May I Ask, What Religion Are You?

[Shadow Wolf]

Now let's look at Genesis 2-3, the Garden of Eden. No such literal place existed. Adam and Eve are wonderful characters in a creation myth. This myth teaches us things, such as that humanity has become morally sentient, but our consciences are sometimes at odds with our animal instincts, and this has made us out of harmony with ourselves, with nature, and with God. It's a superb, superb teaching story. The fact that it is told in this fictitious form makes it much more powerful than prose. There is something about mythic archetypes that slips past our mental filters, making myth one of the most powerful form of literature we know of.

That is a VERY different look than what I was taught, which is what's being taught is humans are weak, pathetic sinners who can't be trusted and absolutely messed up everything. The moral senitent part is there, but the consciences and animal instincts part is not, and presented as the beginning of shame and guilt, proving we will mess up and sin because we still did it when we had perfection, and as a result do deserve eternal damnation.
And, of course, it was taught as a literal, historic event.

 

[Brickjectivity]

The fact that it is told in this fictitious form makes it much more powerful than prose.

Agree. Prose always makes assumptions but myths are a sculpture of our questions, so we can sense them in another form. For example if you wanted to ponder why some people are never happy no matter how wealthy and comfortable you could make a myth about it, and then you would have the question there in story form. Want to know why people fall in love but can't seem to find happiness? You may want to make a myth about it. Or suppose you want other people to think about the same question. A myth can help get people thinking about it with you.

That is a VERY different look than what I was taught,

Yes. All of us.