585 lines
34 KiB
Plaintext
585 lines
34 KiB
Plaintext
The Human Fall
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World Scripture
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THE HUMAN FALL
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Belief that humanity fell from a primordial state of unity with God is a
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doctrine of the Abrahamic faiths, and similar beliefs are also found in the
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mythology of many primal religions and in the doctrines of new religions
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influenced by Christianity. Among the Abrahamic faiths the doctrine of the
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Fall takes varying forms. In Christianity, the sin of the original man and
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woman is imputed to all humanity, and created an enduring separation between
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humans and God which can only be remedied by Christ.[1] In Islam, on the other
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hand, Adam's sin was his alone, and he, like all human beings, could return to
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a position of acceptance by submission (Islam) to God. But the Fall did bring
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into existence Satan, setting up for all humanity a trial which only some are
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able to endure. In Judaism we find a mixture of beliefs; rabbinic passages
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gathered in this section which accept the biblical doctrine that the fall of
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Adam and Eve brought a curse into the world are counterbalanced by other
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passages emphasizing individual responsibility[2] and denying that we are
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culpable for the sins of our ancestor Adam. The Evil Inclination which directs
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the soul to do evil may have been induced by a fall, but then again, it may
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have been created by God.[3]
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The human Fall is a significant teaching only in certain religions. It is
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logically necessary only for religions in which (1) God is the only Creator,
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(2) the Creation was purposed to be good, and (3) evil is regarded as real and
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contrary to the purpose of creation. But these three premises are found
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together only in the Abrahamic faiths and in some other theistic religions. In
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Zoroastrianism, where there are two creators--God and the devil--the origin of
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evil does not involve a fall. Neither is there a doctrine of a fall in
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Buddhism, which lacks a doctrine of creation. Hinduism, which (in Sankhya
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philosophy) regards matter to partake of evil elements, or in which creation is
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an act of play (lila) and hence without moral purpose, also does not require a
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doctrine of the Fall. Nevertheless, even religions like Buddhism and Hinduism
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have traditions which speculate on a primordial fall from grace in order to
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explain the discrepancy between the cosmos's pure origin and its present state
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of suffering.
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The first group of passages are derived from or related to the story of the
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Fall in Genesis. The accounts of this event are full of symbolism and open to
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varied interpretations. The Tempter--variously called Satan, Lucifer, or
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Iblis--instigates Adam and Eve to disobey God's command, often with the hint
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that the act of the fall involved sexual misconduct. While the Bible
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attributes the Fall mainly to the mistake of a woman, the Qur'an regards Adam
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and Eve as equally culpable. The next group of passages are independent
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traditions from the primal religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shinto which give
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some account of the cause for the present deviation of humanity from its pure
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origin. These traditions resemble the account of the fall in the Abrahamic
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faiths in one or more respects: the theme of disobedience, of eating a
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forbidden food, of sexual misconduct, and the culpability of the woman. The
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last group of passages, from the Eastern religions, describe a belief that this
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world has declined from an original golden age of purity and godliness. God's
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creation was originally pure, but with the progression of the ages the Law has
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gradually fallen into disuse and human nature has degenerated.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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11 Corinthians 15.21-22, p. 547. 2Ezekiel 18, pp. 681f. 3Kiddushin 30b, p. 526.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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The Lord God took the man [Adam] and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it
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and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat
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of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
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you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."
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Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will
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make him a helper fit for him." So out of the ground the Lord God formed every
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beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to
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see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature,
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that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the
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air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a
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helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man,
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and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; and
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the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and
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brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones
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and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of
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Man." Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his
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wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and
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were not ashamed.
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Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God
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had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree
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of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit
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of the trees of the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of
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the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest
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you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. For God
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knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like
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God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for
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food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be
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desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some
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to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew
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that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves
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aprons.
