The point of the tree of good and evil?

OK, this is a serious question for all you religion scholars:

Why the hell did god put the tree in the garden of eden in the first place if he didn't want the people to eat from it (i.e., why tempt them--seems kinda strange/mean/malicious, no)?

On top of that, he made the man and woman (i.e., adam and eve) stupid so that they had really no choice but to give into the temptation of eating from the tree.

So what's up with that?

For the record, I have my answer to this question--I just wanna know what the bible people believe. Thanks in advance for any 'serious' answers.

i got nothing.

Originally posted by fatalinsomnia
OK, this is a serious question for all you religion scholars:

Why the hell did god put the tree in the garden of eden in the first place if he didn't want the people to eat from it (i.e., why tempt them--seems kinda strange/mean/malicious, no)?

On top of that, he made the man and woman (i.e., adam and eve) stupid so that they had really no choic ...[text shortened]... just wanna know what the bible people believe. Thanks in advance for any 'serious' answers.

It's just a fable.

This one answers the question "Why are there bad things around us?" Answer: "Because they ate of the forbidden fruit."

Other fables answer the questions "Why has the elephant a long trunk?" and " Why are there a rainbow on the sky sometimes?" and "Why can cats see in the dark" and "Why does the snake crawl?" and them alike. There are answers in the fables. Some fables originate in the bible.

Originally posted by fatalinsomnia
OK, this is a serious question for all you religion scholars:

Why the hell did god put the tree in the garden of eden in the first place if he didn't want the people to eat from it (i.e., why tempt them--seems kinda strange/mean/malicious, no)?

On top of that, he made the man and woman (i.e., adam and eve) stupid so that they had really no choic just wanna know what the bible people believe. Thanks in advance for any 'serious' answers.

Why would that matter, why? You/we have dangerous things all
around us all the time, you can even be tempted by things and not
do them now. The temptation could have been anything, it was not
the tree that did them in, it was their desires/lusts.
Kelly

Originally posted by fatalinsomnia
OK, this is a serious question for all you religion scholars:

Why the hell did god put the tree in the garden of eden in the first place if he didn't want the people to eat from it (i.e., why tempt them--seems kinda strange/mean/malicious, no)?

On top of that, he made the man and woman (i.e., adam and eve) stupid so that they had really no choic ...[text shortened]... just wanna know what the bible people believe. Thanks in advance for any 'serious' answers.

Weather or not it was an actual tree is a matter of debate. What is not debatable, however, is that the message is that man transgressed against his God. If nothing else, there is no doubt to this fact.

So why the story about man's fall? I think it very interesting that the serpant told Adam and Eve that if they partook of the fruit they would become "as gods". For me, it is symbolic of the fact that man at some point disregarded the Lordship of his Creator in favor of his own lordship over himself. As the scriptures indicate, "We like sheep have gone astray, each going his own way".

The dichotomy in Genesis is between having God's life imparted into man that man might be mingled with God or being independent from God which would align man with the Satanic opposition party against the God of life.

The tree of life represented man recieving the divine life of God into his being. The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" would cause the man to be united with Satan.

Man was created neutral between the two choices. We know what he chose. Though man was created neutral and given a choice, man was still created "very good" (Gen 1:31). The "very good" created man was to excercise his freedom of will to choose between God and God's temporary enemy, Satan.

To answer the question "Why?" may not be easy for me or even possible to give a satisfactory philosophical answer. But I would say this: The rest of the Bible plunges into the love of God for man and His unfolding plan of salvation to save man from this terrible choice. And that is where I spend most of my time in contemplation.

Man was free to choose. Man was not free to escape the conciquences of his choice. To save man from the consequences of his choice God comes in to present another choice of eternal salvation in Christ, bringing man back to "the tree of life".

Originally posted by fatalinsomnia
OK, this is a serious question for all you religion scholars:

Why the hell did god put the tree in the garden of eden in the first place if he didn't want the people to eat from it (i.e., why tempt them--seems kinda strange/mean/malicious, no)?

On top of that, he made the man and woman (i.e., adam and eve) stupid so that they had really no choic ...[text shortened]... just wanna know what the bible people believe. Thanks in advance for any 'serious' answers.

Good question as to why God put that tree there. At first the question seems logical as to why he did this. But reason more on the implcations if God had "not" done this. Just look at our own societies and think if we had no laws and no guidelines to make our lifes have order and justice.
Do not even caring parents from the beginning of a young childs life set out rules and guidlines for their young? Which would have a more impact on that child, rules that would be imposed much later in the childs life or ones that were there from the beginning?
Did God not have the right to set rules down for Adam & Eve?

My question is what was wrong with man knowing good from evil?









Manny

Originally posted by menace71
My question is what was wrong with man knowing good from evil?









Manny

I guess we really don't know as God didn't tell us. But no doubt we would be in much greater shape then we're in now if Adam & Eve had not eaten of that tree.... Right?

