In Greek mythology Prometheus gave fire to mortals which he stole from Zeus. Zeus punished him by having him chained to a rock, where everyday a bird of prey ate out his liver which regenerated perpetually.
Also in Greek myth, Arachus was a mortal who challenged the goddess Athena to a weaving contest. She lost, and Athena turned her into the first spider for her hubris.
Artemis was the virgin goddess of the moon and hunting. A mortal named Actaeon was out hunting when he came upon Artemis bathing in a stream and stopped to look. For his peeping tom-ism, Artemis had him turned into a deer, and was promptly torn to pieces by his own hunting dogs.
These kinds of stories abound in ancient myths from many cultures. Man insults, challenges, or steals from the gods and a swift and hideous punishment ensues. But the theme of an angry and punishing god isn’t just a pagan one. The God of Abraham, the Judeo-Christian God was no slouch when it came to meting out punishment. And yet, there is something very different about what this God punishes.
The very first punishment God hands out is on Adam and Eve. What dastardly deed did they do to deserve being banished from paradise, cursed with toil, pain, disease and the loss of immortality, and have the same punishment handed down to their children and all subsequent generations?
Did they conspire to see God naked?
Did they steal a sacred element?
Did they challenge God’s omnipotent ability?
No. Their unforgiveable crime was they dared to eat from the tree of KNOWLEDGE. That is, they dared to taste logic, reality, and fact. KNOWLEDGE is a no-no. KNOWLEDGE is bad. Ignorance, mindlessness, drone like stupidity is God’s preferred state for his creations.
Why? Why was knowledge so guarded, so valued by this God, or more specifically, by the writers of the Old Testament, that for man to desire it, achieve it, possess it is a cause for horrific punishment for all generations? Because with knowledge comes reasoning. With reasoning comes questioning and understanding. With understanding comes challenge to authority…whose authority?? … the priestly classes’ authority.
The moral of the story the Old Testament writers wanted to get across loud and clear was simple: Knowledge is not to be desired or achieved; it is a thing of danger in the wrong hands, for mortal men to pursue it can only lead to trouble. Heck, look what it did to Mankind thanks to Adam and Eve. “So shut the fuck up and do as we tell you, ‘cause that’s all you need to know!!”
Also in Greek myth, Arachus was a mortal who challenged the goddess Athena to a weaving contest. She lost, and Athena turned her into the first spider for her hubris.
Artemis was the virgin goddess of the moon and hunting. A mortal named Actaeon was out hunting when he came upon Artemis bathing in a stream and stopped to look. For his peeping tom-ism, Artemis had him turned into a deer, and was promptly torn to pieces by his own hunting dogs.
These kinds of stories abound in ancient myths from many cultures. Man insults, challenges, or steals from the gods and a swift and hideous punishment ensues. But the theme of an angry and punishing god isn’t just a pagan one. The God of Abraham, the Judeo-Christian God was no slouch when it came to meting out punishment. And yet, there is something very different about what this God punishes.
The very first punishment God hands out is on Adam and Eve. What dastardly deed did they do to deserve being banished from paradise, cursed with toil, pain, disease and the loss of immortality, and have the same punishment handed down to their children and all subsequent generations?
Did they conspire to see God naked?
Did they steal a sacred element?
Did they challenge God’s omnipotent ability?
No. Their unforgiveable crime was they dared to eat from the tree of KNOWLEDGE. That is, they dared to taste logic, reality, and fact. KNOWLEDGE is a no-no. KNOWLEDGE is bad. Ignorance, mindlessness, drone like stupidity is God’s preferred state for his creations.
Why? Why was knowledge so guarded, so valued by this God, or more specifically, by the writers of the Old Testament, that for man to desire it, achieve it, possess it is a cause for horrific punishment for all generations? Because with knowledge comes reasoning. With reasoning comes questioning and understanding. With understanding comes challenge to authority…whose authority?? … the priestly classes’ authority.
The moral of the story the Old Testament writers wanted to get across loud and clear was simple: Knowledge is not to be desired or achieved; it is a thing of danger in the wrong hands, for mortal men to pursue it can only lead to trouble. Heck, look what it did to Mankind thanks to Adam and Eve. “So shut the fuck up and do as we tell you, ‘cause that’s all you need to know!!”
And so it continues; taken to extremes by the early Church and practiced right into the 21st century by fundie Christian sects. The self imposed ignorance; the blind unquestioning compliance to ancient dogma; the distain for and opposition to science and secular learning. Knowledge is to be avoided for it is the enemy of the Church, or as Martin Luther said: “Reason is the Enemy of faith.”
Attaining knowledge is worse than stealing from the gods, or trying to see them naked. Knowledge = punishment / Ignorance = bliss and reward … one needs to be a believer not to see the obscenity of such a doctrine.
5 comments:
Hello Hump,
Well I just got my laptop fixed with a new hard drive and I am back among the sane people. I liked your well written post. The statement, “Their unforgiveable crime was they dared to eat from the tree of KNOWLEDGE,” rang so true for me that I had to laugh at its accuracy.
Good posting!!
thks, Eng.
Yeah, most Xtians don't even give it a second thought. They think of the talking snake/satan, an apple, and disobedience to god.
But they totally miss the obvious intent of the Tree of Knowledge being off limits. Except for the fact they do so well at avoiding knowledge themselves. Maybe its subliminal.
Hump
Hello Hump,
I just saw this latest news update. All those who proclaim to so pro-life that they can justify mudder. An educated person who gives medical help to women was killed because someone was told and convinced that no volience was too extreme to remove the problem. You will note that the doctor was in church himself but I guess the murder's God must of let him know that it was alright because in was in God's house when he killed the doctor. (Tongue in Cheek comment)
May 31, 2009: Prominent late-term abortion provider George Tiller is shot and killed in a Wichita church where he was serving as an usher. The gunman fled but a city official said a suspect is in custody.
Yes, I saw that news report.
I guess when it comes to killing obgyns the question of "What would Jesus do?" is answered by: "He'd fucking shoot them!"
So much for the Prince of Peace, and the vaunted higher morality of believers.
Hump
I wrote a blog post discussing this very same topic: http://gnostic-unrest.blogspot.com/2009/12/tree-of-life.html
Enjoy. This is from a gnostic's point of view of the whole Evil Snake issue. Well, not so much the Snake but definitely about the fucktard who designed the Garden.
Interestingly, this very question is what causes theists to doubt dogmatic "inspired" texts and begin to search for the truth within themselves. It's in Genesis for crying outloud! The FIRST chapter. In the beginning... and all that. If Yahweh could screw up this badly in chapter one you know the rest of the story is going to be a soap opera from hell.
I'm so glad to have found another soul who holds Luther in as much esteem as I do. He's so easy to pick on. lol
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