If the Earth was paradisaical before the fall of Adam, what was the point of having the Garden of Eden?
Paradise
13 thoughts on “Paradise”
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Thought-provoking commentary on life, politics, religion and social issues.
Thought-provoking commentary on life, politics, religion and social issues.
If the Earth was paradisaical before the fall of Adam, what was the point of having the Garden of Eden?
Comments are closed.
Do you suppose that the Garden of Eden was a paradise in it’s own league, even more so than the paradisical glory of the earth?
K.
Not sure, but it appears that Eden persisted after the Fall–after all, Adam & Eve were driven out of it and the Tree of Life remained.
how do you know it remained once they left? There was no one there to vouch that it actually remained there
Sally, I’m basing my opinion (1) on the fact that they were driven out of a garden that still existed, rather than having the garden simply vanish around them, and (2) on the fact that cherubim were sent to guard the Tree of Life at the time they were driven out, rather than simply having the Tree disappear from the earth.
Those facts support why ti was there as they were leaving, but do not support the opinion that the garden existed for a significant period of time after.
Kim, why would they need to be driven out of the garden? If it was going to disappear the moment they left, why wouldn’t it just disappear as they stood in it?
I don’t know if there’s a good answer to that question, and I also don’t know if the opinion I gave above is right. When we know that at least some elements of the Eden story are figurative and not literal, then it becomes difficult and probably fruitless to examine it in the very concrete way we’re doing here.
but ltbugaf it makes us think doesn’t it? And we don’t the extent of “being driven out” means.. after all it’s not like they got sent to another planet.. who was to say that if the tree of life just disappeared that Adam and Eve would just not remain around the corner? After all if they were going to break one commandment I would hardly think they wouldn’t break a 2nd one if they thought no one would notice.
In my eyes being driven away from a beautiful place like Eden (from what the pictures tell us it looked like) to a desolate place would be like someone sending me from BC to Saskatchewan!!! It would be enough to keep me on my toes. :)
“would be like someone sending me from BC to Saskatchewan”
I think you inadvertently reversed this statement.
nope no inadvertently reversing anything.. just double checked my statement and I was right :->
Good grief, sometimes you are so exasperating…all of you! Hehe.
K.
yeah but that just makes you love us more Kris :)
How about the possibility that the garden represented the temple and thus they had to be cast out. Not that it would disappear around them. It is also entirely possible with the fall, the garden became subject to laws of nature just as Adam and Eve, so it entered a life cycle that would bring death, thus they had to leave. The tree of life would continue to exist until it died. I don’t think things just appear or disappear, God is a being of order. The garden I think would have remained as a reminder for them of what happens when we sin, we are cast from God’s presence. We then will need the atonement to let us back. I hope that bit of rambling makes sense.
Tanya
That does make a lot of sense, the garden becoming subject to the laws of nature. Though I wonder if the Tree of Life was “taken” like other places and things have been taken?