tree of knowledge

[dawn]

what is the tree of knowledge?
i am sure that it is a metaphor, but for what?

what was the original sin? lust or envy?



any thoughts?

[Sadgrinner]

The tree of knowledge is not a metaphor.

It was an actual physical thing, if you believe the Old Testament.

If you want to read about it, I recommend a book called Genesis... it's in the bible too. The very first part! You only have to read a few pages to get to the Tree of Knowledge stuff.

You'll find when you read about it that 'original sin' is not actually mentioned. Someone (for Catholicism I believe) wrote what you've heard about 'Seven Deadly Sins' and 'Original Sins'. They're not actually anywhere in the bible. Pretty interesting, I think...

sg

[raiSINgirl420]

yeah there is the whole bible thing. of all the trees in the garden of eden, two are given special attention in scriptures: the tree of knowledge and the tree of life. adam and eve were told they could eat of all the trees except the tree of knowledge. but they ate from the tree of knowledge therefore could not eat from the tree of life, a tree that would cause them to live forever.

some people refer to the tree of knowledge as the total sum of all human knowledge that can be passed on between individuals. it is everything we have learned as a species.

and then this excerpt from frissells 'nothing..' explains it.

" According to Sitchin's interpretation of the Sumerian texts in The 12th Planet, after the Nefilim created us to work in the gold mines in Africa, some of us were brought to Mesopotamia to help in the gardens in E.DIN. The "gods" loved us because, after all, we were made in their own image. But in the garden in E.DIN where the Nefilim had their orchards we were told not to eat the fruit of a certain tree called the tree of knowledge. We disobeyed. Eating this fruit and gaining its "knowledge" was significant because it gave us the ability to reproduce sexually. Up until this point we were hybrids, a cross between two different species, and like all hybrids we were incapable of reproduction. Sitchin interprets the Sumerian texts as saying we are a cross between the Nefilim and **** erectus, the predecessor of **** sapiens. It is through Thoth that we get the additional information about the role of the beings from Sirius.

Not surprisingly, the Nefilim did not want us reproducing. They wanted to maintain control of their own experiment. The knowledge we gained from eating the fruit was not scientific as such- it was the knowledge of how to procreate, how to turn ourselves from sterile hybrids into a new species fully capable of reproducing. The Nefilim were angry when we gained the ability to reproduce, and they made us leave the garden. According to scholars of ancient texts, the Sumerian records precede the Biblical records, and the Biblical creation stories seem to be just a summary of older Sumerian texts. (7)

Although we had to leave their garden, the Nefilim allowed us to grow food on our own. We went to the mountainous area east of the gardens in Mesopotamia. According to Thoth, we remained there for a long time. But then there was a big shift in consciousness and another pole shift, and that continent sank. Many of the survivors went to Africa, but the most evolved went to Lemuria, a land which rose above water when the other continent sank. "

[YURAKAPTIV]

My understanding of the story from the Bible is that the ToK represents life,such as our DNA.The story is saying that if we try to figure Life out and change it in some way,such as cloning,attempting to control the enviroment with pesticides,damning rivers for our own gain,anything to control or pollute Life,rather than coincide with it,then God's Wrath(Mother Nature,Human Nature),will destroy us.

[ArthurDent]

While I reject a literal interpretation of the Bible and reject a great deal of it entirely (after all, if I believed literally in the Bible, I would be out killing homosexuals and stoning adulturesses), I do think that there are things we can learn from it. The Genesis story is rather interesting. God commanded Adam and Eve, the first humans, as most of you know, that they could eat of any tree in the garden except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I'm not exactly sure where the "Tree of Life" comes into the picture; I'm no theologian. The Tree of Knowledge, to me, represents the ever-growing, ever-changing, ever-evolving religious thought and moral thought of humanity. God basically said to Adam and Eve, "You'll be happier living in ignorance, trust me." However, since we humans are inquisitve beings (well, some of us, anyway), Adam and Eve ate from the tree (with a little encouragement from our old pal, Satan). Basically, what Eve was saying was, "I'd rather seek the truth than be in this blissful state of ignorance." Adam followed Eve, being as he was male and she was female (lol); he probably figured that he wouldn't get laid that night if he didn't liste n to her. What this story shows is that, for some people, ignorance (blind belief in a government, a religion, or even science) is bliss. Most of us on these forums, though, are of an inquisitive nature, and with a little help from our ol' pal, Satan, we ate from the tree. Am I happier than I was when I was a Christian? Yes, I would say so. I believe that becoming an agnostic has truly broadened my horizons and helped me to grow as a person. I am happier, but I am not as secure, being as I have no concrete belief system. Such is the way of it. You guys have to realize, though, that some people of limited mental capacity, or people whose lives are spiraling out of control NEED "someone strong to guide you." These people may actually be better off with a concrete belief system. It's all relative. I think that Tool speaks mostly to the intellectual. Many people simply cannot be dissuaded from their beliefs, but I don't think we need to stoop to their level and prosylytize. If they're happy in their ignorance, let them be. I, however, am busy snacking on this delicious apple that that serpent fellow offered me. Anybody want a bite?

[ArthurDent]

While I'm at it, how the crap do you spell "proselytize?" Is it "prosylytize?" "Proselytize?" "Proselitize?" I'm confused.

[winston grudge]

Ley's all watch Neon Genesis: Evangelion and watch the tree of life durring the opening of every episode! Yay!
Ok, maybe not...

[Thrakandor]

Eh, so far as I'm concerned, if God really cared, he'd have put a fence around the tree.

It just doesn't make sense to me.

[Tralfamadore-83]

Any of you actually aware of the "pre-life"?

Were not here so god can "fuck with us", were here to be tested to see if we are worthy enough to be in his presence. There was no "fence" because then the choice would not be ours.

Agency is a neccessity to be tested. Hence satan was cast out of heaven when his idea of "forcing mankind" was rejected and he refused to go through with the "agency bit".

If there was an actual physical tree, then im sure the "trees" werent far apart. Opposite spectral choices are often not far apart as to not confuse.

If a metaphor; its not hard to imagine god would have said "now heres yer choices: go exist in my backyard and live forever, with no progression... or begin the learning experience and be cast out of my presence to live a life full of choices and agency, and then come back to me"

It wasnt some big joke of gods that when eating the fruit we would live a paradox that "gods plan requires we disobey him", its just another learning experience that we had to have; sin is a part of our knowlege enveloped by the test.

anyhow, cheers.

[dawn]

I think free will describes it best.
"god condems no one, they hang themselves"

[paraflux]

It was the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, not just the tree of knowledge. Big difference. See my (and others) posts about this subject under AEnema-46&2-Adam and Eve

[Aenimal]

I tend to agree with the Ishmeal point of view on the Tree of knowledge. In that, the story of the tree of knowledge was written by tribal peoples in mesopotamia who passivqly observed one culture( the taker culture) begin totalitarian aggriculture and decided that the way they lived was THE right way to live. So as they expanded with their ulimited amount of food and they abolished and assimililated every other culture in their path. Other tribes saw them as "having eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil" because this one destructive culture took "justice" into their own hands and started deciding what was good or evil in definition. Who should live and how.