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And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of
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the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord
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God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and
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said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of Thee in the
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garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." He said,
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"Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I
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commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom Thou gavest to be with
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me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the Lord God said to the
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woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent
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beguiled me, and I ate." The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have
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done this,
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Cursed are you above all cattle,
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and above all wild animals;
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Upon your belly you shall go,
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and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
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I will put enmity between you and the woman,
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and between your seed and her seed;
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He shall bruise your head,
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and you shall bruise his heel."
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To the woman He said,
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"I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing,
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in pain you shall bring forth children,
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Yet your desire shall be for your husband,
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and he shall rule over you."
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And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and
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have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,'
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cursed is the ground because of you;
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in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
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Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you;
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and you shall eat the plants of the field.
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In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
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till you return to the ground,
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for out of it you were taken;
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you are dust,
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and to dust you shall return."
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The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
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And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed
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them.
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Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing
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good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of
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life, and eat, and live forever"--therefore the Lord God sent him forth from
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the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out
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the man; and at the east of the Garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a
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flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
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1. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Genesis 2.15-3.24
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It is We Who created you and gave you shape; then We bade the angels, "Bow down
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to Adam," and they bowed down; not so Iblis, he refused to be of those who bow
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down. [God] said, "What prevented you from bowing down when I commanded you?"
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He said, "I am better than he; You created me from fire, and him from clay."
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God said, "Get down from this place; it is not for you to be arrogant here; get
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out, for you are of the meanest of creatures." He said, "Give me respite till
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the day when they are raised up." God said, "Be among those who are to have
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respite."
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He said, "Because you have thrown me out of the Way, lo! I will lie in wait for
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them on Your Straight Way: Then will I assault them from before them and
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behind, from their right and their left: nor will You find, in most of them,
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gratitude." God said, "Get out from this, disgraced and expelled. If any of
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them follow you, I will fill hell with all of you.
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"And Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in the Garden, and enjoy its good things
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as you wish, but approach not this tree, or you will run into harm and
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transgression."
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Then Satan began to whisper suggestions to them, bringing openly before their
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minds all their shame that was previously unnoticed by them. He said, "Your
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Lord only forbade you this tree, lest you should become angels or such beings
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as live forever." And he swore to them both, that he was their sincere
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advisor. So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the
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tree, their shame [private parts] became apparent to them, and they began to
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sew together the leaves of the Garden over their bodies.
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And their Lord called unto them: "Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell you
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that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you both?" They said: "Our Lord! we have
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wronged our own souls. If You do not forgive us and do not grant us Your
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mercy, we shall certainly be lost." God said, "Get you down, with enmity
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between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling place and your means of
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livelihood--for a time. Therein shall you live, and therein you shall die; but
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from it shall you be brought forth at last."
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O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame, as
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well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness--that is
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the best. Such are among the signs of God, that they may receive admonition.
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O Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you in the same manner as he got your
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parents out of the Garden, stripping them of their clothing in order to expose
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their private parts. He and his tribe watch you from where you cannot see
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them! We have made the devils friends only to those without faith.
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2. Islam. Qur'an 7.11-27
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Genesis 2.15-3.24: Cf. Luke 10.19-20, pp. 314f.; Qur'an 2.30-33, p. 313. On the
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primitive harmony of paradise, cf. Chuang Tzu 9, p. 320.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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God created man incorruptible, and made him in the image of his own nature, but
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through the devil's envy, death came into the world.
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3. Christianity. Bible, Wisdom of Solomon 2.23-24
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Rabbi Aha said, "God deliberated how to create man. He said to Himself, 'If I
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create him like the angels, he will be immortal. If I create him like the
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beasts, he will be mortal.' God decided to leave man's conduct to his own free
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choice, and if he had not sinned, he would have been immortal."
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4. Judaism. Midrash, Genesis Rabbah 8.11
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Rabbi Abba said, "If Adam had not sinned, he would not have begotten children
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from the side of the evil inclination, but he would have borne offspring from
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the side of the holy spirit. But now, since all the children of men are born
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from the side of the evil inclination, they have no permanence and are but
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short-lived, because there is in them an element of the 'other side.' But if
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Adam had not sinned and had not been driven from the Garden of Eden, he would
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have begotten progeny from the side of the holy spirit--a progeny holy as the
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celestial angels, who would have endured for eternity, after the supernal
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pattern."
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5. Judaism. Zohar 61a
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What was the wicked serpent contemplating at that time? He thought, "I shall
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go and kill Adam and wed his wife, and I shall be king over the whole world."
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6. Judaism. Talmud, Abot de Rabbi Nathan 1
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Qur'an 7.11-27: Cf. Qur'an 17.61-64, p. 440. In the last verses, the Qur'an
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relates Satan's deed in the Garden to the pagan orgies of Muhammad's day. It
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also compares this primordial purpose of clothing with the better way to
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protect one's purity, by modesty born of submission to God. Wisdom of Solomon
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2.23-24: The fall brought death into the world, meaning spiritual death and
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loss of our original relationship to God; cf. 1 Corinthians 15.21-22, p. 547;
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Romans 6.23, p. 580; cf. Berakot 18ab, p. 583; Genesis Rabbah 10.4, p. 1113.
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Genesis Rabbah 8.11: The prevailing Jewish conception of the Fall regards Adam
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as typical of all human beings. Like Adam, we all sin; we all fall. We are
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not condemned for an original sin; we all have the choice of death or eternal
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life placed before us--cf. Ezekiel 18, pp. 681f. If this passage is
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interpreted as referring specifically to Adam, it is affirming that God treated
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Adam as responsible and free to choose, contrary to certain views which regard
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the fall as an ascent from innocence to responsibility, to 'knowledge of good
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and evil'--compare Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2.19-26, below. Zohar 61a: This
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passage speaks of an 'original sin,' as the fall is regarded as the source of
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the Evil Inclination which is inherited by all humankind; see also Shabbat
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145b-146a, p. 547. On the other hand, in Kiddushin 30b, p. 526 there is the
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opinion that the Evil Inclination was created by God.
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Rabbi Joshua ben Qarhah said, "Why does the scripture not place the verse 'And
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the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin' (Genesis 3.21)
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immediately after 'And they were both naked, and were not ashamed' (Genesis
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2.25)? It teaches you through what sin that wicked creature inveighed them:
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Because [the serpent] saw them engaged in their natural relations, he conceived
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a lust for her."
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7. Judaism. Midrash, Genesis Rabbah 18.6
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After Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of
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the Garden of Eden, to till the earth.
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And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.
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And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of
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God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a
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state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the
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commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For He gave
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commandment that all men must repent; for He showed unto all men that they were
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lost, because of the transgression of their parents.
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And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he
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would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created
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must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were
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created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
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And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a
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state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for
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they knew no sin.
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But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of Him who knows all things.
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Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
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And the Messiah comes in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children
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of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they
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have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not
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to be acted upon.
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8. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2.19-26
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Genesis Rabbah 18.6: In the dominant Jewish tradition Adam and Eve enjoyed
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married life prior to the fall. In the Christian tradition, on the other hand,
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they are usually depicted as living chaste while in the Garden. Illustrating
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the latter point of view we give the following passages from the Book of Mormon
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and Divine Principle. On the devil's lust, cf. Shabbat 145b-146, p. 547. For
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another Jewish interpretation of the forbidden fruit, see Sanhedrin 70ab, p.
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499. Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2.19-26: The scriptures of the Latter-day Saints
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give positive value to the human fall, agreeing with a minority tradition in
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Christianity that views the fall as a 'happy fault' [felix culpa]. The fall
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was necessary both for procreation and for the exercise of moral agency--to
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know the joy of ethical living. In addition, without the fall humankind could
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not know the grace of redemption in Christ. For these reasons, the fall is
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considered to have been within the plan of God; compare Hadith of Muslim, p.
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523. The contrary Jewish position--that unfallen humans were created endowed
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with moral agency, is given above in Genesis Rabbah 8.11.
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All things were created to receive God's dominion through love. Therefore, love
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is the source of life and the essence of happiness; love is the ideal of all
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creation. Accordingly, the more one receives God's love, the more beautiful he
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or she becomes. So it was very natural that Eve looked most beautiful in
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Lucifer's eyes. Moreover, when [immature] Eve was susceptible to his
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temptation, Lucifer was strongly stimulated by an impulse of love toward Eve.
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At this point, Lucifer dared to seduce Eve at the risk of his life. Lucifer,
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who left his position due to excessive desire, and Eve, who desired to have her
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eyes opened like God's through a sexual relationship before she was ready for
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it, thus formed a reciprocal base, and had sexual intercourse with each other.
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The power of love derived from their give and take action was not based on the
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principle, and they fell into an illicit relationship of spiritual love.
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Eve received certain elements from Lucifer when she joined in one body with him
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through love. First, she received from Lucifer the sense of fear, which came
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from his guilty conscience because of their violation of the purpose of
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creation. Second, she received wisdom enabling her to perceive that her
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intended spouse in the original nature of creation was not Lucifer but Adam....
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Eve then seduced Adam in the hope that she might rid herself of the fear
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derived from the fall and stand before God by becoming, even then, one body
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with Adam, who was meant to be her spouse.
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Adam and Eve were meant to have become husband and wife, eternally centered on
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God, after their perfection. However, at that time Eve was still in the period
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of immaturity. Eve joined with Adam after she had the illicit relationship
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with the archangel and while Adam, too, was in his period of immaturity. The
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premature conjugal relationship thus established between Adam and Eve was
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centered on Satan and caused the physical fall.
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Eve, having become one body with the archangel through their illicit sexual
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relationship, was in the position of the archangel to Adam. Therefore Adam,
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whom God loved, looked very beautiful to her. Adam was Eve's only hope of
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returning to God. Feeling this, Eve tempted Adam, just as the archangel had
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tempted her. Adam and Eve formed a reciprocal base, and through their give and
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take action, the power of love drew them closer. This powerful love made Adam
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leave his original position and finally caused Eve and him to have an illicit
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sexual relationship.
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Adam, by becoming one body with Eve, inherited all the elements Eve had
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received from Lucifer, in the same manner she did. These elements were then
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transmitted to their descendants... and mankind has multiplied sin to the
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present day, thus perpetuating the lineage of Satan.
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9. Unification Church. Divine Principle I.2.2.2
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Divine Principle I.2.2.2: The fall is here regarded as a corruption of human
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love. Love is meant to be the most glorious and fulfilling emotion, expressing
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at the same time intimacy with God, but love was misused and degraded. The
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fall was consummated when Adam and Eve had their first sexual relationship, at
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the instigation of Satan, and expressing an evil motivation. Since then, human
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love has been infected with self-centered elements. On the premise that the
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world would have been completed through the God-centered love of perfected Adam
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and Eve, married under God's blessing, see Divine Principle I.1.2.3.4, p. 253;
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cf. Sun Myung Moon, 10-20-73, p. 467; 3-30-90, p. 1091; 8-20-89, p. 577.
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You must know, monks, that after the floods [that put out the conflagration
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that ended the last cosmic cycle] receded and the earth came back into being,
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there was upon the face of the earth a film more sweet-smelling than ambrosia.
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Do you want to know what was the taste of that film? It was like the taste of
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grape wine in the mouth. And at this time the gods of the Abhasvara Heaven
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said to one another, "Let us go and see what it looks like in Jambudvipa now
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that there is earth again." So the young gods of that heaven came down into
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the world and saw that over the earth was spread this film. They put their
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fingers into the earth and sucked them. Some put their fingers into the earth
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many times and ate a great deal of this film, and these at once lost all their
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majesty and brightness. Their bodies grew heavy and their substance became
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flesh and bone. They lost their magic and could no longer fly. But there were
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others who ate only a little, and these could still fly about in the air. And
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those that had lost their magic cried out to one another in dismay, "Now we are
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in a very sad case. We have lost our magic. There is nothing for it but to
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stay here on earth; for we cannot possibly get back to heaven." They stayed
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|
and fed upon the film that covered the earth, and gazed at one another's
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|
beauty. Those among them that were most passionate became women, and these gods
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|
and goddesses fulfilled their desires and pleasure in one another. And this
|
|
was how it was, monks, that when the world began love-making first spread
|
|
throughout the world; it is an old and constant thing. And that woman should
|
|
appear in the world, this too is an old thing, and not only a matter of today.
