adam & eve

so i've been thinking about the difference between prefall adam and eve and postfall adam and eve. whether there was a literal "tree" or if it was something else is not in my capacity to know but i'm thinking of a few theories of what the difference was after the bite of the "apple".

my first thought is that prefall adam and eve had no concept of time as we know it, like God. that is probably the most prominent difference between us and God, beside everything else. the one thing that keeps us so far from God a lot of the time has to do with things that we can measure in our reality but if we were to step outside of time and space we would see it in a way that would make sense, in which we would feel a sense of well-being and nearness to infinity(God). for example, if i complain and complain and worry and worry about when i will ever get a job (if i didn't have one), it would make me feel alone and lost to think that God doesn't care enough to give me a job. but, if i could step outside of time and see that a new job would arrive on my doorstep eventually because outside of time i am a fulfilled person that works hard, then i would feel a sense of patience and calm knowing that all is well that ends well. another example is money; if we could always remember that God will not run out of blessings and that the world will not run out of money and that we will be okay even if we have nothing, half of our worries are eliminated right there. our ability to measure and compare, which has to do with our concept of time, can inhibit our God-consciousness. just like the creation poem tells us, that they noticed their nakedness. they could then see their bodies not as whole beings created perfectly in the image of God for a purpose, but they saw something to be compared and measured, and decided that it wasn't good enough. they were stripped of their sense of wholeness and fullness. besides, aren't the times you feel closest to God the moments where Earth fades away and its just you and infinity(God)?

however, would that make adam and eve immortal, or everlasting, in their prefall state? this raises an issue i am not sure i can comprehend fully. perhaps they weren't immortal but didn't have a concept of impending death and felt a sense that everything needs to happen in a specific way because that's how the universe operates. like animals. surely lizards and birds cannot comprehend their own death or contemplate their own existence.. they just are. even if they could realize their own self they wouldn't want or need to because it really doesn't matter in the long run.

i am not suggesting, though, that adam and eve were just animals like all the rest and had no higher thinking ability. (if there really was an adam and eve)

perhaps adam and eve were a product of the egocentrism that infiltrated jewish culture back in ancient times. the jews believed that they were "God's chosen people" and maybe they decided that their origins were actually perfect.

who knows. but the reason the difference matters is also the reason our existence matters.

pagan christianity

in my rekindled obsession for knowledge and books, i have started reading like a maniac. i've decided to write everything i learn down so as to not forget it as easily. i finished pagan christianity today. really intriguing. here's what i learned:

-"church" did not mean a building to the early Christians. it meant to living, breathing body of believers.

-the whole modern set-up of the order of church is a fabrication of the Greeks and Romans, and it can really harm your soul if you never get out of your box.

-the sermon was an adaptation of the common Greek and Roman oration that philosophers would give every week to entertain their audience as well as flaunt their intellect.

-pastors aren't biblical, Jesus never called for them. Jesus is our leader, what more do we need?

-seminary isn't biblical. Jesus(God) never meant for one person or a group of people to be above everyone else. church needs to fluid and organic, not a top-down monarchial system.

-tithing is biblical, but not "Christian". i think Jesus calls us to give our life, not just right a legalistic check. we need to challenge ourselves to give as much as humanly possible(not just monetarily either)

-sunday school isn't biblical nor necessary

-the word "teenager" cam out of the 1940s and thus was born the youth pastor. not at all God's intention.

-the "sinner's prayer" was created in the 1950s by none other then D.L. Moody. its not in the bible anywhere.

-the whole modern worship service is completely elitist and unbiblical. it goes along with the idea that you need a "trained" group of people to lead church, and that the "laity" just aren't fit or qualified for the job.

-dressing up on sundays came out of the industrial revolution and the new middle class that was striving to look more like the wealthy. they were helped by the new "ready-to-wear" garment factories that emerged which made clothes cheaper and easier to procure.

i think this book would really rock your world and make your church ideal completely tumble to the ground into a pile of rubbish. so read it!