Well, Chopper, let me give you a couple of " for instances"....... The poor people here would have been subjected to some of the points in "the fall" that I think are kind of important to consider. And I really am not too sure that is a good thing when someone might be trying to simply get some long-accepted "standards" under their belt.
Those examples:
One, the possible reasons for Adam being fearful of God, when he likely had never been afraid of him before, nor ashamed. Sure, we have, "their eyes being opened", so that they knew they were naked, but is that all there was to it? Why would nakedness be something to be ashamed of, if they had never experienced anything else? Naturally, I see the word, "SHAME", coming into play here. After all, what is probably the biggest thing Satan uses against us? Is it not "shame" in all its forms? Even self-condemning shame (or, "guilt") that does such an effective job of keeping us apart from God... just as it did right there in the garden.
I see most of this as the "glass we see through, darkly", due to the veil of sin we now view God through. The same veil that I believe Jesus was forced to have to see His Father through on the cross... because He had actually "become" sin for our rescue. We know God never left Him, but he THOUGHT God was gone, or He would not have asked the question of "Why" He appeared to have forsaken Him.
Then, there is the point that I feel is ultra important that we understand so that we do not just keep on perpetuating the belief that God is angry with us because we sin. The consequences of sin that He had to put on both Adam and Eve.... (the childbirth pain and ground tilling) You see, I don't think these were curses, per se, directed at these two, as a definite "curse" was levied upon Satan. I see them as undesired, parental chastisements that God gave for corrective guidance, but not as vengeful, angry punishments.
Nor do I see even death as being a totally "punitive" measure. Can someone tell me how we are to be rid of sin, if we never have a chance to die, and then be raised to newness of life? I feel God already had this all mapped out. And that is why, when He knew we would foul up and inherit the "death" that He warned Adam about, He already planned to keep us from having to endure eternal life, forever bearing the shame and guilt sin brings. And He did this by keeping them away from the Tree of Life. I can't envision the banishment as anything but an act of love, so that we could be allowed to die. (The payment for which, Jesus became our scriptural scapegoat)
Yet, we still teach others that God is angry with us. And that if we sin, we go to Hell. When I firmly believe winding up in Hell has nothing at all to do with committing breaches of God's law (sin) I read the Bible as saying Hell is for unbelievers, period. Even there, I feel nothing is ever said indicating that individual "sins" will send one to Hell. I see all the "bad" actions and attitudes Jesus describes, NOT as being what deserves Hell, but rather as symptoms and behaviors of the kind of unbelieving person who will stubbornly sentence themselves to Hell.
So....... do you see why, with just this little bit of my controversial ranting, I honestly feel it is not in the best interests of perhaps beginning "learners", to have to try and sort through what some old guy states... when it goes so much against what they are going to hear from most preachers or priests? It really makes no difference in their salvation, so why not just silently sit back and read, every few days?