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|
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And the gods who had returned to heaven looked down and saw the young gods that
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|
had fallen, and they came down and reproached them, saying, "Why are you
|
|
behaving in this unclean way?" Then the gods on earth thought to themselves,
|
|
"We must find some way to be together without being seen by others." So they
|
|
made houses that would cover and hide them. Monks, that was how houses first
|
|
began.
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|
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|
[Now the people] seeing this thing of husbands and wives had begun, hated and
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|
despised such couples and seized them with the left hand, pushed them with the
|
|
right hand and drove them away. But always after two months or maybe three
|
|
they would come back again. Then the people hit them or pelted them with
|
|
sticks, clods of earth, tiles or stones. "Go and hide yourselves! Go and hide
|
|
yourselves properly!" That is why today when a girl is married she is pelted
|
|
with flowers or gold or silver or pieces of clothing or rice, and the people as
|
|
they pelt her say, "May peace and happiness, new bride, be yours!" Monks, in
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|
former times ill was meant by these things that were done, but nowadays good is
|
|
meant.
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|
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|
10. Buddhism. Ekottara Agama 34 and Ch'i-shih Ching
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|
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|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
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|
Ekottara Agama 34 and Ch'i-shih Ching: These are both texts from the Chinese
|
|
Tripitaka. The Ekkotara Agama is the Chinese translation of portions of the
|
|
Anguttara Nikaya of the Pali scriptures. In the case of this text, however,
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|
the parallel Pali version is found not in the Anguttara Nikaya, but in Digha
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|
Nikaya iii.27, the Aggana Suttanta. See Dialogues of the Buddha, III, 82-85.
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|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
|
The deities Izanagi and Izanami descended from Heaven to the island Ono-goro
|
|
and erected a heavenly pillar and a spacious palace.
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|
|
|
At this time Izanagi asked his wife Izanami, "How is your body formed?" She
|
|
replied, "My body, though it be formed, has one place which is formed
|
|
insufficiently." Then Izanagi said, "My body, though it be formed, has one
|
|
place which is formed to excess. Therefore, I would like to take that place in
|
|
my body which is formed to excess and insert it into that place in your body
|
|
which is formed insufficiently, and thus give birth to the land. How would
|
|
this be?" "That will be good," said Izanami. "Then let us, you and me, walk
|
|
in a circle around this heavenly pillar and meet and have conjugal
|
|
intercourse," said Izanagi. "You walk around from the right, and I will walk
|
|
around from the left and meet you."
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|
|
|
After having agreed to this, they circled around; then Izanami said first, "How
|
|
delightful! I have met a lovely lad!" Afterwards, Izanagi said, "How
|
|
delightful! I have met a lovely maiden!" After each had spoken, Izanagi said
|
|
to his wife, "It was not proper that the woman should speak first."
|
|
Nevertheless, they commenced procreation and gave birth to a leech-child. They
|
|
placed this child into a boat made of reeds and floated it away.
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|
|
|
Then the two deities consulted together, "The child which we have just borne is
|
|
not good. It is best to report this before the heavenly gods." So they
|
|
ascended together and sought the will of the heavenly gods. The gods thereupon
|
|
performed a grand divination, and said, "Because the woman spoke first, the
|
|
child was not good. Descend once more and say it again."
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|
|
|
Then they descended again and walked once more in a circle around the heavenly
|
|
pillar as before. "How delightful! I have met a lovely maiden!" "How
|
|
delightful! I have met a lovely lad!" Thus they united and gave birth to
|
|
children, [the eight islands of Japan].
