detail, had obviously told Eve not to eat from or touch the tree. God said nothing about touching anything. One rule in the entire universe, and it gets misinterpreted in its very first use.
The serpent grinned and continued to dangle the fruit in front of Eve, who stepped further back, being careful not to accidentally brush up against the fruit. Adam reached out and took her by the arm.
"Uh, Eve," Adam found his voice. "I'm not sure that's what God said."
"What do you mean you're not sure?" she asked. "We are not to eat from the tree or even touch it. That is what God said, right?"
"He probably didn't say anything about touching,"
Adam said as he swatted at the bee.
"Adam, pay attention," said Eve as she grabbed his swatting hand and brought him face-to-face. "You need to be very sure about this."
"Yeah, yeah, well, I'm pretty sure. He didn't say anything about touching."
Eve turned away and looked like she might cry. Adam took her by the shoulders and gently turned her around.
"Don't be upset. So much was going on that day. I could have heard God wrong." Adam strained as if trying to remember as he looked at the serpent pulling leaves off the tree. "I guess God must not have said anything about touching, or the serpent would be dead."
Eve did not seem convinced. She said nothing in response and looked at the serpent sheepishly.
The serpent moved slowly toward her, saying, "The tree is right here in your garden. W h y would God care if you ate from it or not?"
Both of them folded their arms, shifted their weight from foot to foot, and looked uncomfortably at each other, then at the serpent, but neither had an answer.
"There can only be one reason," said the serpent as he pulled off more leaves and crushed them between his fingers. "There's a power in the tree God doesn't want you to know about."
"What kind of power?" Adam asked.
"The power to know good and evil. If you eat the fruit from this tree, you will be like God. You will know everything and will never die."
Adam and Eve stepped away and whispered quietly with their backs to the serpent. I listened intently as they talked themselves right into what Satan had wanted them to believe all along: nothing was forbidden. If God had said it was forbidden, then He must have an ulterior motive. Very clever, indeed, I must say. They walked back to where the serpent was, and Eve extended her hand.
"Don't do it!" I shouted into the air, but I knew they were going to do it anyway. The other demons looked at me as if I were addled, but they weren't interested enough to find out why.
The serpent gave Eve the fruit; she took a bite and then gave it to Adam. I would come to be amazed, as history unfurled, how humans got the idea this was Eve's fault. I was there, watching and listening from the first day God gave the rule to Adam while Eve was still a rib. It had to be Adam who gave Eve the information about the tree. How could she have known any other way? No one else heard, so no one can be sure what he said to her.
Maybe Adam did it with good intentions. I've seen other humans do the same sort of thing when warning someone they care about of possible danger. I've heard them overstate the consequences without the slightest hesitation. For example, a parent warns a child not to touch an electrical socket because if he does, he will get electrocuted. Of course, that wouldn't happen from touching a socket. It seems to me it is human nature to embellish when someone's safety is at stake.
"That a girl," Satan said as Eve took a bite of the fruit and gave the rest to Adam. "See?" he chided. "Nothing happened."
Eve looked embarrassed, and I could tell she wondered if Adam could be trusted to hear from God. Their relationship had already changed. She would have never have thought such a thing before the fruit.
The show was over as far as the other demons were concerned. They turned and headed back to Satan's den, slapping one another on the back and celebrating how easy
The serpent grinned and continued to dangle the fruit in front of Eve, who stepped further back, being careful not to accidentally brush up against the fruit. Adam reached out and took her by the arm.
"Uh, Eve," Adam found his voice. "I'm not sure that's what God said."
"What do you mean you're not sure?" she asked. "We are not to eat from the tree or even touch it. That is what God said, right?"
"He probably didn't say anything about touching,"
Adam said as he swatted at the bee.
"Adam, pay attention," said Eve as she grabbed his swatting hand and brought him face-to-face. "You need to be very sure about this."
"Yeah, yeah, well, I'm pretty sure. He didn't say anything about touching."
Eve turned away and looked like she might cry. Adam took her by the shoulders and gently turned her around.
"Don't be upset. So much was going on that day. I could have heard God wrong." Adam strained as if trying to remember as he looked at the serpent pulling leaves off the tree. "I guess God must not have said anything about touching, or the serpent would be dead."
Eve did not seem convinced. She said nothing in response and looked at the serpent sheepishly.
The serpent moved slowly toward her, saying, "The tree is right here in your garden. W h y would God care if you ate from it or not?"
Both of them folded their arms, shifted their weight from foot to foot, and looked uncomfortably at each other, then at the serpent, but neither had an answer.
"There can only be one reason," said the serpent as he pulled off more leaves and crushed them between his fingers. "There's a power in the tree God doesn't want you to know about."
"What kind of power?" Adam asked.
"The power to know good and evil. If you eat the fruit from this tree, you will be like God. You will know everything and will never die."
Adam and Eve stepped away and whispered quietly with their backs to the serpent. I listened intently as they talked themselves right into what Satan had wanted them to believe all along: nothing was forbidden. If God had said it was forbidden, then He must have an ulterior motive. Very clever, indeed, I must say. They walked back to where the serpent was, and Eve extended her hand.
"Don't do it!" I shouted into the air, but I knew they were going to do it anyway. The other demons looked at me as if I were addled, but they weren't interested enough to find out why.
The serpent gave Eve the fruit; she took a bite and then gave it to Adam. I would come to be amazed, as history unfurled, how humans got the idea this was Eve's fault. I was there, watching and listening from the first day God gave the rule to Adam while Eve was still a rib. It had to be Adam who gave Eve the information about the tree. How could she have known any other way? No one else heard, so no one can be sure what he said to her.
Maybe Adam did it with good intentions. I've seen other humans do the same sort of thing when warning someone they care about of possible danger. I've heard them overstate the consequences without the slightest hesitation. For example, a parent warns a child not to touch an electrical socket because if he does, he will get electrocuted. Of course, that wouldn't happen from touching a socket. It seems to me it is human nature to embellish when someone's safety is at stake.
"That a girl," Satan said as Eve took a bite of the fruit and gave the rest to Adam. "See?" he chided. "Nothing happened."
Eve looked embarrassed, and I could tell she wondered if Adam could be trusted to hear from God. Their relationship had already changed. She would have never have thought such a thing before the fruit.
The show was over as far as the other demons were concerned. They turned and headed back to Satan's den, slapping one another on the back and celebrating how easy
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