Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: jclark@sdcc6.ucsd.edu (John Clark) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Shame Message-ID: Date: 28 Apr 91 22:16:23 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of California, San Diego Lines: 32 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article burt@sequent.uucp (Burton Keeble) writes: + +2) God knew they were going to eat the forbidden fruit; that is why it +was in the garden. He sent the serpent to help us along, for it was time +for man to become man. + +And in so doing, He sets us on our great errand of becomming a race that will +succeed in spite of all of its faults. And just look at all the fun we have +had so far on our human adventure! Couldn't this be a gift from God? This sound similar to one of the 'gnostic' lines wherein the whole garden set up was to allow man to become more fully developed, i.e. to become 'god-like'. This line was declared anathema in ancient times since it would lead to the conclusion that God was the creator of evil, which was unacceptable to the 'received' Christian fathers. Some people point to the re-occuring themes as 'demonic' inspired. But for one who stands outside of the Christian beliefs, I feel that it is because of certain structural inadiquacies that these themes re-occur. In particular, the question of 'is God ultimately responsible for evil?' has been answer at various times by 1) Yes 2) No 3) the concept of 'evil' is only a state of distance from the Diety, which can be closed by the choice of the individual. I'm sure others could state even more variations on theme. If 1) is true then why should one want to worship such a deity, if 2) is true then whence evil; if 3) then can anyone be truely condemned forever, but eventually make it back to 'the godhead'. -- John Clark jclark@ucsd.edu