The book of Genesis chronicles human history from when man was first created of soil to the rise of nations. Original sin, Adam and Eve disobeying God and eating from the tree of knowledge, represents the first time humanity disobeys God. By doing so they lose their innocence. They willingly and knowingly broke an explicit rule; thus, they are no longer innocent and pure. However, Adam and Eve’s decision to eat from the tree also represents their ascension towards maturity. They exercised their free will and judgement in the decision to eat from the tree. Since Adam and Eve knew of the potential ramifications of their actions they have become morally responsible for their decision. The Bible attempts to educate its readers on the importance of moral responsibility and on the fact that poor decisions should have a punishment proportional to the guilt party’s moral responsibility. By making a poor decision and subsequently receiving punishment from God, Adam and Eve are learning that actions have consequences, and important step towards maturity. Thus, original sin represents both humanity’s fall from grace and their ascent towards maturity.
For humanity to mature they must lose their innocence; however, a fall from grace and innocence is not necessarily
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It would be unreasonable to view humanity’s first transgression as a horrible sin and a betrayal of God. Especially since Adam and Eve had no concept of good or evil before eating the fruit. A parent wouldn’t dismiss their young child as an unappreciative, sinful being after the child stole a piece of cake. Instead, it would become a teaching moment for moral responsibility. God is acting like Adam and Eve’s parent in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve obviously made a poor decision when they decided to eat from the tree and God show’s them that their actions have