The hall is getting slightly more full each week. There were maybe 10 free seats tonight.
To understand a biblical story or incident, we need to know several things:
- The context of the story
- The challenges of the time
- The intentions of the author
- The relevance for us today
If we read the bible without this knowledge, we may get the wrong messages.
"THE FALL"
"After God create Man, God rested. After God created Woman, neither God nor Man rested." (LOL)
Why do we suffer? What is the source of sin?
The second creation story (see notes on previous session for both creation stories) was written in the 9th or 10th century B.C., a period of prosperity. Some religions tried at the time to explain sin. Some said it was due to dualism, which in this case refers to a "good" power in the universe versus a "bad" power.
In the story of Gilgamesh, an evil ancient Sumerian king, a pagan god tried several times to kill Gilgamesh but he always succeeded in escaping. One time, a man/god came down to him and Gilgamesh asked the man/god to give him something to make him live forever. He was given an apple, which he took home. While at home taking a shower, a snake snuck into his home and stole the apple and ate it, acquiring eternal life. There were also other stories popular at the time, wherein snakes had supernatural powers. This was a common belief.
THIS IS THE CONTEXT FOR THE CREATION STORY
The prophet/author, therefore, needed to convey that snakes did not have supernatural powers; and that sin comes from our wrong choices, not from a snake.
The Sins of Adam and Eve:
- Decision without the knowledge and wisdom of the creator
- Overstepped their limits
- Disobedience
- Listening to the wrong sources
The effects of these sins:
- Feelings of insecurity
- Original sin is not limited to them
- Inability to restore (back to the way it was)
The Effects of Original Sin
According to the Bible:
- Loss of Grace
- Loss of inner harmony
- Suffering
- Death
According to St Augustine:
- Death of the body
- Wounds of human nature:
- Ignorance
- Malice
- Weakness
- Disorder in our passion and emotion
We do not commit original sin; we inherit it. We commit actual sin. Baptism restores our friendship with God.
Any time there is order and it gets disrupted, there is suffering.
CAIN & ABEL
Focus of the story: Sin against one another
Cain had a desire for domination
Cain could have controlled his anger
Cain represents oppressors
Abel represents the oppressed
Message: There are always these 2 groups. As long as the two groups exist (as in today), the Kingdom of God is only a distant possibility.
Even though God punished Cain (Gen 4:11), he also protected him when he threatened to punish "sevenfold" anyone who killed Cain (Gen 4:15). So who was God referring to?
We need to approach the bible more with faith than with reason to get the right messages.
THE COVENANT WITH NOAH
Sin: There is a chain reaction; it never stops
"The growth of sin and the regret of God"
"The sons of God had relations with the daughters of Man" (Gen 6:1-5) - What does this mean?
| Sons of God | Daughters of Man |
| Seth | Cain |
| Seth's son Enosh | Cain's son Enoch |
| Seth invoked the name of God (Gen 4:26) | Cain named a city after Enoch |
| 10th Generation: Noah (Gen 5:29) | 7th Generation: Lamech - polygamy (Gen 4:19) |
---------------------------
mutual attraction
polygamy - sin institutionalized
END OF NOTES (m kellogg)
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