bible explained for atheists., page-29

  1. 6,512 Posts.
    Puppies

    I don't know if you really want an answer or not, maybe you were just baiting people so they would make a series of ridiculous literal statements about the Adam and Eve story. Anyway, here's my take on it. Please understand, I'm not a religious person. When I write stuff it might sound like I am, but I'm not.

    It is most assuredly not a story to be taken literally, despite the interpretation of the masses. As it is generally interpreted the intelligence cannot accept it, affirm it, or imagine it; for such arrangements, such details, such speeches and reproaches are far from being those of an intelligent man, how much less of the Divinity—that Divinity Who has organised this infinite universe in the most perfect form, along with all its inhabitants.

    Adam is every man and Eve is his soul. The tree of good and evil is the human world, a world of relative opposites such as light and darkness, good and evil. Only the spiritual world is luminous and without relative opposites. The serpent signifies attachment to the human world. This attachment of the spirit to the human world led the soul and spirit of Adam from the world of freedom to the world of bondage and caused Him to turn from the Divine Kingdom to the human world.

    When the spirit of Adam entered the human world, He left behind the paradise of freedom and fell into the world of bondage, so to speak. He entered into the world of good and evil. The Tree of Life is the highest state, the position of the Word of God, the teachings of the Christ which are like a second chance or safety net.

    According to the general understanding, if the meaning were taken in its common, accepted sense, it would be absolute injustice and complete predestination. If Adam sinned by going near the forbidden tree, how would it be possible for the unborn to be tainted by that sin. It's a ridiculous proposition. The sin mentioned refers to a common weakness we all have. That being an attachment to material things rather than spiritual things.

    Now this is only one very brief meaning of this story. There are oceans of further understanding here such as the human race being a single family. Paradise being the earth itself and our custodianship of it. The fact that man is a collection of organic materials with a few trace metals thrown in and yet it contains a life force, gifted by the Divine Essence. We have an eternal aspect in the likeness of God. The singleness of the Essence (God) etc.

    It's a profound story rich in allegory, metaphor and hidden meanings and has no relationship to the generally accepted literal account which just turns those who can not accept such an understanding, and so simply avoid religions devoid of reason.

    It's the story of every man, and woman and the journey they must take via free will. One may choose darkness or light, ignorance or enlightenment. The serpent is ever present in the form of attachment to this world via materialism. Adam did indeed have a belly-button. People were not breeding with their sisters to produce Chinese, Aboriginal, Pygmy, Scandinavian, Arabic, Rapa Nui peoples etc.

    Good night!
 
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