The setting of Genesis 2 and 3
is a garden inside a region called Eden . Without the unbiblical constraints of
perfectionism, this garden relays more than just idealistic beauty.
God filled this safe place with
the best plants plus two special trees. God
made man and put him into the garden.
God made animals and presented them to the man inside the garden.
The Bible never says this garden
was heaven, represents heaven on Earth, or that it was even close to being perfect. It never even mentions immortal life forms, which
includes human. The order that plants,
animals, and people arrive in the garden does not dictate the order of their
creation or the time it took to create them.
The text does not say plants, animals, or man originated inside the
garden, or that only these few lived on the planet.
Most accounts of this story
require these kinds of additions. But,
if they are not biblical why am I held to believe them. Instead of bolstering the story with truth,
the story is actually lost in an ever-growing cloud of fantasy. Such dogmatic ideals distort our
understanding.
Genesis 2 does not mention weeds
within the garden, but that does not decree their non-existence. There is no need to add an unbiblical redesign
to creation. Using a natural interpretation,
these plants simply did not bother the people living in the garden. God tells Adam that humanity’s relationship
with nature was about to change. Instead
of being gatherers, they were about to learn farming and husbandry. Tilled soil would grow inedible plants that
thinned their harvest. Animals would take
refuge in the thorniest bushes. The
children of Adam would call these plants evil and the land that grew them cursed
because God made them grow efficiently.
Removing all those unbiblical
additions simply lets the text say life began as God dictated. He did not need to recreate anything just
because humans sinned. God also provided
empirical evidence for us to determine the order and function of creation. We must decipher nature without the overburden
of mythical theology. Through knowledge,
He intended for us to identify and remove any untruth that hinders our
understanding, no matter how sacred. The
study of nature will let us rule justly and appreciate even the parts that we
consider cursed.
We require a shift in
relationship perspective. God created
the plants, all the plants, even those we call evil. Yet, He called them good.
To be continued:
[Lessons from Creation’s Parables: Genesis and Standard
Science, Sung as One, by Jo Helen Cox.]
Eden Revisited #3:
The Garden River
Eden Revisited #4:
Humanity’s Origins
Eden Revisited #5:
Creation of Death
Eden Revisited #6:
Curse? What Curse?
Eden Revisited #7:
Original Sin Theology
Eden Revisited #8:
The Lesson of Blessing
Genesis Revisited
Also in this series:
Eden Revisited #1: Powerful Love vs. Limited Perfection
Eden Revisited #3:
The Garden River
Eden Revisited #4:
Humanity’s Origins
Eden Revisited #5:
Creation of Death
Eden Revisited #6:
Curse? What Curse?
Eden Revisited #7:
Original Sin Theology
Eden Revisited #8:
The Lesson of Blessing
Also see series: