Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!vax135!ariel!houti!hogpc!houxm!hocda!spanky!burl!duke!phs!cmk From: cmk@phs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Garden of Eden Message-ID: <1729@phs.UUCP> Date: Wed, 15-Jun-83 07:41:56 EDT Article-I.D.: phs.1729 Posted: Wed Jun 15 07:41:56 1983 Date-Received: Sat, 18-Jun-83 21:02:55 EDT Lines: 22 The last time I started a discussion on this net, a lot of people dumped all over me like a ton of bricks. Being a slow learner, let's try it again. Doing some reading on the creation/evolution thing started me thinking on Genesis in general, and Adam and Eve in the garden in particular. My question is this: Adam and Eve were instructed not to eat of the fruit of the tree lest, as memory serves, they die. The subsequently did eat, and, as we all know, did not die. Therefore, 1. Was God lying when he said they would die? 2. If he was not lying, was he speaking symbolically? If so, why is symbolism here OK, but not when we speak of the creation story and the "days of creation"? 3. If the Garden of Eden was supposed to be a perfect place, how does one explain the existence there of something I would call an imperfection, namely the fear of death? Comments welcomed. Chuck