Imperial_Samura
Anticrust Smurf
Originally posted by JesusIsAlive
First, xmarksthespot, there is nothing mythological about the events described in the Bible. Second, Do you personally have children or do you know of someone that has children? Has your child or the child of someone that you know always obeyed his/her parents? Every parent takes a risk in bringing a child into the world. There are no guarantees that that child will obey its parents in all things, grow up completely responsible, and ultimately become a law-abiding citizen. But yet people knowingly bring children into this world (some of which end up on death row, in prison for life, or as serial killers or terrorists). Some children come into the world with disabilities and other health problems. Some children are born with behavioral problems or severe genetic defects and abnormalities. Some children are born pygmies or abnormally tall. Some are born hermaphrodites (possessing characteristics of both genders). In spite of all of these possibilities people continue to have children with full knowledge that all of these adverse circumstances may befall one or more of their offspring. So let me turn the question back on you. Why would you or someone that you know knowingly bring a child into the world with the possibility that that child might become the next Hitler? Why would you or someone that you know bring a child into the world with the possibility that that child might become a pedophile, rapist, murderer, thief, terrorist, racist, etc. Can't you see the fallacy in this line of thinking? People that have children don't worry about these things for the joy of bringing a life into the world. I said all that to say this: I surmise that God created Adam and Eve because He wanted children. But God knew that His children were going to be capable of disobeying Him (the same is true of earthly parents and their children). I conjecture that God wanted children that had the power to choose whether or not to love and obey Him. I don't believe that God wanted a couple of automatons (i.e. robots) that simply do what they are programmed to do. Do you want your children to be robots? Do you want your children to love you because they have no other choice or alternative? Your children have a free will (just like Adam and Eve) and they can decide for themselves whether to love you or to hate you. If your children did not have a will then they could not truly love you out of a heart of genuine love for you. They would be doing so because they have no other choice. I believe that God wanted to have children who were created in His image and likeness and have the power to choose (just like God) whether to love Him or not to love Him. God made Adam and Eve with wills so that they could make a decision on their own and not be forced to do anything. If you love you parents then the best way to demonstrate this is through your obedience to their commands (i.e. instructions). Children who truly love their parents are first and foremost obedient to their parents. This is a fundamental principle that all of us recognize. It is no different with Adam and Eve. God put that tree in the garden for no other reason that to give Adam and Eve an opportunity to obey Him of their own free will. Just like children today, Adam and Eve chose (i.e. willingly exercised their free wills in spite of the consequences) to disobey their Heavenly Father. What they did is no different than what children do all day long everyday. The only difference is that their consequence was death because they loosed the law of sin and death into the human race and into the world corrupting everything with sin. It is not God's fault that His children disobeyed Him. You can train, instruct, and instill values into your children but that is not an iron-clad, full-proof guarantee that your children will never disobey you. The onus is not on God at all. There are children that have grown up in homes where their parents were paragons of virtue and have lived exemplary lives for their children to emulate. But yet and still those children rebelled. Some children's rebellion is just a phase or a reaction to peer pressure and so forth. But the point is that their parents did everything that they could for them and yet they still rebelled. Now, those children may have eventually came to their senses and are now living their lives responsibly before God, their parents, and their fellow man/woman. So, don't blame God for Adam and Eve's mess, it is not His fault any more than it is your fault that your children's infractions are necessarily your fault. Don't you remember all of the stupid, ignorant, disobedient things that you did? We all do but we don't necessarily blame our parents for our foolishness do we? So don't blame God for Adam and Eve's foolishness.
The problem with the whole "parent/child" analogy is that, simply put, it doesn't work.
If it was true God would be be considered negligent by the law.
Oh wait, I forgot God doesn't obey the law. God is a parent? When he drowned the world and killed all those "evil people" - was that something a parent usually does, kill their children? And the Egyptian children. And I know few parents who would see their children suffer terribly - even the ones who actually have done something wrong let alone the ones who simply "believed the wrong thing." Yet God will let the Atheist burn, and the Hindus and Buddhists and Muslims and Catholics and everyone else who found more truth in teachings other then he, or those who believed in him but believed wrong.
So much for a proud father, proud of our free will, doing what out hearts and minds tell us is right. I mean it might be understandable if it was just really bad people. But the people who society doesn't classify as bad? Like some father sending his son or daughter to hell because she wanted to be a doctor instead of a lawyer. "I know I said you should use your free will and do what you think is right... but by that I meant follow me complelty. Sorry, off to hell with you my child. But remember while you suffer I will still love you."
And parents are meant to educate and answer questions... ooops, looks like God forgot that one. He just left a book and nothing else, and that book is far from perfect.
And parents who leave poisons in reach of children are bad parents. Whats this... God left the tree that would lead to sin within reach of the children! Bad Parent! Bad God!
And parents are meant to protect their children from harm and bad people... lets see, open up the paper... and whats this? There are children dying somewhere. A house fire... faulty wiring. Flames to hot for it to be rescued. Well, thank heavens its parent God was looking out for it. Its horrible fiery death is understandable when one has God as a parent.
And whats this? The ultimate bad man Satan... yes, God certainly protects us from him, doesn't he? Just let Satan whisper in our ears and then gives him our eternal souls if we don't live up to God's expectations.
Etc etc etc.