The first 3 chapters of Genesis

So they were capable of disobeying before they knew right from wrong. But were not capable of obeying before they knew right from wrong.

And Brian did the same earlier in the thread at Message 195 with a terse, "That's not my interpretation at all." I guess that really narrows it down. One possible interpretation eliminated as a possibility, only umpteen to go. Let the game of 20 questions begin! I agree that terseness can be a source of confusion, but I think there have been some very clear posts recently. Jar raises an interesting question when he introduces the issue of how Adam and Eve were to know whether obeying God was good or evil before eating of the Tree of Knowledge.--Percy

They were like little children, they did not know right from wrong. Like any child they were capable of disobeying. They had no defense though, no way to understand right from wrong.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

The question is an illogical one not an interesting one to my mind. One cannot evaluate a thing to be good/evil before one knows about good/evil. And that knowledge came after the fact.If one insists that it is not pure illogic by introducing it then clarity of view is the mimimum one should deliver on. Rule #4 covers this.

facts? ha!
that answer to that question should render this discussion pointless... there are no "facts" in this story

You weren't so definite before. Before, you said "yes and no."If you can't recall, I'll quote what you said before.

If like little children then that is not disobedience that is ignorance.*Anyway it swings both ways: if 'capable' of disobedience (if you insist on calling it that) then also 'capable' of obedience. But you say they are incapable of obedience. How so? A little child often will follow an instruction and are thus capable of obedience.*
{AbE} Strictly speaking a child not doing what it is told whether through ignorance or wilfulness or whatever is disobedience. Thus we will probably arrive at: Edited by iano, : No reason given.

I meant "fact" in the sense of a literary fact.Did Hamlet kill Polonius? Yes, he did. That's a fact of the story.

Please do. Quote the full message and provide links so that folk can follow the conversation, so that folk can see that I went on to explain that statement.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Isn't that precisely the point? Adam or Eve could not evaluate eating the apple to be good or evil untill it was too late. => God = jerk.They did not fully understand the choice they were making, they could not have without the knowledge of good and evil. The made the choice without the ability to fully understand the consequenses.like leaving a child by a cliff's edge and saying "don't go over the edge or you will surey die"
the child has no comprehension of the consequenses of going over the edge. => God = JerkIt's like saying "well you can stay here in the garden of eden where things are good or you can have what's in the 'mystery box'" what kind of a choice is that?
=> God = Jerk

Play whatever word games you wish. I would have no problem characterizing it as ignorance if that is the term YOU wish to use; I do think innocence might be more apt.What I have said is that they did not have the tools needed to make an informed decision, they did not know right from wrong.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Posts 237/241 cover the essentials.

You say only capable of disobeying not obeying. But however ignorant or innocent children are capable of obeying as well as disobeying so your analogy doesn't work.From where the insistance that they were UNABLE to obey. We know they did not. We know they were tempted. But from where "could not"? From where the foregone conclusion?Edited by iano, : No reason given.Edited by iano, : No reason given.

You know I have answered that about a brazillion times in this thread alone not to mention how many times I've answered that in other threads.Adam & Eve did not know right from wrong until after they had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge.Since they did not know right from wrong, like little children, they went on spur of the moment decisions. When another authority figure says go ahead, when it looks good, smells good and is good to eat, they eat.From Genesis 3: Only AFTER eating do they become aware of right and wrong.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

So what God has said didn't provide sufficient for a balanced choice - it was a foregone conclusion once so tempted?