Originally posted by galveston75
I guess we really don't know as God didn't tell us. But no doubt we would be in much greater shape then we're in now if Adam & Eve had not eaten of that tree.... Right?

Sorry for the interlude dear forum contributors, Hey Steve dude, enjoy your vacation my friend!

Bigger in Texas As everyone knows, everything is bigger in Texas.
The roads are bigger, the trees are bigger, and the wide open spaces are, well, wider.

Texans wear the biggest hats, the biggest boots, and drive the biggest cars.

One day, a Texan died and went to heaven.

He was met at the pearly gates by none other than The Apostle Peter, who proceeded to give him a tour of the wonders of heaven.

The Texan, however, was not impressed.

Peter showed him the most beautiful rivers, and the Texan said that they were bigger in Texas. Peter revealed to him the majesty of mountains, but the Texan reminded him that they were just as good, if not better, back in Texas. Peter showed him the glory of the stars (they shine brighter in Texas), the enormity of the sunrise (you haven't seen it until you've seen it in Texas), and the simple wonder of a doe and a fawn drinking at a lake at sunset (reminiscent of Lake Texarkana, only not as pretty).

There was nothing Peter could do to overcome the man's opinion of his home state. Finally, Peter took the Texan right out to the edge of heaven, and they both looked down.

From there one could see all the way down into Hell.

They could see the fire and the brimstone and the agony ad infinitum. It was a horrific sight.

Peter then said, "Well? What do you think about that? Have anything like THAT down in Texas?"

The Texan replied, "No sir, we don't -- but I know a couple old boys down in Houston who will put that out for ya."

🙂 ye - ha

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Hey Steve dude, enjoy your vacation my friend!

Thanks Robbie. Will be leaving early next Thursday...

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Sorry for the interlude dear forum contributors, Hey Steve dude, enjoy your vacation my friend!

Bigger in Texas As everyone knows, everything is bigger in Texas.
The roads are bigger, the trees are bigger, and the wide open spaces are, well, wider.

Texans wear the biggest hats, the biggest boots, and drive the biggest cars.

One day, a Texan ...[text shortened]... ut I know a couple old boys down in Houston who will put that out for ya."

🙂 ye - ha

For sure... Check out "boots-coots.com"

Originally posted by menace71
My question is what was wrong with man knowing good from evil?









Manny

They knew that eathing the fruit was evil, so in that respect, that is not what is being said here. I think what is being said is that they experienced sin thus knowing good from evil. It is akin to the Bible saying that a man knew a woman, if you know what I mean.

Edit: Wink, wink, nod, nod, know what I mean, know what I mean? 😛

Originally posted by menace71
My question is what was wrong with man knowing good from evil?









Manny

The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" was really euphamistically titled. It was actually a tree of death. For for Adam to partake of it was for him to die. So though it had an attractive sounding name it was actually a tree of DEATH.

Now, why was such dangerous and harmful result titled with such an attractive sounding name?

Perhaps ( and I could be wrong ), perhaps its title was suggested by Satan. What I mean is this:

From observing the contest between God and Satan in the book of Job it appears that certain terms were agreed to between God and His enemy. God allowed Satan to destroy Job's possessions, as part of their contest. Then God further allowed Job to even harm Job's body, again in accordance with the Divine / Satanic contest.

Now, maybe God, to counter the accusations and slander of His enemy, said "Okay, we will put the man I have created in between two sources of existence. One will represent Me and be called the tree of life. And the other will represent you and be called "the tree of death". Then maybe the Devil replied "Oh no. Don't call my tree the tree of death. Call it something that I choose to call it. Call it something nice like ... "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil".

Then maybe, God said "Okay, I will allow it to be called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" BUT... I will WARN the man I have created that to eat of it will mean his death."

My point here is that this tree of death may have had a name which was advertizement hype. But God being righteous, WARNED man that in spite of the advertized name it meant DEATH.

Now, this may be incorrect. I am using my imagination based upon what I perceive happening in a couple of other places in the Bible, particularly the book of Job.

The tree did represent something God DID have (Gen. 3:22). I do not think I imagine things to submit that the tree represented a ploy to be independent from the Creator and Source of all blessing and life, God. And by crossing the line to eat of it Adam surely alligned himself with God's advasary and was corrupted and polluted with sin and death.

The tree of life is a source of man's dependence upon God his Creator. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented man withdrawing from his Creator to be independent.

All life is dependent upon God. Only God is autonomous. All His creatures are dependent upon Him. He is the eternal necessary Being. All other beings are contingent upon God as the ultimate Source of being and existence and certainly life.

It is impossible that a creature of God could be independent from God. And this tree of the knowledge of good and evil brought man into rebellion against his Source. It began a cascading and dynamic degradation into sin, death, and ruin.