was adam right? (punishment, Eden, POV, Christian, Adam and Eve)

[theo]

hope this is in the right place


OK jus something to muse apon
from a philosophical POV.....
think about all that is good.. now if there was no evil, no bad, you could not appreciate the good.

without knowledge there is no meaning,

perfection lacks nothing,

when adam took the fruit fromt he tree of knowledge what was he actually doing?

[cardero]

Originally Posted by theo

hope this is in the right place
when adam took the fruit fromt he tree of knowledge what was he actually doing?

committing the first original sin:
Being enticed and captivated by the charms and attractions of the alluring wo-man.

[theo]

thanks for replying but i mean, the garden of Eden was meant to be all that is good right?
but if there was only good in the world and no contrast do you really think we would be able to appreciate it?

[James the Persian]

It's not the tree of knowledge, but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, though your second post implies that you are already aware of this. In contrast to certain western views, Orthodox Christian anthropology doesn't see the prohibition as necessarily being a permanent one. It is generally considered that Adam and Eve were not yet ready for that knowledge but that they would be eventually. In that sense, the prohibition is rather like one would make to a child if one told them they might not drink alcohol, and the disobedience was likewise, rather like that of a small child who drinks his father's whisky regardless (and the Fall was consequence in our view, not punishment).

James

[Dream Angel]

It depends what you mean by "Good" remember everything also had free will so it depended on what they thought Good was? do you see what I mean....? Different people have different opinions - if we didnt, we wouldnt have this forum so different people also have different opinions on what is right and wrong. A simple examples, some families find it ok to allow their children to swear, I have been brought up to consider that is wrong. But both families would still consider themselves good.

[theo]

thanks your perspectives have helped a lot, i think that perhaps if they were ready then they may have had the self restraint to know good and evil but choose good,
and i do see what you mean about defining good, i'm now deep in thought lol

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by JamesThePersian

It's not the tree of knowledge, but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, ...

It's a merism.

Originally Posted by JamesThePersian

..., Orthodox Christian anthropology doesn't see the prohibition as necessarily being a permanent one.

Anthropology? I think it unhelpful to bastardize the term or, conversely, to present the Orthodox Christian view of humanity as science.

Originally Posted by JamesThePersian

In that sense, the prohibition is rather like one would make to a child if ...

And when the child grows up we get ...God against Humanity.

[James the Persian]

Originally Posted by Jay

Anthropology? I think it unhelpful to bastardize the term or, conversely, to present the Orthodox Christian view of humanity as science.

It's neither. The term Christian Anthropology is ancient and it's a part of theology. It is the theological view of the nature of man exactly as Christology is the theological view of the nature of Christ, Triadology of the Trinity etc. It's a term which I dare say is far older than the current scientific discipline of anthropology and, sorry, but I'm not about to give up some perfectly good theological language down to the objection that a far more recent academic field uses it with a different meaning - as though modern science gets to decide the one correct meaning for an ancient Greek word. Like it or lump it, Christian anthropology is a valid theological term which I will continue to use with absolutely no intention of presenting the view as science. If you don't like that I really couldn't care less.

James

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by JamesThePersian

..., Christian anthropology is a valid theological term which I will continue to use with absolutely no intention of presenting the view as science. If you don't like that I really couldn't care less.

Apparently.