Original Sin Mark Twain

[linwood]

I`m re-reading Mark Twains "Letters from the Earth"

A fictional correspondence between Satan and Michael about mankind.

It`s always been a favorite of mine and it`s pretty humorous perhaps even for a Christian.

Anyway I came across a quote in one of the "letters" that concerns a topic I was discussing in the Ten Commandments thread.

It`s about the injustice of Adam & Eves punishment in the garden.

He made a man and a woman and placed them in a pleasant garden, along with the other creatures. they all lived together there in harmony and contentment and blooming youth for some time; then trouble came. God had warned the man and the woman that they must not eat of the fruit of a certain tree. And he added a most strange remark: he said that if they ate of it they should surely die. Strange, for the reason that inasmuch as they had never seen a sample death they could not possibly know what he meant. Neither would he nor any other god have been able to make those ignorant children understand what was meant, without furnishing a sample. The mere word could have no meaning for them, any more than it would have for an infant of days.

So with the help of Mr.Twain I can add to my argument of Adam & Eves ingnorance of what the consquences would be for their actions I can add to it the impossibilty of their actually comprehending what those consequences entailed.

Not only couldn`t they behave ethically the had no idea what the punishment could be if they didn`t.

It`s a cool read try a letter a day.

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/twainlfe.htm#1

 

[Michelle]

Yeah this puts a whole new spin on the story *nods yeah*

 

[Mr Spinkles]

Huh...was Mark Twain an atheist?

 

[linwood]

Huh...was Mark Twain an atheist?

Most definately.

You have to read his "unpopular works" to see it.

I think you might like reading those letters at the link I posted.

He was a rather militant atheist in fact.

Edit: I wanna retract my "Most Definately" comment above.

While he cannot write what he writes and believe the Bible is true this doesn`t necessarily mean he doesn`t have other beliefs...maybe deism.

 

[Michelle]

It is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies.

Mark Twain from the Letters of the Earth

The two Testaments are interesting, each in its own way. The Old one gives us a picture of these people's Deity as he was before he got religion, the other one gives us a picture of him as he appeared afterward.

Mark Twain form the Letters of the Earth

 

[Betho_br]

Before the fall of Adam and Eve, the passage mentioned in Genesis 3:16 in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible indicates that God pronounced consequences for the transgression committed in the Garden of Eden. Among these consequences is the multiplication of pain and suffering during conception and childbirth for women. However, it is crucial to note that the mentioned pain was not created at that moment but rather increased. Probably, this initial minimal pain was a result of their irregular consumption of the fruit of the tree of life, and in this case, the perception of death was already included.

It is interesting to observe that the first recorded human sins in the Bible have a theological and religious nature. Eve engaged in a dialogue with the serpent, questioning divine instructions, while the first sinful act of murder occurred in the context of a religious sacrifice.

 

[David1967]

I like that book. It's a fun read.

 

[Betho_br]

I like that book. It's a fun read.

Sure... in the narrative, Adam is induced into a state of coma and subjected to a genetic intervention, in which genetic material (DNA) is extracted by removing a rib. This genetic material is then used for the cloning of Eve. This twist in the plot emphasizes the complexity and intrigue of the story, exploring themes of genetic manipulation and the creation of life.