Paradise Lost
There's a lot said in Christianity about the events that took place in the Garden of Eden, at least it's often talked about by the fundamental groups who take the bible 'as is' - that is, it contains nothing but real people living out their lives in real time. If you believe in the bible in that way then what happened in Eden is probably one of the most fundamental beliefs you have.
I was taught that it was there in the garden that man 'fell from grace' - hence we all die. More importantly it was explained to me on numerous occasions, as I explained it to others on numerous occasions, the reason why God would let such a thing happen to us: the devil (cunningly disguised as a snake) reckoned we could do better without God and so God let us 'go our own way', to rule ourselves - see if we could do any better.
This is what I'm getting at, well, one of a few things. Firstly, the issue (the issue) that was at stake was 'who has the right to rule' - man decided to become his own boss (or his own god) so to speak, when he decided to eat from that 'tree of knowledge of good and bad'. This is apparently still the big issue facing mankind - choose who you want to serve, God or man. Put your hope in God's kingdom or in the governments of man. Yes, the bible has us living in a universal courtroom. So if this is the big issue, how come I had to tell you about it? How come you didn't know? (Sorry if you did 'know' but you're in the minority, honest.) It seems to me that if this was the big issue, we would (it seems only fair) (1) know at least that there was a big issue and we would (2) know what that was - everybody would. This very fact, this not knowing the existence of an issue let alone the issue itself surely is a barrier to our understanding or to our 'taking sides', if this is what we're supposed to do?
In a similar vein, if the issue is God's right to rule and not his existence, why would that be an issue? Why does God suddenly disappear from the scene (apparently he used to have nice chats with Adam in the garden) if the issue at stake is not his existence but his right to rule? Why couldn't God lay down the issue to each generation (why did we 'have' to die anyway? I'll come back to this) in such a way that it was very clear, so that people could make an educated decision? The way it's presented by Jehovah's Witnesses is that man today haughtily 'rejects' God's rule - refuses to 'kiss the son', they may quote. Come off it, he says in a gentle but rebuking way. You have to be aware of the existence of something before you can reject it. Where's the proof of the existence of this issue outside of the pages of the bible? The inadequacy of the bible as a purported educator in these regards can't be overstated.Where is the proof of a biblical God outside of the pages of the bible? If this is a court case, then the defendant should be clearly in the court (will he please stand up?) - there shouldn't be an argument about whether or not the defendant is even there - what a clouding of the 'issue'!
Secondly, about the death penalty thing. Which judicial system in the world would punish unborn children for a wrong committed by their father? Yet the bible tells us that because our father in Eden did wrong, it's not just him that goes to 'prison', but all his children too, no, we don't go there, we're born there! To put it another way, if your great grandfather had sold himself and his children into slavery, would you accept it? 'Oh, it's right that I should be a slave because my great grandfather sold himself into slavery'? No. You're no slave. The Witnesses use the illustration of a bread tin that was dented - Adam could only make dented bread after he 'sinned'. Yet, let us not forget that the great bread maker, who made the tin, could easily have knocked the dent out - why wouldn't he? What has death got to do with anything? Couldn't the issue have been resolved with a non-dying human family, perhaps populating extrasolar planets if God required more time for the issue to be resolved? No, this really was a punishment inflicted on us (on you) for something we (you) didn't do. If you believe the story then you have to believe that God is the great denter of his own tins: if you believe the tins didn't make themselves, then they didn't dent themselves either. Furthermore, as well as the indescribable injustice of meting out judgement on whole races - the biggest genocide in all history, history itself! - we have the issue clouded yet again by the dangling carrot of eternal life - if you vote for me I'll give you everlasting life. That politician could be the worst politician that ever lived - someone who really doesn't have any right or qualifications for being a 'ruler' of men - but who wouldn't vote for him?
To sum up, a lot of Christians believe these things, but if you think about it, they amount to saying that: we're being punished for something that we didn't do but it's down to us to (1) make ourselves aware of the fact that we're being punished and (2) agree with the reasons for that because (3) if we worship the punisher we'll get a big reward.
I think someone else puts it a lot better than me. Joseph Wheless:
"Be born and be damned; believe unbelievable things and be saved, or remain damned: such is the "sacred science of Christianity.""
