Is it a sin to seek knowledge? Is it a sin to want to open ones eyes instead of being blind? Is it a sin to do as scriptures urge us to do? Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Gen 3:2 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: Adam and Eve were doing exactly what we are all told by scriptures to do, yet God seemed quite upset. Why is seeking knowledge and ignoring a vile command to remain in ignorant bliss wrong or a sin? Are you sinning when you seek knowledge and becoming more like God? Regards DL
As a Deist the pursuit of knowledge is my religion... but also as a Deist I reject the concept of sin as it is a construct of the dogma that I reject.
The bible says to be more like God in character. You can't be like God in any other facet, because it's impossible.
As a Gnostic Christian and Universalist, I to have rejected the notion that some invisible man in the sky is watching every time I do anything to insure I do not do something bad. As a Universalist, I think the best policy is not heaven or hell but heaven only. If God is so weak that he cannot create for the best possible end then he is not worthy of the title of God. Regards DL
Character is based on one's moral code. Scriptures say that A & E became like God in that they developed a moral sense. He then punished them harshly for doing so even when scriptures tell us to do just that. Care to speculate as to why punishing people for developing a moral sense is just? Regards DL
If it is a sin, I don't care. My own personal feeling is that if God did create me, he created my brain, too.
I only know of one moral sense. It is the sense that tells us what is moral or not. In terms of A & E, they would have absorbed basically the knowledge of everything as everything is subject to being good or evil. To thus prevent them from eating of the tree of knowledge would have been quite the sin on God's part indeed. Do you agree? Regards DL - - - Updated - - - Yes. And to forbid it's use seems rather odd yet Christians seem to embrace ignorant bliss and cheer God on for punishing us, through A. & E., for using those brains. Regards DL
But you don't know of what moral sense they could have developed since you really only have one. So, how could they become like God if you don't have an explanation of what their moral senses were?
Wanna know something else that may annoy you? The bible states that people like you will be giving him presents some time in the far distant future. I can see it now. You'll have a smile on your face, God will have a smile on His face, and most of all, I will have a smile on my face as I watch you give God gifts. You're going to love God with all of your heart, and I'll just stand there grinning from ear to ear.
Just like with every human, you'll die and you'll return to God. You'll feel his love and you'll never wanna leave. At that instant, you'll become a new person and you'll look back at your life and feel guilty - but no judgement would be cast on you. Then God will look at you and say, "Do not worry about those things. I've already forgiven you long ago." Then you'll stand there sobbing like a baby. It'll be the happiest moment you've ever felt. At that moment, you'll want to know what you could do to rectify your past life. You'll be assured that you need not do anything. From that point on, you'll be a child of God and you'll never want to leave God's presence again.
I do have a definition or explanation. Scriptures explain it quite well. Gen 3:22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: That is what a moral sense encompasses. To know the good and evil of all things. To thus prevent them from eating of the tree of knowledge would have been quite the sin on God's part. Do you agree? Regards DL
Yes. While most moral men would not. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF6I5VSZVqc Better to shovel coal in hell than to spend eternity in heaven watching friends, neighbors and our children in torture and flame forever. Only a sick mind would conceive of such a situation or wish it upon anyone. That is why God would not do such because then, heaven would be hell. If those in heaven did not go insane then they could not have once been human or good. You should think of hell just a bit and recognize that God would not create such an immoral construct. Lose your barbaric tribal mentality. We are in 2015, not 115. Regards DL
Excellent thread topic. The Bible is very clear that God is not a big fan of knowledge or freedom. Hence, he forbade from eating of the tree of knowledge. Dictators tend to hate an educated populous.
Hitchens used to point out that both Hitler and Stalin made sure their earliest treaties were with the church
The debates is still ongoing. A & E could have eaten of the tree of life but I would guess that they recognized that a life, even an immortal one, is not much of a life without knowledge. So I would say that knowledge what was eating of the tree of knowledge all about. As to breaking God's words and command to stay stupid, I think it would be worth doing their will and not God's. No worthy parent or God should want to keep people stupid and it is thus quite good to ignore such commands. Do you agree? Regards DL
Always wise to have evil entities collaborating. I find it strange that Jews do not love their genocidal foe, Hitler, yet Christians adore their genocidal foe like a hero. A psychiatrist might say that Christians have Stockholm Syndrome. Regards DL
But did God tell them that they were to remain stupid? Do we know if they were actually stupid to begin with? This is really nothing more than a very weak attempt from non-believers to criticize God and they have practically no information to work with. There are many more better ways to criticize God then to say He had some desire to keep them ignorant.
True. I attack his morals in many ways that Christians cannot answer to as well. It is quite funny, if not so sad, to see Christians run from trying to justify your God. Regards DL