Why Adam's Sin Became the Downfall for Us All

[james bond]

According to the story, Adam and Eve (literary archetypes for all humans) committed the original sin of hubris. That is, they took it into their heads that they were God's equals, and therefor had both the right and the ability to judge and correct all they encountered according to their own needs and desires. If you read the story, this what the Deceiver told them: that they were God's equals and that God was keeping this from them by denying them access to the knowledge of good and evil. So they ate of the fruit (took it into their heads that they did possess the knowledge of good and evil, and that they therefor had the right and the ability to judge all creation as if they were it's Creator. And from that moment on when they looked at each other, they judged each other to be imperfect, by the measure of their own desires, and so they felt the need to cover themselves from each other's eyes. And when they went out into the world, everywhere they went they saw that the world was not measuring up to their own expectations and desires, and so they set about trying to correct these shortcoming, by force (because we are NOT God's equals, and we did not create, nor do we have the right or the ability to control creation, as we have presumed unto ourselves).

The older Book of Wisdom in my Catholic Bible states that; "mankind is punished through that with which it sins". Meaning that the consequence of committing a sin is the punishment for have done do. And the consequence of committing the 'original sin' of presuming ourselves to be God's equals, and thereby having the right and the ability to judge all creation (possessing the knowledge of good and evil) according to our own desires, is that we labor and toil our whole lives away trying to make Creation accommodate our desires.

And it seems to me that the story, as understood in this way, pretty much nailed the situation right on the head. That is mankind in a nutshell. That is our most common and original sin, from which all the other sins we commit, spring. That hubris of presuming that the world should be serving our needs and desires simply because they are our needs and desires. That existence exists to serve us, and not we to serve existence. And because we have adopted this lie as our truth, we have placed ourselves at enmity with each other, and with all Creation.

And here we are, thousands of years later, and still committing that same sin, generation after generation. Still insisting that the world exist to serve us, and still killing ourselves and each other, and th whole planet, trying to make it do so.

Yes, this is the sin of Adam and Eve. It was as if they were stating what Satan had said earlier as Lucifer to God. That they were God's equals. They knew the difference between right and wrong. They may have not known about death and the consequences, but their decision was based on knowing what was right or God's command, and what was wrong, their understanding of death or disobeying. Thus, they became convinced they weren't going to die, but continue living just like God until they felt the first guilt.

 

[Skwim]

. Atheism is a religion that purports to live without God.

Sorry that you write about religion without knowing what it is. Atheism is no more a religion than a hazel nut is a four course meal.

Evolution is a science that purports to live without God.

And, sorry that you lack even a basic knowledge of evolution yet pretend to define it.

Everything is based on not having God exist. Another situation could mean you live with Satan.

See, you don't even know the basic underpinnings of evolution. FYI, evolution is accepted by a whole slew of god-believing people, including Christians and Jews.

But your lack of knowledge and understanding here is just too much to deal with. .

Have a good day

.

 

[Deeje]

This is odd, to say the least. And I say this as a Jew. It seems to me that the majority of Jews, at least Orthodox ones, agree that death came from the sin. That doesn't disqualify the latter point that man sins because he is imperfect. The two ideas don't contradict each other. Also, there's the view that all of mankind is at a lower spiritual level, which is similar to what Christians say.

From the Genesis account, do Jews see the disobedience of Adam to have been the introduction of sin causing death to himself and all his children? If so, how did God plan to rectify this situation in the Jewish view?

If we believe that God created humans in his image (which necessarily involves free will) and they were originally “perfect” (created with no defects) how “free” was the exercise of that free will, if they could choose disobedience and it’s penalty of death, over everlasting life in the flesh? (Genesis 3:22-24) The other tree in the garden (the tree of life) is seldom mentioned, but it was a vital art of the story. Why was it there?

Most people give no consideration to the fact that Adam could have chosen an opposite course, so what would have resulted if he had? How does Genesis 3:22-24 answer that question?

In the Jewish view, how does God get us back, what Adam lost? (Isaiah 55:11)

 

[Terry Sampson]

If Adam was able to avoid his temptation, then we would all be living and experiencing paradise today.

I'm not sure but I think that's a false assumption because it assumes facts not in evidence. If it ain't false, then IMO it's a weak assumption because it assumes that none of Adam and Eve's descendants would ever have sinned and gotten themselves kicked out of the Garden. After all, look at where Satan and his minions are now.

