward, for example, by the Catholic stand on the subject, described as follows: http://www.catholic.com/tracts/adam-eve-and-evolution (05/24/2014)

“It is equally impermissible to dismiss the story of Adam and Eve and the fall (Gen. 2–3) as a fiction. A question often raised in this context is whether the human race descended from an original pair of two human beings (a teaching known as monogenism) or a pool of early human couples (a teaching known as polygenism). In this regard, Pope Pius XII stated: "When, however, there is question of another conjectural opinion, namely polygenism, the children of the Church by no means enjoy such liberty. For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains either that after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parents of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents. Now, it is in no way apparent how such an opinion can be reconciled that which the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the teaching authority of the Church proposed with regard to original sin which proceeds from a sin actually committed by an individual Adam in which through generation is passed onto all and is in everyone as his own" (Humani Generis 37).”

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There are a lot of difficulties with the Adam and Eve (A&E) biblical story, and it would be easier to dismiss it as just poetic literature, mythology musings, which are just there to point out that the world is problematic because of Man’s fault, not for any ineptitude on the part of the Supreme Being. I think its purpose was somewhat along that line, a didactic way to show the relation between Divinity and man. Something to justify why things are as bad as they are, and show that the favor of God must be earned, and not taken for granted. This story has all telltale signs of having been written backwards, i.e. you depart from what you see the world is, and begin to reason back in time to conclude what it must have been at the beginning.

However, christianism decided to take it much more literally, as it needed a base for the concept of Original Sin and more broadly, The Fall of Man. That may have been an ill-fated decision, for the story is so improbable, as there ever was one.

A&E seem very innocent at first, and who can blame them for wanting to eat a nice forbidden fruit and especially after such a marketing job by the snake. On the other hand, who talks to snakes, and even worse, actually listens to their advice? Now, Genesis describes God “as walking into the garden, in the cool of evening”, and by the Bible’s description, A&E are used to seeing Him frequently, and that must have been quite a sight. Why would they pay attention to that weird talking snake instead of following God’s advice? That doesn’t even make any sense.

By eating the forbidden fruit, they became aware of Good and Evil, but it follows then that, before eating it, they were innocent, and so how can they be blamed for anything? Also, what was that snake doing in God’s private, personal garden? It’s supposed to be Paradise, there shouldn´t be any snake in it, and especially not the talking, tempting ones.

However, it only gets worse. Because then God curses all the snakes. Of all species! Consider that there must have been more than one snake in Eden, since only A&E are said to be unique. So why should all the descendants of all the snakes be damned for the contrivances of ONE snake? Clearly, in the bible text one snake is used as a symbol of the all species of snakes (the snake-kind). In the same way, we should understand that A&E are used as a symbol for the group of first humans (the humankind), who probably collectively disobeyed God’s instruction, i.e. all ate from the Forbidden Fruit.

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Then God condemns women to have children in labor pain! Since A&E are the first couple, nobody had been born yet the natural way, so who can prove that had Eve not fallen into temptation, there would be no labor pain? For Eve and her women descendants, the proportions between the pelvis and the head of a baby would be a recipe for trouble anyway, even if she had not eaten the forbidden fruit.

A&E are expelled from the Garden of Eden and, from then on, have to live a life of hardships and God sets an angel of fire to avoid them coming in. If that means that it was feared they would try to sneak into the garden again, why not simply make the garden disappear. Who needed that garden anymore, since no human is allowed in it? Unless God kept the Garden for us to find it again and, during centuries, christian explorers did try just that. There is somewhat less enthusiasm about it nowadays. Many have tried to bypass the issue by pretending that the Garden of Eden was a celestial place, but no way, remember the ANIMALS there, the trees, etc. The bible is quite obviously describing a physical place on earth.

Christians believe that through the disobedience of A&E, evil came into the world, and also death. So does that mean that A&E would have lived forever if they had not sinned? If you thought that, think again. Consider Genesis 3:22; 23; 24:

“Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the Tree of Life and eat, and live forever,”

23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the

garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the

garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Contrary to common belief, these verses state that A&E were expelled not for their disobedience, but to restrain them from eating from the Tree of Life and live forever. However, this proves they were not meant to live forever, so it’s unjust to claim that their disobedience brought death to mankind. Their disobedience is also not the IMMEDIATE cause for expulsion, and yes the fact that they can no longer be trusted. The point this story is trying to make is that absolute loyalty is required, and that any non-compliance will be severely dealt with.

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We also cannot forget that, half-hidden behind the concept of the Fall of Man, is a darker concept named “The Cursed Earth”, courtesy of Adam. The additional purpose of this was to state that our world’s great problems, plagues, hurricanes, nasty insects, earthquakes, etc. were due to the Fall of Man. To the ancient minds, man and nature were so interconnected that natural inconveniencies and disasters were attributed to the corruption of man leading to the corruption of nature. Hence “The Cursed Earth”, where we are living right now.

Now let’s turn back to the “first couple” issue. A&E were now left to fend for themselves. Eve starts having children, which must have been tough, because she had never seen a baby, never watched a deliverance, and didn’t have a mom, or a sister, or a girlfriend to help her. And Adam would be hunting for food most of the time. If there was a nasty snake in the garden, guess WHAT would have been around in their brave new world. Quite unrealistic to suppose they could survive.

At least they should have been allowed to stay in the Garden of Eden until they had grownup children, and leave as a small group, but there was no such mercy. All that for eating a forbidden fruit. And you thought your dad and mom were harsh! The Cherubim with the Flaming Sword could have been stationed near the Tree of Life, just blocking the approach to this tree, instead of the entrance of the Eden.

Many christians treat the A&E story, in practical terms, as a fable and do not worry very much about it. What they are not aware is that it is a cornerstone of christianity. Because if Christ sacrifice redeems us, it is from the Original Sin, A&E’s so called disobedience, which caused the Fall of Man, and estrangement from God. If you take away that, you hit hard at the very foundations of christianity, because the story of Adam and Eve is closely linked to the mission of Christ. But if it is a fable, what did Christ die for? That is the reason why christian theologians fight so ferociously for the literal interpretation of A&E’s story.

However, instead of panicking, christian theologians should work a way around it, since they have been so clever and creative throughout the last two thousand years. We suggest that if the Fall of Man concept must be kept, it will have to be anchored to a wider set of narratives, and moved away from the A&E fable, since that one is not going to hold the water for very much longer.

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