Snyder, George L Snyder, Lenore Snyder, God, ethics, morals, religion

The Elephant Speaks
One Man’s Elephant book II

Fantasy

 

            Fantasy, imagination. Without these we would have no inventions. We would not have the television, the airplane, the wheel. All of our inventions are due to the ability of mankind to fantasize, to imagine, to conceptualize that which we cannot see or touch.

 

            Stories, fairy tales, dragons, demons, angels. All these we could not imagine without our ability to fantasize.

            Because we cannot see or touch God, how could we even be aware of His existence? How could we even guess His existence?

 


 

 

And, God speaks to me:

 

            “This is the fruit of the tree from which you eat. Now you have the need to eat all of the fruit of the tree. And, this tree grows faster than you and all of your descendants can eat. This separates you from the Garden of Eden.

 


 

 

            Perhaps the tree of knowledge was a good trade for the Garden. Of course, once we ate of the tree, it carried with it a curse. The human race is now driven to seek more and more knowledge. It is this knowledge, it is this ability to conceptualize that which we cannot see or touch, it is this imagination, it is this fear of the unknown, that is the curse and the blessing of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. The curse of eating the first bite is that now God has put into our souls the need, the desire to eat all of the fruit of knowledge.

            It is an endless curse, it is an endless blessing because God creates quicker and more than we can ever learn.

 

Has this concept ever occurred to you?

 

Like any true curse, you cannot escape it.

 

Like any action of God, there is good to be had. Good for the taking.

 


 

 

            Before our creation, God knew we would eat of this tree. It was not a surprise to God, regardless of the implication in the story. We were created so that when we were ready, we would find and eat of this fruit. That was intended by God. We were warned, knowing that the warning might delay but not prevent it. If you think otherwise, then you do not believe that God is all knowing. You do not believe in an infinitely powerful God. I believe that God, knowing our nature, expected us to partake, knew we would. After all, He created us. I am sure He knew what He was doing. I believe that this tree was created deliberately just for us to eat. Therefore, I contest the concept that this was or is a sin. Perhaps the warning was intended to entice us. Perhaps the serpent was only carrying our God’s orders because it was now our time..

 

            If you believe it is a sin, then you also have to believe that God condemned us even before we were created. If you believe in a loving God, then you cannot accept the concept that God created us as a doomed people.

 

The tree of knowledge is a blessing not a curse.


 

 

And, God speaks to me:

 

            “This is the fruit of the tree from which you eat. I now bless you with the desire to eat all of the fruit of the tree. And, this tree grows faster than you and all of your descendants can eat. This separates you from the limits of the Garden of Eden. This brings you into the fullness of your destiny.

 


 

 

            But now that we have this blessing, we can look at it to see just what exactly it is. Now we have this need to learn. Now we have the desire to learn. Now we have the ability to learn. It is a blessing, not a curse. If we still had not tasted of the tree of knowledge, we would still be in the garden. We would still be wandering around naked, picking apples off of trees, fat, dumb, and happy. The tree of knowledge was a blessing that God intended us to have. It was not a curse. Now we can be what we are. This is what distinguishes us from other animals.

 

            In the thousands (?millions?) of years since we first tasted knowledge, we have only just tasted a little.

 

            The elephant is like a great serpent.

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