I think it gets assumed too largely that God has to follow the rules. It also gets assumed too largely that god created the rules he follows. What they all really hate to acknowledge is the existence of a being that doesn’t follow any rule except when convent and breaks every rule and in no way, shape or form ever stops being righteous or in the right. It terrifies and disturbs many the experiments that god actually runs and condones and just what the being actually does. It is inhuman, inhumane and makes monsters of us all, which is entirely the point.
Take another ride along the devils road, along the night road of paths between paths between lives between heaven and hell.
It’s more along the lines that he can do what others claim to be able to do. Do as I say, not as I do, stems from that. For example, someone with tolerance to heat built up inside their mouths may dig right into a meal fresh from the oven without burning themselves. Anyone who follows suit without heat tolerance based on observation would likely injure themselves.
If denying them the fruit prevents wanting to learn, then why are we not in trees? Could have God wanted them curious by denying? Possible. He did allow a bite or two.
If given all knowledge without mental maturity there would be dangerous repercussions. One has to gain moral understanding before delving into sciences. One actually has to control curiosity as well. I can see more then a few reasons to deny all knowledge to adults with infant maturity and curiosity. If that tree exists and we gain the knowledge on how to find it, would you give access to all humans freely? I hope not.
All knowledge good and bad can be twisted. We in general still are not mature enough for that tree.
Being handed something gives little appreciation of it, spoiled rich kids comes to mind quickly.
As religion today is not what it was at the time these stories came about, what god is perceived as has changed.
How stories are interpreted creates views. The Jewish religion has sects just as Christian. This creates interpretations. Even we Atheists view the texts in different ways. You and I are examples of that.
We must all have different views to be individual and a social species. Evolution is not just physical it is mental. Experience must occur over generations. Instinct built, emotions must be used, thought, etc etc.
A god could not give experience, morals and understanding to creatures that were just birthed so to speak. Two infant humans having all knowledge and no mental abilities would have been disastrous.
Hey, I looked at my parents more then once and said “I hate you” and meant it at the time. They did what they had to do to protect and teach , it was not always pleasant. Pretty sure your folks did the same .
True that knowledge is age related but the tree of knowledge is analogous to all knowledge and to us that would mean all schooling from pre-kindergarten right up to the highest degree we can earn in universities etc.
A good God would indeed allow and even insist on a bite or two. That is why the Jewish moral to the story is that of the elevation of man and not the fall that Christians put to the story.
In the Christian view, God wanted to deny any bite even though A & E were too ignorant and mentally blind to even know they were naked and could thus not reproduce.
Bad interpretations of the Bible are a mockery to a pure mind which knows how to interpret it positively. It’s not the Bible’s fault that people use what is in it for their own selfish agenda’s.
If God existing is dependent on his defeat of the devil and overcoming evil, it sounds more like symbiotic interdependency where God needs evil to be God and evil needs God to be evil. Without evil, god would never come into its own. Without God, no evil would ever have been pushed to the point to be defined as evil.
Christians are primarily martyrs though mostly only the priests and preachers know this fully. It gives control. Christians cling to the past, Jewish look forward, in general. Look at the two religions as siblings , siblings rarely view life the same even though raised almost identically. We need that though, we need the evolution of differences. To gain true knowledge as a species we must allow for differences even annoying or hateful or negative. A god would know that we must as a species experience difference must work out the problems to evolve. Hell we are a young species compared to the universe. You kick your kids out of the nest to let them grow. They hate it or love it at first then mature, hopefully. To say the god is evil or hateful is akin to denigrating all parents.
I have an idea, bear with me please, not sure I can flesh it out properly but, if anyone here can figure it out it would be you.
The ancients were flamboyant with descriptions. They were given to drama and comparisons, analogy. Our interpretations probably lack the true color. What if the universe was the tree and earth is the apple that Eve took. The god would have to be an energy being/entity. Adam and Eve birthed to have a species evolve into companion. Sentience is key. Look at the other species that have or may have sentience. Let’s say that they possibly have beliefs. Ok the apple of knowledge is this planet. The ancients gave other species credit for personalities and intellect that we through religion and ego deny.
We are on the apple of knowledge to gain knowledge, eating that apple??? Help me out here, do you see something of what I am trying to get at?
I think the symbolism behind the apple is changing along with the ability to understand. ,one held, it represented knowledge of good and evil, later after they became relative concepts, it was knowledge per se, and I think that now, it may represents consciessness. Self consciessness, the ego, may be the ultimate purveyor, engendering a conflict between a sacred and profane creation of Man.
“Both read the Bible day and night; but you read black where I read white.”
William Blake.
A pure mind would be a free thinking mind and not the mind of idol worshiping Christians. Right?
How would you phrase a positive interpretation of what God did in the story of his torture and murder of King David’s baby, all because he was angry with the King?