I am finally actually reading the Bible. It occurs to me that most of the scriptures I know or references I make to the Bible are things that I myself have never physically laid eyes on. It's alot of second hand accounts, passed down from religious leaders, friends, mentors, parents, movies, music etc.
It has been my understanding in the past the general consensus of western culture is that original sin, is Eve's eating of the forbidden fruit, then her passing that fruit on to her husband so that he could eat, and thus getting them removed from paradise and now the world is full of sin etc.
This believe has always bothered me because I have mostly heard it in support of some sort of misogyny. For example the idea that women are foolish or underhanded temptresses who have a pact with the Devil to ruin Man, or simply that all the wrong in the world is a woman's fault. In Sojourne Truth's famous speech "Aint I a Woman" she makes reference to this belief.
"If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them."
The idea is that a woman did it alone. That it was the woman's doing that caused it.
Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Now prior to verse 6, there is no mention of Adam in Chapter 3 of Genesis at all. For the first five verses it's just Eve and the serpent. So what occurred to me was this question Where's Adam?
Genesis 1:26 And God said Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So if Adam is to have dominion over the Earth, and if Adam is charged with being the leader of his family, where is he when the enemy gets to the serpent? Where is he when the enemy gets to his wife, and threatens his household?
It is my understanding that original sin is not the eating of the fruit, but the original sin is Adam neglecting his responsibility and leaving his family unprotected.
Throughout the ordeal Adam does it again
Genesis 3:6 ... and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Now before Eve and Adam are separated into two bodies Genesis 2:21, God tells Adam in chapter 2 verses 16 and 17 "of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) but not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. So Adam knows the rules and he knows the stakes.
Once he sees his wife has been deceived and has disobeyed shouldn't he drive the serpent out of his household and then appeal before God on his family's behalf. He is responsible for seeing to it that the garden and everything in it honors God's will. Instead of being responsible and being the last line of defense for his family, he not only stands by while Eve and the serpent are lead by the enemy, he joins in and sins himself.
Then Adam does it a third time
After their disobedience the two finally acknowledge God's presence in the Garden and they hide.
Genesis 3:9-12 And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, Where art thou? (10) And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.(11)And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? (12)And the man said, THE WOMAN WHOM THOU GAVEST TO BE WITH ME, SHE GAVE ME OF THE TREE, and I did eat.
So here Adam leaves his wife alone to take responsibility and even implicates God is to blame for giving him Eve to begin with. It is my belief that this is the reoccurring sin of men. Possibly the greatest issue of my community and my generation is men's absence in the household and a failure to take leadership.
This is a pattern that has supportive sexism the world over. Men constantly leaving women alone to bare the brunt of the sinful behavior. For example, it seems that we blame women for a man becoming aroused. It is up to women to dress in a certain way to deal with the lust that a man feels. Being married I realize something that should be quite obvious, breast are a body part. They are not these magical sexual beacons sticking out to attract attention from men. Breast have a weight, women feel them, and with the exception of surgery, women have no control over the size or shape of them. The idea that women should make special efforts to alter their bodies or their appearance to be treated as human beings by men is quite un Godly and quite irresponsible.
In sexual situations, women are often left to be blamed for the shame men feel for actions they believe to be sinful. If a man and woman engage in a sexual activity that the man finds contemptable, the women is to blame in his eyes. You will hear him say "You won't believe what she let me do..." she will have a reputation for an act they both engaged in.
As a man I believe that God has charged to be an example, to be responsible for my community, my household, and my family. Am I being the change that I want to see? or am I participating in the sin around me. Am I taking responsibility for my community? or Am I standing idly by why the enemy kills it, robs it, and destroys it. If I don't do something who will? If I am not an example then who is? I believe that God has given me as a man a great responsibility and my refusing to participate is failing those I care about. I must ask myself everyday, am I doing my part? and then do it.
Sexism allows me to deny my responsibility to the community, to act as if Gog creating women to serve Men and take care of men, when I believe that God created women to serve him and created people to take care of one another.
