Importance of Original Sin

Are you suggesting that Adam and Eve didn't do anything wrong? Or that they did wrong without knowing it?What are you getting at ICANT?

On what basis should he be expected to obey rather than disobey God?

I might do. Why wouldn't I? Why wouldn't you? Pardon my biblical ignorance but what exactly did He say that he would do?

Can you quote exactly where God said that? I want to know what the bible actually tells us he said. Then what did the serpent say?Now - Bearing in mind that Adam and Eve are at this point unable to distinguish right from wrong - How are they supposed to decide what to do?

What is the point of the tree of knowledge if they already had all this knowledge about what was good and bad already?Edited by Straggler, : Fix quotes

And how do A&E know that death is a "bad" thing? In fact if death is some sort of eternal ethereal existence why is death a bad thing? Where do you think you will be once you die ICANT? I am detecting some slipperiness here!! What did the serpent say (to either of them)? But why would Adam or Eve think that dying was a bad thing?My grandma told me that fire was dangerous and that I shouldn't go near it. When I was 4 I stuck my hand in the fire because I wanted to find out for myself.Put someone in a room with a big red button marked "danger", tell them that something terrible will happen if they press that big red button and you can bet your arse that they will dwell on it, ponder over it and then press the big red button of doom.Such is human nature......

WTF!! - Did you just say "hasa diga eebowai"....?You CANNOT say "hasa diga eebowai"!!! Are you frikkin crazy?Do you have any idea what happens when you say "hasa diga eebowai"....?????!!!!!!!NNNNNNOOOooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! ICANT believes some strange shit. Even by the crazed standards of biblical literalists he is a shroom and mescaline merchant where others are mere dopeheads.According to ICANT there are literally two versions of Genesis and thus literally two versions of mankind, two Adams etc. etc. etc.It's wacky gone mad....

Well that is an interesting question in itself. What language did Adam and Eve supposedly speak? But I thought the Chrsitian notion of an afterlife involved good and positive things? I am intrigued to know where it is that you think Adam is now that he is (presumably) dead? It is so terrible for him? Well we are assuming for the sake of argument people made from dirt, a talking snake, an apple that imparts knowledge and a whole host of other (frankly) outlandish things.But I still don't see how God could make death sound like a bad thing for Adam without lying? Isn't Adam in paradise/heaven/whatever now?

So God said don't eat the apple and the snake said do.How on Earth were Adam or Eve supposed to know which one was right and which one wrong? I think that is an interesting question for evolutionary psychology.
Where do you think that nature came from? Oooohh ICANT if you knew what the latest research told us about about our misconceptions of freewill I suspect you would have an apoplectic fit.

But death doesn't have to be painful. Why would God make Adam's death painful in this way?I am still perplexed as to why Adam (or Eve) would be averted from their actions by the "threat" of death. If death isn't such a bad state of being then it isn't a deterrent unless God is willing to lie about it. And if it is a terrible state of being then we can only conclude that Adam and Eve are suffering these perpetual torments even as we speak.Either way - I don't see why they would have any basis for believing God over the snake with regard to the whole apple conundrum.

You are one pedantic son of a.....God said one thing. The serpent said the opposite.Without the sort of knowledge that "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" provides how are Adam or Eve going to know which one to listen to? How can it be original "sin" without being wrong? Is it possible to sin in manner that is "right"....?This would seem to be the crux of the whole issue and very far from irrelevant. If the psychological proclivity to press the Big Red Button marked "Do not press. Something terrible will happen" is innate in humans we didn't really have any meaningful choice at all did we?It was inevitable.....

If I sent my children (aged 5 and 1) out into the world where I know there to be devious entities (e.g. talking serpents) that are going to prey on their inevitable naivety I wouldn't just expect them to obey my instructions because of my manly commanding voice.In fact until they are worldly wise enough I wouldn't (and don't) send them out anywhere unsupervised by an adult.Your description of God qualifies him as a grossly negligent parent. Which when you consider what he did to his favourite son probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

Was disobeying god a sin?Is sin evil?

Is it a sin to disobey God?Is sin evil?God said one thing. The serpent said the opposite.Without the sort of knowledge that "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" provides how are Adam or Eve going to know which one to listen to? Well either God or the serpent were going to be upset by mans action.So - How was man to decide which way to go on this issue?Edited by Straggler, : No reason given.

Just seen this. Fair enough. Well it depends which flavour of Christianity one is considering. It seems pretty fundamental to Catholicism for example. Again it depends which particular Christian version of God one is considering. To evangelical creationists/literalists - Yes. Obviously. To a certain breed of wishy-washy-verging-on-deistic Anglicans - Barely at all.