Forbidden Fruit

Forbidden Fruit

Introduction; I have been a spiritual and religious person for most of my life, but the doubts I had as child still bothered me into adulthood. Recently I returned to school, at the age of 39, in order to change careers and found myself enlightened. With my studies of Physiology and Anatomy, not to mention Psychology giving me the tools to rationalize my doubts of the validity of religion my quest began. Let me be the first to say that losing one’s religion is a double-edged sword in spite of the liberation; the downside is the cold dark abyss of reality. So why even bother to write this, because the doubts will not let me be and to see our world threatening to eliminate itself because one branch of the same religion (Judaism) is insane! Any cleric, preacher, pontiff, mullah, or rabbi that calls for its congregation to make war should themselves be drawn and quartered.
Here I have selected 10 verses from the NIV Holy Bible from the book of Genesis. I welcome rational responses to my post, and hope my readers realize that I am not a scholar by no means, just a man seeking answers. Knowing that the book of Genesis came from oral tradition, probably spoken around campfires under the stars as shepherds kept an eye on their flocks, there has to be some inconsistencies. Then the possibility that the words have been lost or misunderstood, in the countless translations making the reader use metaphoric rationales to comprehend the word of God. I will attempt to do this in a respectful manner, but how does one proceed in blaspheme and not cause true believers to hate you. For those of you strong enough in your beliefs I challenge you to entertain my interpretations and conclusions and look forward to calm, intelligent responses.

Ge 2:9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Here there is mention of the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Now moral stories serve as guidelines to help. My first concern is that why is knowledge of good and evil so bad. If the serpent had not succeeded in persuading eve to taste the forbidden fruit was the plan for Adam and Eve to live in the Garden of Eden for eternity oblivious to anything other than basic living eating, defecating, and companionship. My second concern is why they were forbidden to eat from the tree of life when the punishment was death.

Ge 3:12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me —she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Here Adam sells out his companion to God putting the blame on her. If there is a moral here to learn, it seems to me it is this. The devil can easily tempt a woman into deceiving a man. Therefore, women are inherently evil companions not to be trusted. Secondly, why would God allow this verbal serpent into this Eden if he knew what the outcome would be in the first place?

Ge 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Here again Eve is put on the spot, as God already knows, but continues to question the frightened woman. What fruit was this or is it a metaphorical rationale and the real fruit was Adam’s penis. After that Adam returned the blissful favor and realized that there was more to do than hang around eating food. Clearly, the serpent could pass for a phallic symbol though I doubt it spoke any verbal commands. Functional moral would be that early men interested in procreation in order to populate an area with like minded people would see this type of sexual act as wasteful and detrimental if oral were to become preferred.

Ge 3:22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

This is another puzzling use of words as God says that man has become like one of us? Are there more than one and just knowing good and evil can elevate your status that much seems ludicrous? Now that Adam has become like God he must not eat of the tree of life and perish back to the dust in which he came. Metaphorical rationale or not I do not comprehend this concept.

Ge 4:1 Adam 19 lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.”

Now that the knowledge of good and evil or sex has set in Adam becomes a father to Cain. Eve has been scorned, set up, and blamed for the fall of man but is quick to give the credit to God for her son.

Ge 4:2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.

Here I find it all a bit much that Cain, who is clearly the stronger of the two sons is a humble farmer. While Abel is living the carefree life of the shepherd, bringing in choice cuts of meat and fat to offered up as sacrifice. Cain has only vegetables’ to offer and seasonal at best cannot compete with the bounty his brother is able to provide. It does not take a rocket scientist to see that the first-born son of any family would enjoy watching their younger sibling out do them on a consistent basis and may retaliate.

Ge 4:8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

I believe we all know where this is going as Cain slays his only brother in the middle of a wheat field. What astounds me here is where Adam and Eve were, practicing are good and evil? It is as if the murder had to happen in order to explain the reality of man’s violent innate nature. Functional moral is to learn to except your situation and not to retaliate if your brother is able to provide offerings that are more bountiful.

Ge 4:17 Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.

Knowing that all men are not Jews and did not descend from Jews here it is easy for me say that the deal is off. How could Cain lay with his wife to bare Enoch while he is also building a city? Do the math, if you get extremely productive how many offspring can you have? Now to do shepherds work 12 sons would be a good number, but building a city would imply that there were others around. Now where could these non-Jews have come from?

Ge 4:25 Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

Maybe this is presented out of context, but it appears clearly after Cain lays with his wife which debunks the theory of Eves many sons and daughters. Clarity is nowhere to be found, as the populace seems to explode exponentially over night. Seth was sent as a replacement for Able, which would indicate he was the only child born before, or at the time, Cain was building a city.

Ge 5:2 He created them w male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them “man. 29 ’”

Here again clarity is nowhere to be found it now sounds as if God created more men and women. I am a die-hard evolutionist and it just makes sense the cells multiplied and became plentiful. Along the way they became two and three cell life forms devising better ways to acquire food and procreate. The race began and multicelled life forms went forth and prospered. Life from the sea made its way to the land. Why is this considered a ridiculous theory when compared to a deity forming a man from clay.

Bottom line;
There is no way that anyone can ever prove the existence of God or that he does not. Science, in my opinion has overwhelming empirical evidence on the evolution of man, but it does not satisfy the bigger questions like what started the big bang? I look forward to your rebuttals.

John R Hill

Reference for Bible verses;
[The Holy Bible, New International Version. Pradis CD-ROM:Genesis ]