Sunday, April 14, 2013

Ah-hah!.....gotcha!

Previously, in discussing "free will" - specifically, to what degree our "will" is actually "free" when it comes to actualizing the outcomes that we desire - one of my readership pointed out that when someone is told not to do something, that this, many times, is practically a guarantee that they will do it. But why is this? Could at least part of it be because of our innate curiosity, which is inherent in our being human? And can other factors come into play, too, like sexual attraction and/or the need for acceptance of others? And what about our past experiences? I say, "yes", to all of the above.

So, let's take another look at the whole garden incident and its two human prototypes and their overseeing protagonist, "God"---or more specifically, "Yahweh".

First off, Yahweh, who is presumably "omniscient", would've had to have known that the two prototypes would eat the "forbidden fruit". In other words, what we're talking here is a set-up, AKA, a sting operation. Yes, that's right, Yahweh knew damned-well that Adam & Co. would eat the "forbidden fruit", and for contrast, Yahweh knew this with even more certainty than Dateline and Brian Hanson knew that middle-aged man "X" was going to take the "bait",  jail bait, that is, when they arranged for said bait to personally call and invite middle-aged man "X" to her house. And it's interesting that, in the latter scenario, "X" can be arrested for mere intent; he need not actually "eat the fruit"(no pun), whereas, in the garden parable, the duo must act on their "will" to constitute an actual "trespass". In other words, "God" realizes that the subjects in his sting operation are going to at least contemplate doing what they were warned not to do. But this is for another discussion.

Entrapment

 So, when Yahweh placed the talking snake in the Garden to tempt the ill-fated duo, it's reasonable for us to conclude that this was nothing less than a set-up----**the two didn't stand a chance. To compound the unfairness, the penalty for the duo's "trespass" is all of humankind's penalty---that is, we are all labeled inherently "evil", and worse, we are all held accountable, according to Xian doctrine. But what about Yahweh's "Perfect Justice"? Even if we had all chosen to eat the apple of our own volition, how in the hell does a one-time offense make us inherently "bad" and not worthy of Yahweh's (or anyone else's) trust?!? What... you or I screw up royally one time, and that means that we're destined to repeat it? LOL! I don't think so, albeit, there are clearly some cases where people shouldn't be extended benefit of doubt..e.g..child molesters, serial rapists, etc.

**In a previous post, I talked about how/why "God" is actually dependent on "evil", and in which case, he was not only counting on Adam & Co. to eat the infamous apple, he needed them to eat it.

  So, to my onlooking Christian readership, this is an open invitation to put this into terms that make sense. And if the central tenets of Christianity don't make sense, in this case, "Original Sin", I think we are being reasonable to discard them, which is precisely what I have done.