I’ve been fascinated by the Garden of Eden story from an early age. The whole set-up seemed supremely unfair, not only to Adam and Eve, but to every single man and woman who came later and had to suffer for their ‘original sin.’ I’m sure theologians could ease my doubts, but I’d still be skeptical. That apple has led to all the horrors every one of us is now heir to. And naturally it was Eve who the serpent tempted, and Eve who then corrupted Adam’s soul. Wouldn’t you know they had to blame a woman. But that’s the subject of a future blog.

My main objection to the whole scenario was where that apple came from in the first place: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were ordered to obey God’s command without any understanding of what was right and what was wrong. Why was that tree there in the first place? In the Garden of Eden? Talk about entrapment.

One explanation is that Adam and Eve actually had free choice prior to eating the apple, and they had no hankering to sin. Yet eat they did, the headstrong fools. Of course free choice without knowing right from wrong might have raised some red flags. I’m not saying they were an error in the creation process because that would be sacrilege. I’m already on a perilous path. So I’ll just repeat that this is the reason I’m fascinated by the story.

One might argue that obeying the Word of God requires no understanding. Fair enough, but think of the evil done by those who claim to be the sole interpreters of His Word, and terrorize others who simply disagree. It’s not like anyone couldn’t see that coming.

Leaving all that aside (and I’m also uneasy about writing this), talk about holding a grudge. One woman messes up and all of mankind is condemned to death, torture, rape, disease . . . well, we all know the downside. No second chance for the rest of us. I’ve always tried to look on the bright side, though. At least eternal punishment has left us with a definite soft spot for fairness.

In the end, mankind’s banishment from the Garden of Eden has also left us with this fantasy of returning to a place where we no longer have to deal with war, disease and death. With no need to make endless choices between what’s right and what’s wrong. No lifelong struggle with temptation. Almost like a return to the womb—followed hopefully by a spiritual rebirth.

But even if that were possible, how well would we adapt to paradise? Would we ever fit in? No free will. No adventure. No choices and no challenge. Would we really enjoy that experience? Or would boredom force us back to a place we understand. There we have one of the many questions faced by the people in Shadows From The Sun, the literary adventure slated to be released this September.