 

[Harel13]

From the Genesis account, do Jews see the disobedience of Adam to have been the introduction of sin causing death to himself and all his children? If so, how did God plan to rectify this situation in the Jewish view?

Who said it'll be rectified?


Okay, it will, but in The World To Come.

In the Jewish view, how does God get us back, what Adam lost?

I'm afraid I don't understand the question nor how the verse is relevant to Adam.

If we believe that God created humans in his image (which necessarily involves free will) and they were originally “perfect” (created with no defects) how “free” was the exercise of that free will, if they could choose disobedience and it’s penalty of death, over everlasting life in the flesh? (Genesis 3:22-24) The other tree in the garden (the tree of life) is seldom mentioned, but it was a vital art of the story. Why was it there?

I have an inkling of an answer, but I need time to find the relevant sources.

Most people give no consideration to the fact that Adam could have chosen an opposite course, so what would have resulted if he had? How does Genesis 3:22-24 answer that question?

I assume the world would continue in eternal perfection. I don't know how those verses answer the question.

 

[danieldemol]

As evidenced by the fossil record, the world has never been in a perfect state.

Death has been in the world since millions of years before the first humans appeared.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

So things go wrong, God gets upset and goes home like a snow flake, and we are all left the pay the consequences?
Not buying it.

 

[Deeje]

Yes, this is the sin of Adam and Eve. It was as if they were stating what Satan had said earlier as Lucifer to God.

Just a small correction....nowhere in scripture is the devil called “Lucifer”. He is never given a name...only titles describing his rebellious course. Satan (Resister) and “devil” (slanderer).

"Who is this Lucifer? The expression “shining one,” or “Lucifer,” is found in what Isaiah prophetically commanded the Israelites to pronounce as a “proverbial saying against the king of Babylon.” Thus, it is part of a saying primarily directed at the Babylonian dynasty. That the description “shining one” is given to a man and not to a spirit creature is further seen by the statement: “Down to Sheol you will be brought.” Sheol is the common grave of mankind—not a place occupied by Satan the Devil. Moreover, those seeing Lucifer brought into this condition ask: “Is this the man that was agitating the earth?” Clearly, “Lucifer” refers to a human, not to a spirit creature.—Isaiah 14:4, 15, 16."
Questions From Readers — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY

Satan was the first rebel, and he took hostages and persuaded them to give him worship. He gave himself away when he asked Jesus to do "one act of worship" to him in exchange for "all the kingdoms of the world". He said that they had been "delivered" to him and he could 'give them to whomever he wished'. (Luke 4:5-8)
What does that tell us about our world's leaders?

That they were God's equals. They knew the difference between right and wrong.

The woman was alone when the devil approached in the guise of a creature that she may have already been familiar with......speaking through the serpent, he persuaded her to believe that there was more that God was withholding....something that they were entitled to, and it would make them "like God", knowing what he knows. She also believed that the penalty would not apply. She was the newbie, but Adam wasn’t. She fell for satan’s lie, but Adam’ choice came from a different place. (2 Timothy 2:14)

Satan targeted the woman to get to the man.....if he had approached Adam directly, there may have been a different response. So satan divided Adam’s loyalties and made him choose between his mate and his God. He chose emotionally because of his love for his wife. “Divide and conquer”...it’s an ancient ploy that works.

They may have not known about death and the consequences, but their decision was based on knowing what was right or God's command, and what was wrong, their understanding of death or disobeying. Thus, they became convinced they weren't going to die, but continue living just like God until they felt the first guilt.

They may well have been acquainted with death because animals would have died in the garden, even if they had no experience with human death. But it’s true....they understood the difference between obedience and disobedience....and there was a reason why the TKGE was right there in the middle of the garden in full view. It represented God’s sovereign right to set the limits of their free will. It also represented something that was God’s exclusive property. He had provided so abundantly for them, but among all the trees that were freely given to the humans, was just one tree that they had no permission to even touch....it was not theirs for the taking.

I believe that Adam knew what would happen, but chose to join his wife rather than deal with losing her.
It reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:34-38....
“34 Do not think I came to bring peace to the earth; I came to bring, not peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to cause division, with a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 Indeed, a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever has greater affection for father or mother than for me is not worthy of me; and whoever has greater affection for son or daughter than for me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not accept his torture stake and follow after me is not worthy of me.”

