knowelege is power?

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Theory #1: The 'knowledge' of the Tree was human self-consciousness. Negative because it led to our knowing that we'd die, thus gave us a whole bunch of neuroses that presumably other animals don't have; positive, because with self-consciousness came symbolic thought, language, and the rest of human culture.

Theory # 2: The 'knowledge' was our consciousness of separation from our original, blissful union with the Source - the origin of all consciousness - and the whole of human history has been an attempt to get back to that state (with a few notable successes, who usually tried to teach others how to do likewise, but tended to end up either worshiped, killed or both) . Appended to this is that the 'fall' into separation was intended by the Source as part of its own cycle of development, so is actually not as disastrous as it looks.

Of course, we don't know what the myth meant to the people who first told it, and it would be foolish to think we understand it the same way. Those are two possible interpretations - you could say, the psychological and the spiritual. Perhaps two different ways of looking at the same thing.

Neither of these modes of consciousness, to use a better term, are the same as the intellectual type of knowledge - the scientific study of, say, how the Earth came into being, how life evolved, how the human body works and so on - which is the stuff religions have traditionally tended to dislike. That's to do with the religions misunderstanding the nature of myths. If the Eden story is symbolic, science is free to come up with the facts; if Eve and the serpent (and all other myths that explain natural events or phenomena) are factual, science is automatically superfluous. And, indeed, a dangerous rival.

the tree is the dna strand. the serpent, is the enabler. and the apple is knowlege the enabler grants.
do i have to explaine this again?

fine. ALIENS, came here yes. aliens. The boss alien, messed around with the local apes that were here to create humaniods, only it wasnt to be serious, THIS IS THE MISSING LINK. remember "let us make man in our image?" the aliens genetically engeneerd the apes that were already here, with themselves. only they were not aware. THAT is to say, they were more animal, and not human.

now, a mischevious? alien popularly called "satan" felt compassion for teh creation. i invite you to read the creation of the book of genesis again. genetically engeneerd them, to be smart. and to open mans eyes, to know good and evil. to make man human! (exept man in his dumbness and vocabulary created a religion out of it and wrote a book about what he thought happend 0_o)

so in conclusion, yes the bible had it right. man was created, but man WROTE the bible and used his vocabulary, to explaine his situation.

I wish I knew everything! sure, knowledge is power! but I'm afraid life could become boring if I really knew everything.
btw, what do you, OP, think yourself? I guess I could miss something, sorry...

Agreed. As far as what people do with it I see a couple different routes - some greatly enrich their own lives and the lives of others, use it to further their own humanity and offerings to society. Others, cynics mostly, use it to prove that everything is solipsistic and try to convince the next person that there is no reality - that we don't know our arses from holes in the ground and those who think they do are just ignorant.

I guess it just depends on the person, as I like the former much more than the later.

Like Prometheus

or the lord. wahwah, i want pancakes. someone make them now, god tomorrow is gonna suck!

looking back will not do anyone better and will ultimatley destroy your unsual good behaviour

fa***t!

woah settle down now it will come tomorrow! :/

ok talk to you tomorrow

Right, I think it seems clear that Christian thinkers were the major figures in discovering new knowledge and maintaining old knowledge throughout the period between the fall of Rome and the rise of secularism. I think the major charge that the Church usually receives for stifling knowledge is with Galileo, and as philosopher Paul Feyerabend points out based upon history: "The church at the time of Galileo was much more faithful to reason than Galileo himself, and also took into consideration the ethical and social consequences of Galileo's doctrine. Its verdict against Galileo was rational and just, and revisionism can be legitimized solely for motives of political opportunism." as Galileo was using questionable methods and not submitting his findings to proper authorities, which are things that are considered wrong in modern times as well.

Can't help remembering what Chuang Tzu said. Since the original poster was a Taoist last time I heard, I'll go ahead:

Your life has a limit, but knowledge has no limits.
If you're using something limited to pursue something unlimited, you're in trouble.
If you understand this and you still pursue knowledge, you're in very serious trouble.

In fairness, (while myself a Christian I think a debt should always be acknowledged) let us not forget the role of Islamic and Hindu thinkers, not to mention the anonymous Taoist alchemist who was seeking the elixir of life and invented gunpowder instead, directly contributing to the fall of Constantinople to the cannon of the Osmanli/Ottmoman Turks in 1453 (though the earlier conquest by the treacherous Crusaders at the behest of the ambitious Venetians - what is it about Republics that leads so readily to empires?) and subjantially aiding the conquest of the Americas, thus shaping history for good and evil.

I think that's human nature for everyone to think they think more. Just look through this Forum and you'll find people with their facts twisted into "what they know" yet I fail to see anyone who will admit what they DON'T know.

I see knoweldge as almost a form of evolution in itself whether it be good or bad.. Those who only think in terms of math and figures whether it be their specialty in science, art, math, and whatever might have trouble comprehending knoweldge outside the box. Out of that box are fantasies and ideas because they are the very motivation behind the tools for what is built. The outcome may come through trials and errors and it may be positive or negative. But if it weren't for history, then we wouldn't learn through our mistakes. That is if we're knoweledgeable enough to look into it.

Knoweledge to me is just learning to keep an open mind about that of which I might not be able to comprehend. Not an easy thing to keep in mind but that is what helps me navigate through my daily life.

Probably off topic to what's been posted. Just a thought.

Ignorance is also power - if it's the ignorance of the other guy.

Sometimes you crack me up, Sand.

Oh, I wouldn't forget them, but I was mostly just thinking about the West. Islamic scholars were very important in preserving the knowledge of the Greeks, and I think Averroes was instrumental in conveying Aristotle's ideas to the west. In any case though, if the cultures preceding ours did not have a body of people willing to learn and maintain these ideas, we would not be likely to have the ideas.

"Accuser" "Adversary" and "Enemy" are all possible translations of Satan, Richard. There is an Orthodox theory that the command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was never intended to be permanent, but rather a test of obedience that if passed would have enabled purity and knowledge to be maintained together.

Have you seen the Classic Doctor Who story "The Pyramids of Mars" in which an millennia old alien by the name of Sutekh is identified both with the Egyptian God Set/Seth (not to be confused with the third son of Chava/Eve and Adam born after Cain slew Adam) also sometimes called Sutekh, and with the Biblical Satan?

You do not appear to be saying anything especially revolutionary.

i dont watch dr. who because i cant understand them when they speak. also i know im not stating anything revolutionary, and i believe mars was once inhabited by some kindof creation. i ALSO think satan was incharge of our solar sytem

Brilliant.