Was sending Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden a blessing or a curse?

[Melisa Jane]

Bother to read the book and a little bit of the Bible, you'll see that God does everything to restore us to that beautiful garden relationship we had with Him.

Biblically, I agree. That's why he even sent his son, to save us and restore the personal relationship with the father.

Don't you think it's contradictory information? If they were that happy and free then why is the ultimate ending going back to that beautiful garden relationship as put by @Dee_Robert ?

It's indeed a complicated matter. We can argue that we all want to go to Eden, but not literally. Our Eden is an ideal world where there are no problems, where all our problems are taken care of by God.

[Melisa Jane]

For me the curse wins out. I think I would prefer living in the garden and not fully expereincing joy than out here paying for the consequences of disobedience

Do you think it might just be a punishment as opposed to a curse? The word "curse" is way too strong. Just some thoughts.

I'm thinking it doesn't matter whether it's a curse or a punishment. We still continue to pay for those sins.

But in literal terms, I think it's curses that span generations.

I agree, though I've seen several comments here claiming that God cannot curse his children. I don't know the basis of these arguments, but I'll wait longer to see how they prove it.

[Melisa Jane]

I agree totally

But the book argues otherwise. It shows a very happy Adam who is glad to finally find himself. He's also very proud to be the leader and to have his descendants.

I fail to see how chasing them away protected them from satan? Wouldn't we all then be safe from satan.

And does that mean satan is somewhere in Eden locked up?

The books seams to put it that way. Maybe all these wrongs that are happening are as a result of the devil's interference at the garden of Eden, and not his current doings. Maybe the devil is still trapped. I can't tell.

[Melisa Jane]

Absolutely, and the Bible does explain it if we care to look through it

But again, the consequences have affected all of his descendants, including some of us who had no idea what had happened. Isn't that a characteristic of a curse?

It is.

The same way upto 4 generations used to pay for someone's sins.

Yeah, biblically, generations were to pay for a man's sins. These are all the Characteristics of curses. Punishments should only affect the immediate wrong doer.

[Melisa Jane]

Knowing my creation story I've always thought that man was sent away as a punishment. I do not how it could possibly be good with all the suffering you see around.

I haven't read this book yet, but really hope to. If it has all these angles to this story, I'm curious

The book argues that Adam and Eve were happier, found new freedom and understood themselves better.

The second part is true, after all that was the trade-off. To eat of the tree and get free will.

The part I'm finding hard to understand is the happiness accompanying the difficulty. Also does that mean God intended for humans to be unhappy in the garden of Eden?

That's the big question. If we argue that Adam and Eve were happier after they were thrown out of Eden, then Eden will look like a prison. People will assume that God kept them prisoners.

[Melisa Jane]

I don't think it was protection against Lucifer, since the serpent also had his own share of curses. Furthermore, the serpent and human beings were set to be enemies forever, and so there was no way of protecting them outside the garden. I think it is simply a punishment for defiance to God's commands.

Or the consequences of disobeying laid down instructions

This is a tough debate. If we view them as mere consequences, then why would these consequences affect generations who didn't disobey the said instructions?

[Melisa Jane]

Just after Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of knowledge, God drove them away from the Garden. The author of this book seems to justify every curse that God put on Adam. At some point, Adam seems grateful for the curses. What really captured my attention was the justification of the fact that God sent them away from Eden. Do you think the main purpose was to protect them from Lucifer? Do you believe that eating from the tree of life would have worsened the situation?

First of all, God didn't put any curse what so ever on man. He only cursed the ground because of man and then increased the pains of childbearing for the woman. He didn't even introduce the pains at that time, He only increased it.....meaning the woman was already meant to experience some pain during childbirth, but probably not much.

Secondly, sending the man and woman away from the garden was for their good and that of mankind to come. That was the singular act that ensured they could be redeemed again. Because if they had gone ahead to eat from the tree of life after the fall (which I suppose they were already eating from before the fall, seeing as the tree of knowledge of good and evil was the only forbidden one), they would have lived perpetually in that fallen state with no possibility of redemption....

This is extremely true

"You and your generation" qualifies the said "punishment" to be a curse. A punishment only affects the wrongdoers, not his generations.

[Melisa Jane]

Just after Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of knowledge, God drove them away from the Garden. The author of this book seems to justify every curse that God put on Adam. At some point, Adam seems grateful for the curses. What really captured my attention was the justification of the fact that God sent them away from Eden. Do you think the main purpose was to protect them from Lucifer? Do you believe that eating from the tree of life would have worsened the situation?

He wasn't protecting them from Lucifer because both Adam and Eve joined him to rebel against God. God drove them away so that they may not eat from the tree of life and become immortal souls.

With disobedience still inherent in them

What about the sense of freedom they felt? What of how happy Adam was to be the leader? What about the feelings Eve felt after the reappearance of Adam after he walked away from her? Weren't these clear signs of happiness?

[wendilou49]

God sent them away because they had failed to keep the one law He gave them; not to eat of that particular tree. It was a curse on them and future humans because they would no longer live in the presence of God and they would know the sorrow of sin and regret. Women would labor to have children and they would desire to rule over men, but the men would be in power.

[Nama Winnie]

Do you think it might just be a punishment as opposed to a curse? The word "curse" is way too strong. Just some thoughts.

I'm thinking it doesn't matter whether it's a curse or a punishment. We still continue to pay for those sins.

But in literal terms, I think it's curses that span generations.

I agree, though I've seen several comments here claiming that God cannot curse his children. I don't know the basis of these arguments, but I'll wait longer to see how they prove it.

I find the bible and God so complicated. *sigh* Everyone exercises liberty in interpretation.

[glossy cherry]

I believe it is a combination of both. Adam and Eve were tested upon the faith in God. They were sent from the Garden of Eden to make them redeem their actions.

[Nama Winnie]

The book argues that Adam and Eve were happier, found new freedom and understood themselves better.

The second part is true, after all that was the trade-off. To eat of the tree and get free will.

The part I'm finding hard to understand is the happiness accompanying the difficulty. Also does that mean God intended for humans to be unhappy in the garden of Eden?

That's the big question. If we argue that Adam and Eve were happier after they were thrown out of Eden, then Eden will look like a prison. People will assume that God kept them prisoners.

Exactly!!

Thanks for echoing my thoughts. This topic is too complicated, but now I'm starting to think the book is misleading.

[Nama Winnie]

But the book argues otherwise. It shows a very happy Adam who is glad to finally find himself. He's also very proud to be the leader and to have his descendants.

I fail to see how chasing them away protected them from satan? Wouldn't we all then be safe from satan.

And does that mean satan is somewhere in Eden locked up?

The books seams to put it that way. Maybe all these wrongs that are happening are as a result of the devil's interference at the garden of Eden, and not his current doings. Maybe the devil is still trapped. I can't tell.

Hah.

Now guys who blame the devil for everything will have to revisit and revise

[SophiaNd]

Sending Adam and Eve away from the Garden was not to protect them from Lucifer, I think because out there, Lucifer will have more access to Adam and Eve than he did when they were in the Garden

[Adedayo+23]

Sending them out of the Garden is neither. It is just the natural outcome of their choice. Since the fruit basically symbolizes the lack of trust toward nature and God and thus the awaking of the Ego and the need for knowledge, it is only natural that human beings found themselves to be isolated. It is not a curse and not a blessing.

If humans trusted God and let go of their Ego, the gates of Eden would reopen in the afterlife. It is a choice, nobody is punishing us.

"It is just the natural outcome of their choice." Exactly! Every action has a consequence, and they had no choice but to accept the natural outcome of the choice they made. It is not necessarily a curse or a blessing.