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|
|
|
11. Shinto. Kojiki 4.1-6.1
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|
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|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Kojiki 4-6: The deities Izanagi and Izanami represent the union of opposites,
|
|
yang and yin, which is the source of all life divine and human--cf. I Ching,
|
|
Great Commentary 1.1.i-iv, p. 178. However, these deities at first erred in
|
|
the ritual of conjugal intercourse by which they were to create the land and
|
|
all things. Their mistake was in allowing the woman to take initiative--a
|
|
parallel to Eve's haste to eat the fruit in the Genesis story. The
|
|
'leech-child' (piru-go) was a monstrosity who was allowed to die of exposure.
|
|
Izanami, too, would eventually die in childbirth (Kojiki 7.22); compare the
|
|
curses in Genesis 3.3 and 3.16.
|
|
|
|
The Japanese philosopher Nishida regards this myth as the Shinto version of
|
|
Original Sin. According to Nishida, as Izanagi and Izanami were brother and
|
|
sister, everything in the universe originated from an incestuous marriage. The
|
|
procession around the heavenly pillar was a ritual designed to overcome the
|
|
incest taboo, but the error in carrying out this ritual nullified its effect.
|
|
Hence all humanity is the result of incest. The death of Izanami, the symbolic
|
|
death of their daughter Amaterasu-omi-kami (Kojiki 15) and the expulsion of
|
|
their son Susanoo (Kojiki 17.25) were punishments endured by the Shinto gods to
|
|
atone for this original mistake.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
|
The Creator, Fidi Mukullu, made all things including man. He also planted
|
|
banana trees. When the bananas were ripe He sent the sun to harvest them. The
|
|
sun brought back a full basket to Fidi Mukullu, who asked him if he had eaten
|
|
any. The sun answered "no," and the Creator decided to put him to a test. He
|
|
made the sun go down into a hole dug in the earth, then asked him when he
|
|
wanted to get out. "Tomorrow morning, early," answered the sun. "If you did
|
|
not lie," the Creator told him, "you will get out early tomorrow morning." The
|
|
next day the sun appeared at the desired moment, confirming his honesty. Next
|
|
the moon was ordered to gather God's bananas and was put to the same test. She
|
|
also got out successfully. Then came man's turn to perform the same task.
|
|
However, on his way to the Creator he ate a portion of the bananas, but denied
|
|
doing so. Put to the same test as the sun and the moon, man said that he
|
|
wanted to leave the hole at the end of five days. But he never got out. Fidi
|
|
Mukullu said, "Man lied. That is why man will die and will never reappear."
|
|
|
|
12. African Traditional Religions. BaSonge tradition (Zaire)
|
|
|
|
In the beginning God was very close to man, for the sky then lay just above the
|
|
earth. There was no death, sickness, sorrow, or hunger, and men were content
|
|
with one grain of millet a day granted them by God. One day, a greedy woman,
|
|
who wanted to pound more than the one grain permitted, used a long-handled
|
|
pestle and struck the sky. This angered God, who withdrew with the sky to its
|
|
present position far above the earth. Since then the country has become
|
|
spoiled, and men are now subject to death, sickness, hunger, and disease.
|
|
|
|
13. African Traditional Religions. Dinka tradition (Sudan)
|
|
|
|
In the olden days, when God still lived among men, Death did not live among
|
|
men. Whenever he happened to stray onto the earth, God (Imana) would chase it
|
|
away with his hunting dogs. One day during such a chase, Death was forced into
|
|
a narrow space and would have been caught and destroyed. But in his straits he
|
|
found a woman, and promised her that if she hid him he would spare her and her
|
|
family. The woman opened her mouth and Death jumped inside. When God came to
|
|
her and asked her if she had seen Death, she denied ever seeing him. But God,
|
|
the All-Seeing One, knew what happened, and told the woman that since she had
|
|
hidden Death, in the future Death would destroy her and all her children. From
|
|
that moment death spread all over the world.
|
|
|
|
14. African Traditional Religions. Urundi tradition (Burundi)
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Dinka tradition: Many African myths explain how in primordial times God
|
|
withdrew far from the human realm. Variations on this particular version of
|
|
the myth of God's withdrawal are found in the traditions of many African
|
|
peoples. Cf. Dinka song, p. 459; Fang tradition, p. 410.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
|
Formerly, all creatures were virtuous, and by themselves they obtained
|
|
divinity. Therefore the gods became worried, so Brahma created women in order
|
|
to delude men. Then women, who had been virtuous, became wicked witches, and
|
|
Brahma filled them with wanton desires, which they in turn inspired in men. He
|
|
created anger, and henceforth all creatures were born in the power of desire
|
|
and anger.
|
|
|
|
15. Hinduism. Mahabharata 13.40.5-12
|
|
|
|
Formerly Prajapati brought forth pure creatures, who were truthful and
|
|
virtuous. These creatures joined the gods in the sky whenever they wished, and
|
|
they lived and died by their own wish. In another time, those who dwelt on
|
|
earth were overcome by desire and anger, and they were abandoned by the gods.
|
|
Then by their foul deeds these evil ones were trapped in the chain of rebirth,
|
|
and they became atheists.
|
|
|
|
16. Hinduism. Mahabharata 3.181.11-20
|
|
|
|
In the Krita [golden age], Dharma is four-footed and entire, and so is Truth;
|
|
nor does any gain accrue to men by unrighteousness.
|
|
|
|
In the other three ages, by reason of unjust gains, Dharma is deprived
|
|
successively of one foot, and through the prevalence of theft, falsehood, and
|
|
fraud the merit gained by men is diminished by one-fourth in each.
|
|
|
|
Men are free from disease, accomplish all their aims, and live four hundred
|
|
years in the Krita age, but in the Treta [silver age] and in each of the
|
|
succeeding ages their life is lessened by one quarter.
|
|
|
|
The life-[span] of mortals... the desired results of sacrificial rites and the
|
|
supernatural power of embodied spirits are fruits apportioned among men
|
|
according to the character of the age.
|
|
|
|
One set of duties is prescribed for men in the Krita age, different ones in the
|
|
Treta and in the Dvapara, and again another set in the Kali [the present age],
|
|
in proportion as those ages decrease in length.
|
|
|
|
In the Krita age the chief virtue is declared to be the performance of
|
|
austerities, in the Treta divine knowledge, in the Dvapara the performance of
|
|
sacrifices, and in the Kali liberality alone.
|
|
|
|
17. Hinduism. Laws of Manu 1.81-86
|
|
|
|
When the Tao was lost, there was virtue;
|
|
When virtue was lost, there was benevolence;
|
|
When benevolence was lost, there was rectitude;
|
|
When rectitude was lost, there were rules of propriety.
|
|
Propriety is a wearing thin of loyalty and good faith,
|
|
And the beginning of disorder.
|
|
|
|
18. Taoism. Tao Te Ching 38
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Mahabharata 13.40.5-12: In this and similar Hindu traditions, the motive for
|
|
the human fall lies with the gods, who grew jealous of people and desired to
|
|
keep them out of heaven. This compares with the jealousy of the angels in the
|
|
Qur'anic and biblical accounts of the fall. Mahabharata 3.181.11-20:
|
|
Philosophical Hinduism explains evil by the doctrines of karma and
|
|
reincarnation, but logically, karma itself must have an origin. This passage
|
|
allows how, though the Creator be good, the chain of evil karma could begin.
|
|
Laws of Manu 1.81-86: This is the Hindu doctrine of the Four Ages (Yugas),
|
|
which together make up a complete world-cycle. We now live in the Kali Age,
|
|
which is said to have begun with the death of Krishna shortly after the
|
|
Mahabharata war (1500-1000 b.c.e.). Cf. Vishnu Purana 4.24, pp. 1092, 1106f;
|
|
Linga Purana 1.40.72-83, p. 1115; Bhagavad Gita 8.17-21, p. 122. Tao Te Ching
|
|
38: On the harmony of the golden age of the 'Great Tao,' or 'Grand Unity,' cf.
|
|
Book of Ritual 7.1.2, p. 293; Tao Te Ching 18-19, p. 294; Chuang Tzu 9, p. 320.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|