This makes it clear that family loyalty can separate us from qualifying for the benefits of Christ’ sacrifice. Love for God must come before love for any family member. Its not that you stop loving them, but that you love God more. It was the prerequisite in the Law given to Israel.....the most important one repeated by Jesus....."You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind." (Matthew 22:37) There is no room for a divided heart.

That is I how I see things....

 

[Deeje]

Who said it'll be rectified?

Okay, it will, but in The World To Come.

What is the new world to come in the Jewish view?

I'm afraid I don't understand the question nor how the verse is relevant to Adam.

Genesis 3:22-24...
"Now the Lord God said, "Behold man has become like one of us, having the ability of knowing good and evil, and now, lest he stretch forth his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat and live forever."

23 And the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to till the soil, whence he had been taken.

24 And He drove the man out, and He stationed from the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and the blade of the revolving sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life." (Tanakh)

If Adam had chosen a different option (there were three that I can think of....1) if the woman had refused satan's offer, then Adam would never have had to make a choice. 2) If the woman had taken the fruit, but Adam refused to eat it. 3) The woman takes the fruit and she offers it to her mate because it appears that she got away with eating it and she didn't die) a different outcome would have resulted in the first two instances.....we know that the third option was the one they chose....and we are all under the same curse of sin and death because of what Adam did. Yet that was not God's purpose in creating us. What was the reason why God created us in his image but he made us mortals?

If God is immortal, do you believe his angels are also immortal?

I have an inkling of an answer, but I need time to find the relevant sources.

I would be interested to hear it...

I assume the world would continue in eternal perfection. I don't know how those verses answer the question.

As above....Most people see living forever as something that is impossible for mortal humans. But the "tree of life" was the means by which God could guarantee that living forever was indeed possible, here on earth.

Why create us as mortal beings if he intended for us to live forever? What do you think from your perspective?

 

[Sand Dancer]

Adam is an archetype. Journey of a human soul through physical world to learn compassion.

You have interesting beliefs. I like them.

 

[leov]

You have interesting beliefs. I like them.

One day I have realized that God is rational and logical.

 

[james bond]

Bible doesn’t say God is not anymore in the garden.

Why would holy God the Father stick around where there is sin? He hates sin. He was to live in paradise, the new heaven, but now he can't.

Is he angry about it? Sure, but he also loves his children so much that he has a plan for salvation. Thus, the sinners have to wait and have faith until the Messiah comes.

 

[Twilight Hue]

One of the most unfair things we hear is Adam's sin causing us to lose paradise and have all of humankind marked with original sin. That is, we are born of sin not of our doing.

Today, I want to discuss what Adam's sin did. We have paradise which God had created for us. If Adam was able to avoid his temptation, then we would all be living and experiencing paradise today. What was disappointing is it did not appear Adam and Eve was able to hold out for very long.

First and foremost, we find that God's nature is to hate and despise sin. He is holy, so he cannot be with sin. Thus, it wasn't just Adam and Even who was cast from the Garden of Eden, but God the Father himself. He left this universe and Earth and had to return to heaven. He could not stay. This meant we had become without God. Holy guacamole! Is there any way to fix this?

It also meant that Adam lost his dominion over Earth. He had given it to Satan who became "god of the Earth and prince of the power of the air."

Thus, this was a huge problem and the only future we had was a future without God and hell which was designed for Lucifer and his angels who rebelled against God. They had the free will to do so just like us.

So God was blindsided by something he had nothing to do with. A weakness? ;0)

So Adam and Eve were actually innocent because they didn't know the difference between good and evil beforehand ,so how could they have initially sinned?

 

[james bond]

Sorry that you write about religion without knowing what it is. Atheism is no more a religion than a hazel nut is a four course meal.


And, sorry that you lack even a basic knowledge of evolution yet pretend to define it.


See, you don't even know the basic underpinnings of evolution. FYI, evolution is accepted by a whole slew of god-believing people, including Christians and Jews.

But your lack of knowledge and understanding here is just too much to deal with. .

Have a good day

.

Wrong again, @Skwim. Atheists are usually wrong. Here is the definition of atheism from dictionary.com.

1. A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.

3. The body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices.

4. The practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

5. Something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience.

From the definitions, atheism is considered a religion.

The same with evolution as a religion, but the secular or atheist scientists want to avoid this. However, the scientists themselves have gotten into metaphysics with the promotion of multiverses, infinite singularity, dark matter, and dark energy.

Is Evolution a Secular Religion?

