the eve problem
The Eve problem is not hard to understand or see, nor is it complicated in determining why there became a problem. Eve was told specifically not to eat from one particular tree, which was in the midst of the garden. It was the tree of knowledge, which would allow her to know good from evil, and to open her eyes. No one was supposed to eat from it, for god had told them to stay clear of it. The problem came when the serpent convinced Eve into taking from the tree and eating. The serpent told her that the only reason god did not want them to eat from it, was because if they did, then their eyes would open and they would know good from evil, and would be gods themselves. Therefore, under the words of the serpent, Eve took a piece of fruit from the tree, one for Adam as well, and ate it. Then she gave it to Adam and he ate it. Once they ate the fruit, they realized that they were naked, and when god came to speak to them, Adam told him that he had hid from god, for he was afraid and naked. That is when good knew that they had eaten from the tree, for they would not have known that otherwise. God had to punish them for eating from this tree that he said not to.
There are people who take a fundamental view, who believe that god wrote the Old Testament, and gave it to man as a guide. Maybe it is possible that god inspired some of the Old Testament, however I believe that for the most part it was simply a group of ancient Jews who wants to provide some sort of social control for the time period in which they lived. For instance, murder is seen as wrong because people believe that god said it was wrong in the Old Testament. I believe that the Old Testament was set up for social control. The issue of child bearing is not really the major issue; it is more so the idea that the women's husband will rule over her. It was written to represent the times, and in a sense is like the constitution, in that it has the ability to adjust to the changing times. If you believe that god wrote or inspired people the write the old testament, then you would be going against what he says if you are a man and do not control your wife, or if you are a wife and do not obey your husband. God told eve that she was going to have to bear children, which is a painful process. However, on the other hand, if you believe like I do, and do not believe that god wrote it, then that means that there are also a lot of good things that are present in the writings that would not hold as much weight. Both the Serpent and Adam were punished, but the Eve problem has to do with the punishment that was passed down to her, and all women for that matter. And finally, there are people who take an anthropological view, who believe that ancient Jews wrote the Old Testament to express their beliefs about the meaning of existence, their concept of a higher power and their need to understand what then was unknowable. He also said that Eves desire, also pertaining to women as a whole, would be to there husbands and that he shall rule over thee. Therefore, most of us who are married in this world, would be committing a sin. I don't believe that it was meant to last forever, especially in today's society, a women although still must give child birth, is not to be ruled by her husband.
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