The First Rebellion

Chapters 1 through 3 of the Bible's Book of Genesis cover what is typically understood by the Abrahamic faiths as the "creation story." Chapter 1 covers the typical divine creation of reality, and to be honest it is a far less compelling narrative than most creation stories, as it lacks any interplay between characters, divine or otherwise, and is essentially just a laundry list of all the various stuff God made and on which days he made them. Chapter 2 delves into what Christians consider the creation of the first people, Adam and Eve. Eve, in a testament to the misogyny of the author, is (in this version of the narrative, at least) formed from a portion of Adam, specifically his rib. The third chapter closes this particular narrative of Adam and Eve by discussing "the Fall," God's rejection of Adam and Eve from the paradise of Eden because they disobeyed his orders.

While the typical Christian reaction to this story is one of shame and disapproval at Adam and Eve, I can not help but feel some admiration for them. The life that God seems to have planned for these two creations of his seems to be merely one of sedentary living with all provided and no real choice. Adam and Eve are denied any real understanding of their world in an analytic sense because God purposefully withholds the capacity for judgment from them. Not only does he forbid them this knowledge, he deceives them as to the reason - he says they will die if they eat from the tree in the center of garden, when in actuality this tree grants them unprecedented new knowledge. Eve's desire for agency free of God's orders is something I can relate to in my own life. My background includes plenty of dissent from the path set out for me. When I was in the 8th grade, I pulled out of my Catholic confirmation because I could not in good conscience be a member of the Catholic church. Over a year ago I became a vegetarian, based on my belief that the methods by which meat is created for human consumption is thoroughly immoral. I have frequently tried, sometimes more successfully than at other times, to forge my own path for myself in life, even if it should incur the disappointment or even wrath of those who "created" me.