No matter, how you slice it evolution still does not have the scientific method behind it. BTW understand that Darwin did not create the ToE.

None of your diagram backs up what you claim. OTOH, I am able to back up my claims. It goes to show you are the one who doesn't understand when you claim it is I.

 

[Twilight Hue]

God comes across as a jerk in that story.

Well it's pretty poor story writing , that's for sure

 

[james bond]

So God was blindsided by something he had nothing to do with. A weakness? ;0)

So Adam and Eve were actually innocent because they didn't know the difference between good and evil beforehand ,so how could they have initially sinned?

No, the Bible states that he knew what was going to happen with free will. It even happened with Lucifer first. Thus, this was the way that it was supposed to play out. How else could he find those who will make it to the new heaven? He also knew who these people were going to be before they were born.

Why do you say God the Father hating sin is a weakness? If you hate racism, is that a weakness?

Adam and Eve knew the difference between good and evil. God said it himself. "Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” Genesis 3:22

God already told Adam not to eat from this tree. Thus, Adam and Eve were aware that doing so was wrong. They also knew the consequences of death. Yet they both ended up eating the forbidden fruit. You know going through a stop sign is wrong without stopping. Then you go through one because you don't think you'll get caught. Now, you experience the wrong and feel guilty for it. This was basically what Adam and Eve went through except it was for the highest stakes -- disobeying God's one and only command. Otherwise, they would not have free will. You could do that today with disobeying John 3:16. I don't think there is much difference.

 

[Thief]

One of the most unfair things we hear is Adam's sin causing us to lose paradise and have all of humankind marked with original sin. That is, we are born of sin not of our doing.

Today, I want to discuss what Adam's sin did. We have paradise which God had created for us. If Adam was able to avoid his temptation, then we would all be living and experiencing paradise today. What was disappointing is it did not appear Adam and Eve was able to hold out for very long.

First and foremost, we find that God's nature is to hate and despise sin. He is holy, so he cannot be with sin. Thus, it wasn't just Adam and Even who was cast from the Garden of Eden, but God the Father himself. He left this universe and Earth and had to return to heaven. He could not stay. This meant we had become without God. Holy guacamole! Is there any way to fix this?

It also meant that Adam lost his dominion over Earth. He had given it to Satan who became "god of the Earth and prince of the power of the air."

Thus, this was a huge problem and the only future we had was a future without God and hell which was designed for Lucifer and his angels who rebelled against God. They had the free will to do so just like us.

nope

Man as a species Day Six....male and female
no names ...no garden ….no law
go forth be fruitful and multiply
dominate all things

but we would have overrun the planet before the spirit of man could gel

so...Chapter Two
the garden event

alteration of body and mind of a chosen specimen
cloned
and Adam was given his twin sister for a bride
Eve is not born of woman....no navel

years of training and then the test
was Man that creature curious?...….even if death is the pending consequence

yes

release into the environment
and the garden dismantled having served it's purpose

and here we are

 

[Skwim]

Wrong again, @Skwim. Atheists are usually wrong. Here is the definition of atheism from dictionary.com.

1. A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.

3. The body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices.

4. The practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

5. Something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience.

From the definitions, atheism is considered a religion.

Sorry, but my search of Dictionary.com turned up no such definitions. Either you're making it all up, you're citing another dictionary, or something else is amiss. How about a direct link to these ridiculous definitions?

The same with evolution as a religion, but the secular or atheist scientists want to avoid this. However, the scientists themselves have gotten into metaphysics with the promotion of multiverses, infinite singularity, dark matter, and dark energy.

Is Evolution a Secular Religion?

Oh my god, you didn't even read your own link did you. From your link:

"Today's professional evolutionism is no more a secular religion than is industrial chemistry."​

.​

.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Wrong again, @Skwim. Atheists are usually wrong. Here is the definition of atheism from dictionary.com.

1. A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.

3. The body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices.

4. The practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

5. Something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience.

I just checked, and that is definitely not how the site defines it.
Definition of atheism | Dictionary.com
noun
the doctrine or belief that there is no God.
disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.
rejection of belief in God or gods
Denial that there is a God.

 

[dfnj]

One of the most unfair things we hear is Adam's sin causing us to lose paradise and have all of humankind marked with original sin. That is, we are born of sin not of our doing.

I'm pretty sure our omnipotent God knew exactly what was going to happen to the apple in the garden with a naked woman prancing about!