Adam & Eve
Eve
Topics covered in this document:
Introduction
Okay, it's time to set the record straight. For untold centuries, Eve
has been blamed for all the world's woes. Maybe it's time we took another
look at her so-called "sin," perhaps from a different viewpoint.
I truly believe that we owe the lady an apology.
We all (probably) know the story very well, so I won't bother repeating
it here. Instead, let's concentrate on her one act of "rebellion."
Forbidden Fruit
Personally, I don't see Eve's choice to eat the "forbidden" fruit as
a sin.
Grateful to Eve
In fact I, for one, am infinitely grateful to her for making the choice
she did. It shows that she was the only one in the Garden who knew what
was going on. Apparently, Adam was clueless.
Never Born
Suppose Eve had never eaten that fruit. Where would we all be today?
Well, I say we wouldn't be anywhere. In fact, we never could
have been born.
Duality of the Universe
Just as in every other aspect of life, our universe runs on the
principle of opposites -- duality, as the philosophers call it. There
can be no light without darkness, no up without down, no goodness without
evil. And there can be no life without death (at least that's true at the
cellular level, where cells must die and be replaced by newer cells).
How can you grow older if there is no death and replenishment of your
cells? And if you can't grow older, how can you be born in the first
place?
When Does Clock Stop Ticking?
At what age would you have the clock stop? At the fetal stage? At the
newborn stage? At the diaper stage? That thought might have been enough
to scare Eve into partaking of the fruit as fast as she could! It would
have been enough to scare me, I know. And I'm not even a woman.
Perhaps you wouldn't mind it if your cells continued to die until --
oh, let's say, when you reached an age of 20 or 30 -- and then have them
stay at that age for the rest of eternity.
You see the problem? Can eternity have a beginning or an end?
Eve Wiser Than Adam
Adam favored the status quo plan ... you know, don't rock
the boat. Typical man, I suppose ... thinking only about himself.
Adam Blind to Problem
Still, we shouldn't be too hard on him. He probably thought he was
faithfully complying with God's commandments.
But guess what? He forgot the other commandment ... the one about
multiplying and replenishing the Earth.
But hey, he knew his life was okay as it was ... so what was the
problem?
Eve Sees the Problem
Well, the problem was that Eve knew she couldn't give birth to any
of those children without bringing death into the world.
What if the biological clock stopped while she was pregnant, for
example, and she had to spend the rest of eternity waddling around
the Garden?
Now I ask you, would you be satisfied with that state of
affairs? Me neither.
Impossible Task
Incidently, I've always kinda wondered why God did that to Adam
and Eve. Unless God really enjoys issuing commandments that we can't
possibly succeed in following.
Free Choice
I've heard it said that it was probably done to allow Adam and Eve
the free agency to choose between the two. But if that were the case,
then why didn't God present it as a choice between two mutually exclusive
options instead of as two commandments where it was impossible to satisfy
both?
Parental Dilemma
It's kinda like a parent who gives conflicting orders to a child like,
"Go outside and play ... but don't get dirty." Now how is it possible for
a child to comply with both of those commandments?
As a parent, you might as well go ahead and punish the child before
they even set foot outside. They'll find it very difficult to both play
and stay clean.
Believable Story
Of course, we have no guarantee that the story of Adam and Eve is
anything more than a myth. But even if it is just a story, lots and lots
of people believe in it (including me, to a degree).
And by that belief, they assume that the original woman -- and by
association, all women since -- are somehow inferior to men.
Thanks Eve!
But the Genesis account doesn't support that view. And if you consider
other legends of the Jews, you'll find that Adam's sense of superiority
caused his first wife, Lilith, to leave him.
At any rate, I think it's high time we gave Eve the credit she deserves
for being able to see the big picture. Thanks to her, children exist. We
exist.
Thank you, Eve! By making the sensible choice, you've proven that women
have been the smarter sex from the beginning.
What Next?
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