Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Why Were Adam and Eve Expelled?
The classic Christian understanding is that Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden because they disobeyed G-d’s commandment not to eat the fruit. This is not actually what the text says, but everyone is guilty, to some extent, of changing the story to make it align with our expectations.
I used to point out that Adam and Eve were not expelled until after they denied responsibility for their actions – which means that they must have been expelled as a punishment for a failure in owning up to their mistakes. In that reading of the text, the core lesson of Eden is that G-d wants people to act on free will, and understand that with great power comes great responsibility. Isn’t that both logical and textual?