The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, why was it created and placed on earth?

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Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
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They didnt know right from wrong.

They were also created in the image and likeness of God.God is a spirit.

Their fall was what made them mortal and able to die in the flesh.
Not knowing right from wrong does not equate to not knowing anything.

God is a spirit but Adam was formed from the dust of the ground.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
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They didnt know right from wrong.
how did they know whether they should listen to God or not?

the woman saw that the tree was good for food
(Genesis 3:6)
what does Woman know about 'right for food' vs 'wrong for food' ?
 

BeeThePeace

Active member
May 2, 2022
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Not knowing right from wrong does not equate to not knowing anything.

God is a spirit but Adam was formed from the dust of the ground.
It does mean they didnt know how to make an informed choice as pertains to obedience because they not conscious of the concepts relating to consequence , alternatives and consent.
 

BeeThePeace

Active member
May 2, 2022
443
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how did they know whether they should listen to God or not?

the woman saw that the tree was good for food
(Genesis 3:6)
what does Woman know about 'right for food' vs 'wrong for food' ?
Wrong post for your reply.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
59,774
29,153
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It does mean they didnt know how to make an informed choice as pertains to obedience because they not conscious of the concepts relating to consequence , alternatives and consent.
Adam was not deceived. The tree they ate from was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, not the tree of the knowledge of right and wrong. Since Adam was not deceived, I would think he knew what he was doing was wrong, and why God held him to be responsible.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,710
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It does mean they didnt know how to make an informed choice as pertains to obedience because they not conscious of the concepts relating to consequence , alternatives and consent.
as PurpleLady put, Adam was not deceived, per 1 Timothy 2:4

in order for him not to be deceived, i take it he has to be informed and conscious of his choices and their consequences. if he is not, then he is deceived by his ignorance of them.

moreover for Woman to know she was deceived, she has to know what is actually right and actually wrong - and it is not that she did not know when she spoke to Satan, else she wouldn't be 'deceived' but simply misinformed. to be misinformed is to have wrong knowledge, but to be deceived is to have knowledge deliberately corrupted.

we see this in his conversation with her - he persuades her that God has wickedly hidden understanding and wisdom from her; things that could not be appealing to her if she had no sense of whether wisdom or understanding are good. he tells her she can become like God, but that God doesn't want her to -- and she could not be persuaded by this if she did not know that God is good, and to be like Him is good. Satan's argument hinges on an accusation against God of being evil - of withholding good things from her intentionally.
Woman cannot be persuaded by such an argument if Woman has no sense whatsoever of right and wrong, good and evil, beneficial and harmful in an ethical sense. Satan's argument & deceit is a moral, ethical argument; an existential one -- based on lies, to be sure, and slanderous accusation against God. but it is a very subtle and technical argument that has a basis in good & evil.


it makes no sense if Woman is oblivious to such things. if she was an idiot with no moral awareness whatsoever, all he would have to do was say hey, maybe eat that - so that she, oblivious moron most people suppose her to be, would just go along with suggestion because hey you know, whatever, what does she know?
instead he has to convince her that God is evil and it is good to eat of the forbidden tree. she knows that to die is evil - he has to lie to her and tell her she won't die. she knows life is good; he lies and tells her she doesn't have 'good' life, that sin will make her life truly good. this also is proof of her capacity for ethical reasoning prior to sin.
 

BeeThePeace

Active member
May 2, 2022
443
135
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Adam was not deceived. The tree they ate from was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, not the tree of the knowledge of right and wrong. Since Adam was not deceived, I would think he knew what he was doing was wrong, and why God held him to be responsible.
Evil is synonymous with wrong behavior. Good, with right,righteous behavior.

Adam and Eve were both deceived by the serpent. Being they encountered the serpent in close proximity to one another.

The serpent obviously already knew about God's rule about that tree. Adam and Eve were not aware of the full meaning of God's ultimatum. Because death didn't enter the world until after the fall. Genesis 3 and 4.

That's why telling them they will surely die if they eat or touch the tree was not possible for them to comprehend.
Some say the death referred to wasn't physical but spiritual.
If Adam snd Eve didn't know what death was, how would they know how to comprehend the import of spiritual death.

And also, for me the biggest question. Given the ramificationsfor all that Gid judged good after having created all things, why would he put one forbidden thing smack dab in the middle of the garden. When he knew they would succumb to temptation.

Thy kingdom come thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.

There was sin in heaven first. There was even a war. Sin entered this world through one man. But to enter it had to exist first.

There is no sin where there is no law.

Here's another question just to expand our thinking.

Why does God require lesser beings to obey and please him? When we were destined to be imperfect and displease him because of our fallen human nature?

And why, when there is no other God, does God need to be worshipped by lesser beings?

His book of eternal life, written and containing names of the saved , and before the creation of the world .

Before the fall.

Why didn't God forgive us the first time we made an innocent mistake, having been decieved by a wiser being?

Why did he bar us from consuming the fruit of the tree of kife, immortal life? When generations later he came to die for those named in his book so to save us and give us eyernal immortal life.

After he called us to him by his grace and gifted us irrevocable faith and Salvation unto eternal immortal life .
Mark 4:22 For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.
 

BeeThePeace

Active member
May 2, 2022
443
135
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as PurpleLady put, Adam was not deceived, per 1 Timothy 2:4

in order for him not to be deceived, i take it he has to be informed and conscious of his choices and their consequences. if he is not, then he is deceived by his ignorance of them.

moreover for Woman to know she was deceived, she has to know what is actually right and actually wrong - and it is not that she did not know when she spoke to Satan, else she wouldn't be 'deceived' but simply misinformed. to be misinformed is to have wrong knowledge, but to be deceived is to have knowledge deliberately corrupted.

we see this in his conversation with her - he persuades her that God has wickedly hidden understanding and wisdom from her; things that could not be appealing to her if she had no sense of whether wisdom or understanding are good. he tells her she can become like God, but that God doesn't want her to -- and she could not be persuaded by this if she did not know that God is good, and to be like Him is good. Satan's argument hinges on an accusation against God of being evil - of withholding good things from her intentionally.
Woman cannot be persuaded by such an argument if Woman has no sense whatsoever of right and wrong, good and evil, beneficial and harmful in an ethical sense. Satan's argument & deceit is a moral, ethical argument; an existential one -- based on lies, to be sure, and slanderous accusation against God. but it is a very subtle and technical argument that has a basis in good & evil.


it makes no sense if Woman is oblivious to such things. if she was an idiot with no moral awareness whatsoever, all he would have to do was say hey, maybe eat that - so that she, oblivious moron most people suppose her to be, would just go along with suggestion because hey you know, whatever, what does she know?
instead he has to convince her that God is evil and it is good to eat of the forbidden tree. this also is proof of her capacity for ethical reasoning prior to sin.
Deception. Truth.
Ignorance precludes knowing the difference.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,710
13,519
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Deception. Truth.
Ignorance precludes knowing the difference.
I think you missed the part where Satan's entire argument hinges on convincing her that God is evil.
In order for that to work she has to know the difference between good and evil.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,710
13,519
113
telling them they will surely die if they eat or touch the tree was not possible for them to comprehend.
Why would God give Adam a command he cannot possibly understand and had no way of knowing whether he should obey or not, and then judge him for breaking it?
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
30,742
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I think you missed the part where Satan's entire argument hinges on convincing her that God is evil.
In order for that to work she has to know the difference between good and evil.
Sounds like a loss of innocency before the Fall.