I noticed a few threads lately talking about the command to "be fruitful and multiply" and it got me to thinking:
The Garden of Eden story describes God saying many different things to Adam and Eve, but Christians seem to give them... varying weight.
"Be fruitful and multiply" gets a lot of play. It's brought up frequently in the context of family planning. It even served as the main inspiration for an entire Christian movement (the Quiverfull movement).
God's curse on Eve as she's thrown out of the garden - i.e. that she will have to suffer pain in childbirth - even gets brought up sometimes in the context of whether anaesthetic should be used for people giving birth.
... but what I never hear Christians talking about is God's curse on Adam: that he will have to work "by the sweat of his brow." Why not?
It seems to me that this is just as much a repudiation of earning income not tied to labour (e.g. return on capital invested) as "be fruitful and multiply" is a repudiation of birth control.
Still, AFAICT, we never hear Christian thought leaders condemning "passive" income or earning return on capital.
So what gives?
The Garden of Eden story describes God saying many different things to Adam and Eve, but Christians seem to give them... varying weight.
"Be fruitful and multiply" gets a lot of play. It's brought up frequently in the context of family planning. It even served as the main inspiration for an entire Christian movement (the Quiverfull movement).
God's curse on Eve as she's thrown out of the garden - i.e. that she will have to suffer pain in childbirth - even gets brought up sometimes in the context of whether anaesthetic should be used for people giving birth.
... but what I never hear Christians talking about is God's curse on Adam: that he will have to work "by the sweat of his brow." Why not?
It seems to me that this is just as much a repudiation of earning income not tied to labour (e.g. return on capital invested) as "be fruitful and multiply" is a repudiation of birth control.
Still, AFAICT, we never hear Christian thought leaders condemning "passive" income or earning return on capital.
So what gives?