Love-Health-Awareness-Wealth
Mjh
You said a mouthful. That was really an excellent observation of life and society. I appreciate how you focused it on a Bible teaching. People often interpret the lessons in the Bible in the most degenerate ways. I love how you said that women were not created to serve men, but were created to serve God and people are meant to take care of one another... that is profound, and progressive. You should be on the front page... DIVERSITY UP!!!
Anyway, I immediately think of the concept of Pandora's box. I dont like the negative connotations of women being seductive temptress with ulterior motives. But women do have an ability to hold sway and influence over men. This is highly individualized of course, to each woman her own wiles. But even speaking generally women can turn the head of men. I dont think this tears down your argument that women are not the origin of sin. I just think that its a factor. and it works both ways, just not to the same extent en mon avis...
Perhaps Adam did let his family down by not thinking of the future of his family first. It's the burden of being the first man, i guess. But that sin was manifested in that Adam and Eve didnt work together, way to fail the first big 'test' in the first marriage...
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http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/mai
Peace & Blessings
. But that sin was manifested in that Adam and Eve didnt work together, way to fail the first big 'test' in the first marriage...
Exactly. I certainly feel that Eve had her part, and it isn't about blame but about responsibility. Far too often I feel that I have searched for a person to blame, rather than a way to the solution, The solution is always in my hands, at least part of it. Reading scripture I feel God has revealed to me that I always have a part to play, and if I play my part God will always come through for me.
The original sin is what I believe sin is period, people didn't look after one another, we didn't work together, we didn't do our part.
Love-Health-Awareness-Wealth
Mjh
Interesting take on Genesis. However, I just want to point out that although sin was brought into the world by a woman, God Himself was also brought into the world by a woman (in the form of Man...God is already present everywhere because He is Existence itself ;)). God's greatest creation was a woman in Mary, who was the mother of God (Jesus, being God, was not a creation ;)). Anyway...not to get preachy, but I love Our Lady a ton and she is such an awesome role model!!! I could seriously go on and on about how awesome she is. :D One of my favorite Bible passages is John 2 (Wedding Feast at Cana).
RESPECT LIFE
SMILE EVERY DAY
"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
~Mother Teresa
One of my thoughts has always been, in regards to the biblical family structure that places the man at the head of household, who is supposed to be like Christ to his family, and the woman subservient and obedient, while the children honor both.
Growing up in my family, all of that was twisted up and the Bible became a source of laughter when I would read these things. It only works if the man truly is acting godly and is subservient to his higher power, and humble in himself.
How can children be expected to honor parents who are not honorable? The family is the cell in the body of our nation, and the nation seems pretty sick, so there must be something wrong with the cells.
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I like what you said about the family being the cell in the body of the nation. That's similar to something Pope John Paul II said...he said that the society depends upon the family which depends upon the marriage which depends upon the individual.
Oh, and I also agree with you saying that those things only work with godly men. Children are instructed to "honor thy father and thy mother" in all things that would please God (and generally an explanation of examples follows, but y'all know what I mean, so I won't bother with it).
RESPECT LIFE
SMILE EVERY DAY
"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
~Mother Teresa
This is why I hope I will be able to get married someday. We are going ahead with starting a family, because we can't wait around for legal marriage...the biological clock is ticking! But I want my kids to have the security of knowing that their moms are married forever.
"Never go with a hippy to a second location."
~Jack Donaghy
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
It only works if the man truly is acting godly and is subservient to his higher power, and humble in himself...
The family is the cell in the body of our nation, and the nation seems pretty sick, so there must be something wrong with the cells.
When I was a kid my father used to leave me in charge of my younger siblings. Now he didn't do this because he loved me or valued me more than them, but because he had a plan, a plan that was bigger than anything that I could've imagined. As a child I only thought about what mattered to me at the time, not even what was best for me in the long run, let alone what was best for my entire family. So problems always occurred when I thought that my responsibility meant that my younger siblings were to do what I wanted, when in fact it was my job to make sure we all did what my father instructed.
