In my anthropology class last week, this question was raised: Why did God put the Tree with Forbidden Fruit in the Garden of Eden? The question was raised but not answered by either the theist or atheist contingent. I find this to be an important matter in understanding the bible, and i have rarely heard it explained. I venture this argument:
The bible has a convoluted relationship with the notion of man’s free will, but in this case is clear. Without God’s placing some kind of prohibition that could be broken, thereby generating disobedience, their could be no chance to demonstrate choice and free will. Essentially, just like any good scientist, God allowed for a negative outcome, knowing the results would be meaningless without the possibility. It would be like voting for president with only one name on the ballot.
I feel that this is a rarely articulated concept. Anyone heard it put this way before? Where did you hear it?
Some fear debut of powerful atom-smasher — CNN.com
Let me take the minority view on this one. So… what if we do actually destroy the earth by building a machine of this power? Perhaps every intelligent species has had the technology to build such a thing without the corresponding ability to accurately model what it will do when they turn it on. Maybe we’re about there’s a cosmic corner that you just can’t peek around without taking a leap of ill-founded faith. There could be a point that all civilizations reach where they self-destruct because the laws of physics are bent too far by inexperienced hands, turning curious societies into a tragic stream of dead worlds. Maybe that’s why we’re “alone;” it’s because everyone else committed technocide.
I can’t wait for them to turn it on! I’ll throw a party!
Can voters be held account for their votes?
Could we vote for a criminal?
Are the voter’s responsible for the criminal’s actions?
What consequences are there for a population voting for a bad person?
Try not to break Godwin’s law.
The Christian Bible says that God has named all the stars.
This begs the question: Why are all the names of the stars in Arabic?
P.S. For all you wise-asses out there, I know the answer historically, I’m posing this for theological interest.
Question of the day…
If you work in India, why do I have to call you during normal business hours???
AT&T, go to hell.