I was taught that it was there in the garden that man 'fell from grace' - hence we all die. More importantly it was explained to me on numerous occasions, as I explained it to others on numerous occasions, the reason why God would let such a thing happen to us: the devil (cunningly disguised as a snake) reckoned we could do better without God and so God let us 'go our own way', to rule ourselves - see if we could do any better.
This is what I'm getting at, well, one of a few things. Firstly, the issue (the issue) that was at stake was 'who has the right to rule' - man decided to become his own boss (or his own god) so to speak, when he decided to eat from that 'tree of knowledge of good and bad'. This is apparently still the big issue facing mankind - choose who you want to serve, God or man. Put your hope in God's kingdom or in the governments of man. Yes, the bible has us living in a universal courtroom. So if this is the big issue, how come I had to tell you about it? How come you didn't know? (Sorry if you did 'know' but you're in the minority, honest.) It seems to me that if this was the big issue, we would (it seems only fair) (1) know at least that there was a big issue and we would (2) know what that was - everybody would. This very fact, this not knowing the existence of an issue let alone the issue itself surely is a barrier to our understanding or to our 'taking sides', if this is what we're supposed to do?
In a similar vein, if the issue is God's right to rule and not his existence, why would that be an issue? Why does God suddenly disappear from the scene (apparently he used to have nice chats with Adam in the garden) if the issue at stake is not his existence but his right to rule? Why couldn't God lay down the issue to each generation (why did we 'have' to die anyway? I'll come back to this) in such a way that it was very clear, so that people could make an educated decision? The way it's presented by Jehovah's Witnesses is that man today haughtily 'rejects' God's rule - refuses to 'kiss the son', they may quote. Come off it, he says in a gentle but rebuking way. You have to be aware of the existence of something before you can reject it. Where's the proof of the existence of this issue outside of the pages of the bible? The inadequacy of the bible as a purported educator in these regards can't be overstated.Where is the proof of a biblical God outside of the pages of the bible? If this is a court case, then the defendant should be clearly in the court (will he please stand up?) - there shouldn't be an argument about whether or not the defendant is even there - what a clouding of the 'issue'!
Secondly, about the death penalty thing. Which judicial system in the world would punish unborn children for a wrong committed by their father? Yet the bible tells us that because our father in Eden did wrong, it's not just him that goes to 'prison', but all his children too, no, we don't go there, we're born there! To put it another way, if your great grandfather had sold himself and his children into slavery, would you accept it? 'Oh, it's right that I should be a slave because my great grandfather sold himself into slavery'? No. You're no slave. The Witnesses use the illustration of a bread tin that was dented - Adam could only make dented bread after he 'sinned'. Yet, let us not forget that the great bread maker, who made the tin, could easily have knocked the dent out - why wouldn't he? What has death got to do with anything? Couldn't the issue have been resolved with a non-dying human family, perhaps populating extrasolar planets if God required more time for the issue to be resolved? No, this really was a punishment inflicted on us (on you) for something we (you) didn't do. If you believe the story then you have to believe that God is the great denter of his own tins: if you believe the tins didn't make themselves, then they didn't dent themselves either. Furthermore, as well as the indescribable injustice of meting out judgement on whole races - the biggest genocide in all history, history itself! - we have the issue clouded yet again by the dangling carrot of eternal life - if you vote for me I'll give you everlasting life. That politician could be the worst politician that ever lived - someone who really doesn't have any right or qualifications for being a 'ruler' of men - but who wouldn't vote for him?
To sum up, a lot of Christians believe these things, but if you think about it, they amount to saying that: we're being punished for something that we didn't do but it's down to us to (1) make ourselves aware of the fact that we're being punished and (2) agree with the reasons for that because (3) if we worship the punisher we'll get a big reward.
I think someone else puts it a lot better than me. Joseph Wheless:
"Be born and be damned; believe unbelievable things and be saved, or remain damned: such is the "sacred science of Christianity.""
Labels: eden, God, redemption, religion, salvation, sin, sovereignty, Witnesses
posted by John Doran-Armstrong at 5:48 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home