I feel like sexism has told men that we are "in charge" and when we bend the Earth, the Animals, the Women, the Children, the People to our will we pull everyone out of position. We try to become idols and stand between the people and God's plan. God made us to be submissive to one another, the sickness that I have seen far too often is our desire to stand between the people and God.
Love-Health-Awareness-Wealth
Mjh
is a result of an "I Don't Matter" philosophy.
I find it sad that your father walked away from his family, and you are romanticizing that decision of his.
The truth is that mankind is guilty of a tragic sin. That sin is of fear, ignorance, and self denial. Those lead to the ultimate sins of hatred, murder, rape and slavery. The denial of children is at the very heart of all of those hideous sins.
It all starts with the individual. The individual affects the family. The father is the head of the family, in most cultures, and he is the most studied of individuals. Can he handle it? I find that this is the point that most often breaks men from the fragile bubble of self-serving sexual wanting. The realization that his actions are being recorded for the benefit of his children. This is the only compelling reason for a man to behave humanely. The man who is not compelled by the needs of his children is no man at all, but an empty vessel that feeds viral egoism.
By bringing us all back to the story of Eden, my favorite story in the world, you bring us all to a point of humility.
What is my role? I am a woman.. I have a husband, and a girl-child. What are we, or am I, to teach her?
I believe that it is my job to teach her to find her center, to look above for guidance, and to mother those who come after her, whether they be siblings, children, neighbors or her grandparents.
My husband is a wonderful man who has realized to what extent he matters to his child. He has sacrificed many things, some of those being his status as a "Man" in the circles of men he knows.
When my daughter looks at me and says, "I miss Daddy, sooo much, I get scaared, Daddy hug-Uh-You, I need Daddy," I know that my husband is a man above men.
I know that my daughter has a gift that will serve her for her entire life, much more than what an aloof, pussy chasing divorcee of a father could give her.
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Did i miss something where mjh7 said he father left him 'in charge' so that he could go hang out, party, get drunk, or some other "sad" act and that he "walked away from his family"? Perhaps there is an understanding from another blog/private message? cuz when i read mjh7's reply i thought, 'i can relate to that...' i know AWESOME fathers that work long hours, work far distances, are migrant workers... etc. By just going on your text here, i think it was exceptional and responsible of your father to specifically put a child (normally the oldest or perhaps the most reliable) as the leader of the other children. Some fathers would neglect to put that leadership in place. God didn't leave his children without a source of leadership: the Bible, his holy spirit, and supportive fellowship. I love this analogy in relationship to how the Divine Father doesn't want us to command others to do our will, but to do His will.
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http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/mai
Peace & Blessings
I was going to clarify that my father never walked away, that he left me in charge of my younger siblings 1. Because he and my mother worked extremely long hours 2. There were 5 of us, I was the second oldest, and my parents trained us to look out for one another so that we always had someone looking after us.
Being a kid it's often hard to relate to your parents, imagine how much easier it is when you can talk to a big brother closer in age, a 5 year age difference is easier to overcome than a 30 year age difference. A family is a community(the cell of society) and my father making sure I was always responsible for my family, helped me learn and teach responsibility. I have known father less families where children have no model and must grow up before their time, I also know young people who have never been valued enough or trusted enough to be given responsibility. Both grow up not understanding the value of themselves and why what they do matters.
to quote your otherwise excellent reply Turtlesuds
"I believe that it is my job to teach her to find her center, to look above for guidance, and to mother those who come after her, whether they be siblings, children, neighbors or her grandparents."
My parents taught me the same thing, not in their absence but in the entire existence.
Just to be clear.
Love-Health-Awareness-Wealth
Mjh
Thank you for clarifying, and I apologize for making a false assumption. I agree with you about your thoughts on giving children responsibility, and what better responsibility than to take care of each other.
I have always thought that families with more than 4 children tend to raise children that are more aware. The more personalities one has to grow up with, the better perspective a person has on their place in the world, mainly, that they are not the center of it, and that other people have equally valid needs and concerns.
Of course birth order issues become a little more complicated, but then again, maybe not.
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