How did Adam and Eve sin?

This question has been pondered for millenniums ... What in Adam and Eve caused them to sin? They were born innocent so what caused them to will disobedience to God? Perhaps the most insightful comments that I’ve heard on Gen 1-3 are from one of the brothers at Taizé. Here it is in a nutshell ... (because this is quite wise and it would be wrong to let you think that I came up with it myself…)

"In the context of the story, you need to think of the man and the woman as if they were children. Imagine a mother who says to her child ‘thou mayest play in the garden, but thou shalt not play in the road, for in the day when thou playest in the road thou shalt surely die’. The child understands that she is going to kill it if it chooses to play in the road; actually she is simply saying that it will get run over by a car. Simple cause and effect. God says ‘you may have everything in this entire garden, but I’d avoid that thing over there. Touching that one thing is a really bad idea.’ It’s also interesting that people tend to focus on the single thing that is off limits, and not the whole garden full of stuff that God does give them.

Furthermore, it isn’t that God doesn’t intend for the man and the woman ever to become wise, the question is how they are meant to become wise. God’s plan is for them to become wise by trusting and being in relationship with Him. In the surrounding cultures, the serpent, on the other hand, represents wisdom that you get to all by yourself without reference to God. So the choice is not wisdom or no wisdom, but wisdom with or without God. They choose to listen to the serpent, which is a choice to attain independent wisdom without wanting to continue to trust God."

I’m not sure if this quite answers the question, but it seems to me like a useful starting point to bear in mind. The disobedience is about wanting to get somewhere without God’s help, which doesn’t necessarily mean that God never intended for them to get there!

Have a blessed day everyone!

"haunted house" theology

I was wondering ... do we as Christians worry to much about evil at times. How much should we keep an eye out for the deceiving things of the world but of course keep our main focus on Jesus? I am reading a lot of things on the web lately that point out occult or satanic things that many of us are probably not even aware of...is that a good thing or not?

I have seen long discussions about the dangers of certain things like Harry Potter, pokemon, Dungeons and Dragons, the third eye on our American money (just to name ONE thing on it that is considered evil) and the list just keeps getting longer and longer... I thought about doing a thread titled...list all the occult or evil things you know about...just to exchange information about all these things. But do you think that would be really an edifying thing to do? Would it be somewhat paranoid? Shouldn't our focus be elsewhere?

In order for me just to learn about ALL the evil things and why they are evil and how to avoid them I would be spending 99% of my time reading and searching for those things ... Since we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood is there anything that isn't evil in it? Probably a few things ... but honestly its hard to even hear about a church that isn't corrupted anymore ... Let alone anything else.

If I have 666 on the barcodes of everything in my home is that opening me up to demonic attacks? If I turn the TV on and flip through the channel and just happen to run across a show on witchcraft for two seconds is that enough to cause demonic attacks? If I am walking around with dollar bills in my pocket with the third eye on it, is that enough to cause spiritual harm to me?Can evil even totally be avoided in this world? ... Should any of us really spend the time and energy to keep up on EVERYTHING that is bad or not? I would think this would lead to be the most fearful of Christians, all the time. Wouldn't it be easier to just assume everything is evil and wear the Armor Of God at all times?

Since God doesn't give us the spirit of fear..and we are told to we should "have no anxieties about anything"....is this really benefiting us focusing on all the evil, demon stuff out there?I think too a point we do need to be aware of some things going on, especially if you are a new Christian and not aware of the dangers of some things...sure...but how much do you think is too much knowledge of these things?

This is what I call "haunted house" theology -- Christians who are constantly seeing demons or evil spirits all around them.I think this way ... we know there is evil built into the very fabric of this world. But we are not of this world. I know that by focusing on Christ, I am kept safe from evil influence, and even see it flee from the presence of the Holy Spirit in me. Jesus recognized evil, but surely never feared it. Neither should we.We are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. We walk through the midst of evil knowing that the power of God is greater. "....I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me....."


Have a blessed day everyone! May His peace be upon you ...

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Ephesians 6:10 "A final word: Be strong with the Lord's might power.

11 Put onall of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm againstall strategies and ticks of the Devil.

12 For we are not fightingagainst people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

13 Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the timeof evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm.