Wikipedia: Fall of Man

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Feb 8, 2010, 6:13:39 PM2/8/10

Fall of Man
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_of_Adam

The Fall of Man, or simply "the Fall," in Christian doctrine refers to the
transition of the first humans from a state of innocent obedience to God,
to a state of guilty disobedience to God. In the Book of Genesis chapter
2, Adam and Eve live at first with God in a paradise, but are then
deceived or tempted by the serpent to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil, which had been forbidden them by God. After doing so
they become ashamed of their nakedness, and God consequently expelled them
from paradise. The Fall is not mentioned by name in the Bible, but the
story of disobedience and expulsion is recounted in both Testaments in
different ways. The Fall can refer to the wider theological inferences for
all humankind as a consequence of Eve and Adam's original sin. Examples
include the teachings of Paul in Romans 5:12-19 and 1 Cor. 15:21-22.

Some Christians believe the Fall corrupted the entire natural world,
including human nature, causing people to be born into original sin, a
state from which they cannot attain eternal life without the gracious
intervention of God. Protestants hold that Jesus' death was a "ransom" by
which humanity was offered freedom from the sin acquired at the Fall. In
other religions, such as Judaism, Islam, and Gnosticism, the term "The
Fall" is not recognized and varying interpretations of the Eden narrative
are presented.

The term "prelapsarian" refers to the sin-free state of humanity prior to
the Fall. It is sometimes used in reference to sentimental recollections
of a past time when conditions stood in sharp contrast to the present;
this situation is called nostalgia.

Contents

* 1 Accounts
o 1.1 Genesis
o 1.2 Quran
o 1.3 Other traditions
* 2 Interpretations
o 2.1 Judaism
o 2.2 Christianity
+ 2.2.1 Catholicism
+ 2.2.2 Protestantism
+ 2.2.3 Eastern Orthodoxy
+ 2.2.4 Pelagianism
+ 2.2.5 Mormonism
+ 2.2.6 Unification Church
+ 2.2.7 Felix culpa
o 2.3 Other interpretations
+ 2.3.1 Entheogen theory
+ 2.3.2 Kundalini Yoga (Hinduism)
o 2.4 Fiction
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links

Accounts

Genesis

In Genesis, the first book of the Jewish and Christian Bibles, God creates
Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, in his own image. God places them
in the Garden of Eden and forbids them to eat fruit from the tree of
knowledge of good and evil (often symbolized in European art and
literature as an apple tree). The serpent persuades Eve to eat fruit from
the forbidden tree. Eve shares the fruit with Adam and they immediately
become ashamed of their nakedness.

To the Serpent, God said:

Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures;
upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring
and hers;
he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.[Gen. 3:14-15]

Although God does not use the word "curse" when he addresses the couple,
he does, at a minimum, prophetically warn them of the consequences
awaiting them as a result of the sin they have committed.

To the woman God said:

I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for
your husband,
and he shall rule over you.[Gen. 3:6]

To the man God said:

Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,
and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, You shall not
eat of it",
cursed is the ground because of you;
in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and
thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the
ground,
for out of it you were taken; you are dust,
and to dust you shall return. [Gen. 3:17-19]

The question thus remains as to whether God's statements to the woman and
man are prescriptive, and therefore a curse, or are instead descriptive;
that is, prophecies of the natural consequences of their actions.
Calvinist theologian Roger Nicole understands the passage this way
(Nicole, Roger. "Biblical Egalitarianism and the Inerrancy of Scripture."
Priscilla Papers, Vol. 20, No. 2. Spring 2006):

This passage is not a commandment, but a prophecy that has been
fulfilled extensively over the centuries in all the earth. Whatever we may
do to alleviate God’s curse is legitimate in the matter of subordination,
no less than in providing some relief from the pains of the delivery of
children [Gen. 3:16] and the sweat in cultivating the ground and earning a
living [Gen. 3:17-19].
--Roger Nicole

Subsequently, God banishes Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, and
places cherubim to guard the entrance, so that Adam and Eve will not eat
from the Tree of Life.[Gen. 3:23-24]

Quran

God announced to the angels that he would create a viceregent (man) on the
earth. The angels questioned this, wondering why God would create
something with the capacity to disobey him:

Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on
earth." They said: "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief
therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify
Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not." 002.031 And He
taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the
angels, and said: "Tell me the names of these if ye are right."

They said: "Glory to Thee, of knowledge We have none, save what Thou Hast
taught us: In truth it is Thou Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom."
He said: "O Adam! Tell them their names." When he had told them, Allah
said: "Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and
I know what ye reveal and what ye conceal?"[Qur'an 2:30-33] (Al-Baqara
[The Cow])

God then commanded the angels to prostrate (bow down) to Adam. The angels
prostrated but Iblis (Satan), out of haughtiness, refused to bow. God
cursed him because of his disobedience. Iblis sought respite and vowed to
mislead Adam and his progeny. He misled Adam and his wife Eve to eat from
a tree that was forbidden for them by God. Due to their disobedience, God
ordered the removal of Adam and Eve out of paradise and down to earth. God
promised that the earth will be a dwelling place for them and their
children a limited time (Until the Day of Judgment). The Qur'an Al-A'raf
(The Elevated Places) verses 7:11-27 detail the story of the Fall. ("The
Elevated Places". University of Michigan Digital Library Production
Service.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/k/koran/koran-idx?type=DIV0&byte=227087.
Retrieved 2008-08-25.)

God warns men and women that they should not allow themselves to be
deceived by Satan and fall into disobedience (disbelief, polytheism and
sins) which will eventually lead them to Hell. If men and women obey God,
they will lead a successful life on earth and be admitted into paradise as
a reward.

Other traditions

* In Gnosticism, the snake is thanked for bringing knowledge to Adam and
Eve, and thereby freeing them from the Demiurge's control. The Demiurge
banished Adam and Eve, because man was now a threat.

* Ancient Greek mythology held that humanity was immortal during the
Golden Age, until Prometheus brought them fire to help them live through
cold. The gods punished humans allowing Pandora to release the evil
(death, sorrow, plague) into the world due to her curiosity. See Ages of
Man for more.

* In classic Zoroastrianism, humanity is created to withstand the forces
of decay and destruction through good thoughts, words and deeds. Failure
to do so actively leads to misery for the individual and for his family.
This is also the moral of many of the stories of the Shahnameh, the key
text of Persian mythology.

Interpretations

Judaism

Judaism and Islam interpret the account of the fall as being simply
historical, Adam and Eve's disobedience would have already been known to
God even before he created them, thus draw no particular theological
implications for human nature.[citation needed] That is, man's setting,
condition, and environment have in essence changed - but not man himself.
Quite simply, because of Adam's actions, he and his wife were removed from
the garden, forced to work, suffer pain in childbirth, and die. However,
even after expelling them from the garden, God provided that people who
honor God and follow God's laws would be rewarded, while those who acted
wrongly would be punished.

Some Muslims believe that Adam and Eve were clothed in the Garden and
stripped when they were expelled. However, these stories hold no
significant weight in any Judaic-Christian type of doctrine. (Milani,
Farzaneh. "Drawing the Line Between Public and Private".
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5204664. Retrieved
2008-08-25.)

Christianity

Christianity interprets the fall in a number of ways. Traditional
Christian theology accepts the teaching of St Paul in his letter to the
Romans (3:23) "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and
of St John's Gospel (3:16) that "God so loved the world that he sent his
only son (Jesus Christ) that whoever believes on him should not perish,
but have everlasting life".[John 3:16]

The doctrine of original sin, as articulated by Augustine of Hippo's
interpretation of Paul of Tarsus, provides that the fall caused a
fundamental change in human nature, so that all descendants of Adam are
born in sin, and can only be redeemed by divine grace. Sacrifice was the
only means by which humanity could be redeemed after the Fall. Jesus, who
was without sin, died on the cross as the ultimate redemption for the sin
of humankind.

The dominant view within Christianity is that the serpent of Genesis was
an incarnation of Satan, based on the reference in the Book of Revelation:
"He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan,
and bound him for a thousand years."[Rev. 20:2]

Catholicism

Catholicism teaches that "the account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses
figurative language, but affirms a primeval event, a deed that took place
at the beginning of the history of man." Catechism of the Catholic Church,
paragraph 390)

Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his
heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what
man's first sin consisted of. (loc. cit., 397)

This first sin was "transmitted" by Adam and Eve to all of their
descendants as original sin, causing humans to be "subject to ignorance,
suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin." Baptism is
considered to erase original sin, though the effects on human nature
remain, and for this reason the Catholic Church baptizes even infants who
have not committed any personal sin. (loc. sit., 404-5)

Protestantism

* Among the teachings of Protestants John Calvin and Martin Luther were,
in a variation and adaptation of the Pauline-Augustinian teaching, that
God foresaw and predestined those who were to be redeemed by grace and
those who were to be eternally condemned, thus giving humanity, in its
sinful state, no real choice in spiritual matters, except to act at God's
direction. (See Calvinism.) Calvinists (and others) holding this view are
named Infralapsarians. Those who hold predestination to be superior to the
Fall, and the creation, fall, and redemption to be part of God's eternal
purpose are named Supralapsarians. (See supralapsarianism and
infralapsarianism.)

* Some Protestants (including some of the above mentioned Lutheran and
Calvinist groups) understand the account of "the fall" in Genesis 2 and 3
not as a historical-factual account of the origins of human sin, but
rather as the narrative myth that the Israelite people used to express
their recognition that man's relationship with God was broken, (a "myth"
in the sense that the truth contained in the narrative does not depend
upon its historical factuality). This view has the advantage of not
conflicting with the evolutionary description of human origins, while
preserving the traditional biblical idea of man's moral failure and need
for redemption.

* Some more liberal Protestants [e.g. John Shelby Spong] see the person
and work of Jesus Christ as God's act to restore relationship, but tend
not to view this restoration in terms of a sacrifice necessary for an
unpaid debt.

Eastern Orthodoxy

Eastern Orthodoxy rejects the idea that the guilt of original sin is
passed down through generations. It bases its teaching in part on a
passage in Exodus saying a son is not guilty of the sins of his father.
The church teaches that in addition to their conscience and tendency to do
good, men and women are born with a tendency to sin due to the fallen
condition of the world. It follows Maximus the Confessor and others in
characterizing the change in human nature as the introduction of a
"deliberative will" in opposition to the "natural will" created by God
which tends toward the good. Thus according to St Paul in his epistle to
the Romans, non-Christians can still act according to their conscience.
Nonetheless, as a consequence of Adam's sin, seen merely as the prototype
(since human nature has been degraded) of all future sinners, each of
whom, in repeating Adam’s sin, bears responsibility only for his own sins,
humans became mortal. Adam's sin isn't comprehended only as disobedience
to God's commandment, but as a change in man's hierarchy of values from
theocentricism to anthropocentrism, driven by the object of his lust,
outside of God, in this case the tree which was seen to be "good for
food", and something "to be desired" (see also theosis, seeking union with
God).[OCA - Q & A - Original Sin, http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=3&SID=3 and
http://orthodoxeurope.org/page/10/1.aspx]

Pelagianism

Pelagianism rejects the doctrine of original sin entirely, holding that
the fall did not permanently taint human nature, and that humans are
therefore capable of choosing good even without divine aid.

Mormonism

Mormonism believes that the Fall was necessary as part of God's plan to
redeem and exalt his children. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden
of Eden, he gave them two seemingly contradictory commandments: First, to
"multiply and replenish the earth"; and second, not to partake of the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Mormonism emphasizes that Adam and Eve's subsequent partaking of the fruit
was a "transgression," not a sin. Eve, after partaking, understood that
without partaking of the fruit they could have no posterity, and hence
could not fulfill the command to multiply and replenish the earth, partook
of the fruit; Adam, seeing that his wife would be driven out of the Garden
and he would be alone and unable to fulfill God’s command, partook as
well.

The Book of Mormon, sacred scripture to Latter-day Saints, states:

And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have
fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things
which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were
after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no
end.

And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have
remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery;
doing no good, for they knew no sin.

But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth
all things.

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the
children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the
fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for
themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the
law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God
hath given (2 Nephi 2:22-26, http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2.
Retrieved 2008-08-25.

According to Mormonism, through partaking of the fruit, Adam and Eve
brought death into the world in two forms, namely physical and spiritual
death. Physical death is a separation of the body and spirit; spiritual
death is a separation between God and man. Through their own power,
humanity is not able to overcome either. Yet, through the Atonement of
Jesus Christ, all of humanity will be resurrected and overcome physical
death; and by individual obedience to the Gospel, the grace of Christ
provides forgiveness for individual sins, thus overcoming spiritual death
and returning the faithful disciple to God’s presence.

This Plan of Salvation rejects the concept of Original sin. Three of their
thirteen Articles of Faith state:

* 2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for
Adam's transgression.

* 3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be
saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

* 4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel
are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third,
Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands
for the gift of the Holy Ghost. (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1.
Retrieved 2008-08-25.)

Unification Church

The Unification Church agrees with those who believe the forbidden fruit
was sex, but teaches that Adam and Eve were meant to be blessed in
marriage by God after they had grown to spiritual maturity. They fell when
they engaged in a sexual act prematurely after Eve was tempted sexually by
the serpent in the world of spirit. Thus they learned about the sexual
relationship from Satan, not from God.

Contrary to many Christians' belief, Unificationists do not believe that
The Fall was predestined by God, but was a choice made by Adam and Eve.
According to Divine Principle (the Unification holy book),

"God created human beings in His image, with the character and powers
of the Creator, intending that they govern over all things as He governs
over humankind. However, for human beings to inherit the creative nature
of God, they must grow to perfection by fulfilling their portion of
responsibility. . . the period of their growth is the realm of God's
indirect dominion or the realm of dominion based on accomplishments
through the Principle. While people are still in this realm, God does not
directly govern them because He wishes to allow them to fulfill their own
portion of responsibility. God will govern them directly only after they
have reached full maturity. If God were to interfere with human actions
during their growing period, it would be tantamount to ignoring the human
portion of responsibility. In that case, God would be disregarding His own
Principle of Creation, according to which He intends to give human beings
His creative nature and raise them to become the lords of creation. In
summary, in order to preserve the absoluteness and perfection of the
Principle of Creation, God did not intervene in the acts that led the
human beings to fall." (Unification Home Page. Exposition of the Divine
Principle, Retrieved September 12, 2007.
http://www.unification.net/dp96/)

As a result of "the fall", humans lost God's lineage, and have been
dominated by their ties to Satan. Unificationists believe that the fall is
reversed through the Blessing Ceremony, which is understood to change a
couple's lineage back to that of God, cutting off the bloodline to Satan.
The entire purpose of history is restoration of man back to the originally
intended divine lineage of God.
Felix culpa

Felix culpa (the happy fault) is an interpretation of the doctrine of the
fall is that it is necessary so that humans might benefit from God's
grace. It includes the notion that, had humankind not been given the
capacity for evil, our choice through free will to either serve God or not
would not have been as meaningful. For example:

A fall it might seem, just as a vicious man sometimes seems degraded
below the beasts, but in promise and potency, a rise it really was.
--Sir Oliver Lodge, "Life and Matter", p. 79

Other interpretations

Entheogen theory

Writer/philosopher Terence McKenna in the Entheogen theory proposed that
the fruit of knowledge was a reference to psychotropic plants and fungus,
which played a central role, he theorized, in human intellectual
evolution.

Kundalini Yoga (Hinduism)

In the theory of Kundalini Yoga, author William Irwin Thompson attributes
the story of the fall to the time when human beings first understood that
sex led to pregnancy, and understood what menstruation was. In "The time
falling bodies take to light", Thompson theorizes that Eve's kundalini
awakened, leading her to understand sexuality and human power and
intelligence. In Sanskrit, "kundalini" means "curled up like a serpent"
(Fairgreen, Claire. "Kundalini meditation". projectmeditation.com.
http://www.project-meditation.org/a_mt1/kundalini_meditation.html.
Retrieved 06-01-2010.)

Fiction

* In William Shakespeare's Henry V (1599), the King describes the betrayal
of Lord Scroop - a friend since childhood - as being "like another fall of
man", referring to the loss of his own faith and innocence the treason has
caused.

* In the novel Perelandra (1943) by C. S. Lewis, the theme of the Fall is
explored in the context of a new Garden of Eden with a new Adam and Eve on
the planet Venus.

* In the novel The Fall (1956) by Albert Camus, the theme of the Fall is
enunciated through the first-person account given in post-war Amsterdam,
in a bar called "Mexico City." Confessing to an acquaintance, the
protagonist, Jean-Baptiste Clamence, describes the haunting consequence of
his refusal to rescue a woman who had jumped from a bridge to her death.
The dilemmas of modern Western conscience and the sacramental themes of
baptism and grace are explored.

* J. R. R. Tolkien included as a note to his comments about the Dialogue
of Finrod and Andreth (published posthumously in 1993), the Tale of Adanel
that is a reimagining of the Fall of Man inside his Middle-earth's mythos.
The story presented Melkor seducing the first Men by making them worship
him instead of Eru Ilúvatar, leading to the loss of the "Edenic" condition
of the human race. The story is part of Morgoth's Ring.

* In both Daniel Quinn's Ishmael (1992) and The Story of B (1996) novels,
it is proposed that the story of the Fall of Man was first thought up by
another culture watching the development of the now-dominant totalitarian
agriculturalist culture.

* In Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series (1995, 1997, 2000), the
Fall is presented in a positive light, as it is the moment at which human
beings achieve self-awareness, knowledge, and freedom. Pullman believes
that it is not worth being innocent if the price is ignorance.

* In the series Neon Genesis Evangelion (1994-present), the theme of the
Fall is often explored. At the end of the plot, an attempt to clean the
original sin is performed and a new genesis is started.

* In the film Jingle All the Way, Howard Langston's hubristic attempt to
impress his son by masquerading as "Turbo Man" and the character's
subsequent fall from the sky are often invoked in academic circles as a
prominent and deliberate representation of the Fall.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwRDfQFU-OY#t=02m18s)

* In the novel Lord of the Flies, Golding explores the fall of man in his
novel. The storyline depicts young innocent children which turn into
savages when they are stranded on a dessert island. Lord of the Flies was
originally named 'Strangers Within', also showing his views of human
nature.