When I say “upon which it is based” I am strickly speaking of the NT’s continued misinterpretation of the female.

I do not receive it as a mere myth (yet with mythical aspects certainly) because I believe them to be the beginning of a line of people God worked through to reveal himself to surrounding poplutations. I find this word in its truth, to be far beyond the workings of a mere man, received by a man yes but originated no.

Finally, there are a great number of people, and women particularly, living oppressed even subjugated lives due to the inaccurate interpretation and application of the Genesis word, who for whatever the reason, will continue to suffer blindly if those who can and will do better don’t address even what are their, but I still say my, issues within the Church.

Peace and love.

It does matter if one takes the Genesis story literally or not. The point about taking the bible literally is this. Taking it literally means that we believe it has something relevant to say to 21st century people, that “God” “said” this or that, or that we should take lessons from the writings of an ancient civilization more worried about their own tribe’s welfare than the welfare of other tribes. The Genesis myth may explain what the Hebrews thought about the origins of mankind, but it is not the definitive explanation of where humans came from nor do some of us believe any longer that it should be consulted as a response to humankind’s problems. It’s merely a story; one tribe’s explanation. That’s all. Many cultures have similar stories and we don’t take those literally as true. Privileging one story above another is a personal choice perhaps, but it’s definitely a religious one. It’s a choice some of us make no longer. Thanks for the comments.

Peace and blessings to you as well.

You are funny, no worries with me about the spell check. (; If you read any of my blogs (and thank you for taking the time) you will find me alluding to it in the very least but most often also writing about it specifically. Certainly in my latest blog entry entitled: “Did God Tell You Not to “Hearken” Unto Your Wife?,” you will find the answer you are looking for in detail.

And about everybody not fitting the church stereotype, I am thankfully learning that more and more – and thank you for playing your part in that. But God is still dealing with me in this garden word. I had my fill of it by way of experience a long time ago, but then He said to write, so I write.

God bless.

I’ve now read your comment in detail. My view is that there is much to be learned from the Bible, and that each of us interprets it in a way that works for us. I had never heard or considered your interpretation, but I would certainly enjoy learning more about it. I believe in building bridges between races, religions, genders, sexual orientations, etc. In other words, people to me are individuals and we are all unique and cannot be fit into any mold. Understanding one another at a personal level is key.

I guess my first question would be:

What do you mean by “right confession”?

If you explain this elsewhere in your blog or book, just point me in the right direction.

I’ve been right here. Not everybody in the Church fits the “Church steryotype”. God bless you too sister.

Thanks for your reply message. Loved what you said:

“Honestly, I’ve not spent much time thinking about issues of gender as they relate to spirituality. I’ve always just considered males and females to be equal, spiritually speaking.”

Where have you been all my life? lol. (: Too bad that was never my experience within the traditional male mind-set of the Church! God bless you brother.

Peace and love to you.

I need to spend some time reading your comment, your blog and maybe your book. Afterward, I will get back to you. Honestly, I’ve not spent much time thinking about issues of gender as they relate to spirituality. I’ve always just considered males and females to be equal, spiritually speaking. I’m open minded to your point of view, though.

Thank you for looking at the link I provided. It’s not my material, but I found it quite interesting, as I found most of the information on that site to be.

Thanks for providing the link, I have spent time reviewing it. I do agree that ultimately what matters most, in terms of what we have before us to deal with, is the human condition due to sin regardless of how we got here. However, the details embedded in the Hebrew about how that actually happened is not knowledgte to be ignored and I think when it is ignored, or for other reasons just not known or even taught, we forfeit much by way of true understanding.

Yes God created perfectly in the garden but he still gave both the man and the woman free-will to exercise choice in the garden and he did even more than that. Given all that He knew (according to his foreknowledge) about the end of both garden individuals, even in their beginning he took steps to uniquely supply for each need, and even for a future stubborn, jealous Adam and likewise for a fallen but confessed Eve.

Given their free-will, Adam and Eve both had to submit to a process of learning in God. Eve did well although fallen by making right garden confession, a proud Adam did not.

In Genesis 2:23 he sought to illegally change his own God-given name to that of “Man” and he rejected the God-purposed name of the female as “Eve.” Adam also, already in a most wretched state, stood silently watching, without intervening even with the truth as he rightly received it from the very mouth of God regarding the fruit. He only responded to the female after she ate of the fruit in order to now safely satisfy his own desire to eat of it as well.

This is is why even God says, “Because thou hast hearkened unto your wife,” he was speaking sarcastically to this man, even veiling what is the “truth” for the mind of the righteous only to find. A silent Adam demonstrated, even unto the death of the female, who he really was (and who he was even really following) in failing to act as “help meet,” and even a husband to the female as she was standing there, being deceived but now also about to eat of the fruit.

We might miss this, but God didn’t and it was why he was punished. Adam did not confess to all he did in the garden, he only arrogantly confessed to actually eating the fruit but that was far from all. In our civilized world, we actually prosecute people for acting as an accessory to a crime (as was a silent Adam in the work of the serpent upon an unknowing female) and for the stealing of identities. It was a crime against the framework of God first and foremost but also a crime ultimately detrimental to the person of the female.

I totally disagree with the explanation regarding his punishment. God designed punishment for this man purposed to bring about his eventual repentance given all that this man actually committed against the will of God in the garden, the worst of which was withholding a right garden confession. God sought and desired to bring about an internal change for Adam, a change which is not actually evidenced in this man until well after a murderous Cain, causing the death of Abel, and not even until the birth of Seth.

Regarding the issue of pain, God cut Adam in Genesis 2:21 but not before putting him into a deep sleep. If it was not going to hurt him, then why did he put him into a “deep” sleep to do it? The word “deep” here speaks to a state close to that of death. When presented with the woman by God the man said, This is now “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” how could he know this but for the sore pain he felt and the blood he perhaps saw (in and of itself traumatic!)? You can’t say that God told him, because what Adam (though to himself now “Man”) says here is actually in error. The female was only of his bone alone, never his flesh. Their flesh could not walk together. He would fall and refuse making right confession, she too was due to fall but would. We must remember, God creates (even names) in the beginning even as it will be in the end. An un-confessed Adam earned death which is why he was a man created from the dust. People speak of her likewise, but Eve was not a being created from the dust, she did not earn death only Adam did, she too had to suffer death, as do we all now as members of humanity.

Bottom line for me is, God did not give us a word which in no way applies even to what is practical in our own lives. We can romantize about the garden but it doesn’t change the facts. Two fell, only one made right confession, as a result one was exalted in name and title (even according to the foreknowledge of God) and one was not, but only punished (and even that made known according to the foreknowledge of God). This is why we have a virgin, child-less female in a fallen garden called “mother of all living” and given name (finally) by a now puniished and compelled Adam as “Eve” meaning “life-giver,” and yet the man received a name according to the foreknowledge (but never the will) of God as as “Adam,” as in a hypocrite, being made humiliated and ashamed. All because he failed to make right confession. Choices matter.

This also was not designed to brutally punish, and even mock the male gender in this day (even as females were never to be subjugated), but only to rightly identify and then to attack that which God hates most from the human, which is pride. Pride is what ultmately kept Adam from making right confession.

We can make nice and we should, but how can we really get delivered forsaking knowledge of truth even as it was originally given in the Hebrew. I mean no offense, but idolatry is what comes to mind next for me in the absence of a preference for God’s true intent in word.

Peace and love.