Genesis 1:8-9, 15-16
8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in the East,in a place named Eden. He put the man he made in that garden. 9 Then the Lord God caused all the beautiful trees that were good for food to grow in the garden. In the middle of the garden, he put the tree of life and the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil.
15 The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to work the soil and take care of the garden. 16 The Lord God gave him this command: “You may eat from any tree in the garden. 17 But you must not eat from the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil. If you eat fruit from that tree, on that day you will certainly die!”
My question is, what purpose did it serve to put the tree of knowledge in the garden?
Why did god bother to tempt A&E anyway? Did he not know they would eat its fruit and bring all kinds of calamity upon themselves and everyone who followed?
And even if you believe the story is only an allegory, what is its message?
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Probably to explain why we don't see God.
Disobedience was the tree of knowledge. IOW do whatever you like but don't disobey God. Otherwise you'll gain knowledge that God can be disobeyed.
God's in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve got shut out because they learned to disobey God. So God is not here among us. Had to explain that somehow.