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Understanding The Fall

This page contains some points on how the 'New View in Theology and Practice' understands what most Christian theology calls 'The Fall'. 'The Fall' is not a term found in the Bible, but is rather a doctrine that has been deduced from the contents of the Bible. Some Christian theologies make the Fall central, making all other doctrines (e.g. why Christ came) revolve around the Fall. The New View sees the Fall as not central, but nevertheless or crucial importance. How it fits into the wider context of New View theology can be seen in 'The Five Rs'. This page provides a summary of New View understanding of the Fall itself.

God created a wonderful cosmos in which everything is designed to interconnect with the rest, with humans designed as part of that web to serve and bless the rest in special ways. (See Note 1.)
Before the Fall, everything 'worked as it should' (the meaning of the Hebrew word that God speaks "and it was good").
What is meant by 'Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil'? There are three interpretations, not just the two that usually come up (which were Knowledge (Science, etc.) or Ability to Distinguish Good from Evil; see Note 2).
The third interpretation is The Right to Decide for Ourselves What is Good and Evil - that is, without reference to God, and with a certain arrogance. I find this one makes more sense (see Note 2).
(Deciding for ourselves what is Good and Evil means not only in personal morality but also in, for example, policy and business targets and vision statements.)
If we take to ourselves the right to decide what is good, evil, and the creation works most naturally in line with God's laws, then when we happen to decide against the grain of how creation works, things will be difficult for us.
One example: See the following picture of rose bush in wheat field and wheat plant in rose garden, and ask "Which is the weed?"

[From Popular Science Educator, 1930. The text at the bottom reads "We speak disparagingly of weeds, but plants are only weeds when they grow in the wrong place. A rose bush growing in a wheatfield would be a weed, and similarly a wheat plant growing in a rose rose garden would be a weed, although it might be producing a fine head of wheat.".]
Rose bushes are only weeds if we decide that industrialized monoculture is Good and diversity in our fields is Evil. Sim. for rose garden.
A major reason the 'weeds' come about is because we idolise certain goals or lifestyles, and refuse to be content with what is given us. Industrial farming has caused the earth to groan; it does so because we, by our own authority, have deemed it Good.
When we do things against how God intended, not only do we find it inconvenient and painful, but the whole creation 'groans'.
God was not being vindictive. Rather, he is deeply concerned that his whole creation is being destroyed because humanity has taken to itself the presumed right to decide for itself what is Good and Evil. About why God was not being vindictive, read the little essay on Punishment.

Notes

Note 1. This is the meaning behind the rarely-used Hebrew word 'radah' traditionally translated 'have dominion over'. In Greek (and mediaeval and modern) eyes, if X has dominion over Y, X can use Y as resource for their own sake and pleasure. In Biblical eyes, if X has dominion over Y, X is to use that dominion and special powers for the sake and blessing of Y. Read Ezekiel 34, another place where 'radah' is used, and ask yourself: "Are sheep there for the sake of shepherds, or are shepherds there for the sake of the sheep?" If creation rejoices when it experiences God (trees 'clap their hands') then it is the role of humanity, as God's representative, to manage things so that rest of creation rejoices (not groans) when it experiences us. That is what 'made in the image of God' means, to me. For more about this, see Radah: Our Role.

Note 2. But the account shows humanity knowing and distinguishing Good from Evil before fall.

This page is offered to God as on-going work in developing a 'New View' in theology that is appropriate to the days that are coming upon us. Comments, queries welcome.

Written on the Amiga with Protext. Number of visitors to these pages: Counter .

Created: 8 April 2004. Last updated: 9 October 2006 added weeds pic; rid unet. 13 February 2011 link to punishment, new .nav,.end. 30 April 2011 intro and link to rrrr. 3 October 2011 New vsn of pic; text of pic; some rewording.