Poor Eve

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"

But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil." 

The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:1-8)

Aha!  “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.”  She wanted wisdom and to share that wisdom with her husband.  God bless her!  Oops.  God was not too pleased, according to Genesis.  In fact, later in Genesis we learn God gave them the boot out of the Garden of Eden.  Who said God was not punishing?  No mercy there, although I guess their fate could have been worse.

Putting the blame on Eve was calamitous for women throughout the ages.  She caused the “fall,” so Christian history claims, and it’s the basis for the concept of original sin with Eve shouldering the blame.  Baloney!  She was scapegoated!  Adam was with her!  He must have heard the serpent as well.  Doofus.  

By the way, St. Augustine (born 354) developed the idea of original sin based on this “fall.”  If Adam and Eve are mythical and part of a great Genesis story full of ancient meaning, then, really, what is original sin for us 21st century thinkers? 

How many of us hear the sound of the LORD God moving about in our gardens at the breezy time of the day?  Do we hide ourselves among the trees of the garden?  In other words, do we hear the sound of God throughout our daily lives and then respond to God with acts of compassion, forgiveness, and love?  If we don’t, then we are naked and should sew fig leaves together to make loincloths for ourselves and be ready to be ushered out the Garden’s gate.  We won’t deserve Eden.

Deacon David Pierce