2013-11-22

Formatting; removal of point-making, selective citation; removal or rebuttal of poor arguments.

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The '''Fall of man''' is the incident in the [[Garden of Eden]] in which [[Adam]] and [[Eve]] ate the fruit of the
the
Tree of Good and Evil, which was forbidden by [[God]].

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The '''Fall of man''' is the incident in the [[Garden of Eden]] in which [[Adam]] and [[Eve]] ate the fruit of the
[[
Tree
of Knowledge
of Good and Evil
]]
, which was forbidden by [[God]].

 

 



God's response to
a "
transgression
" that he predetermined would occur as an omniscient and omnipotent being,
was to curse women to painful childbirth
, monogamy,
and subservience to their husbands, and mankind generally to painfully toil for food and eventual death:

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God's response to
this
transgression was to curse women to painful childbirth and subservience to their husbands, and mankind generally to painfully toil for food and eventual death:

 

 



{{quote|

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{{quote|To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
<poem>
“Cursed is the ground because of you;



  <sup>17</sup>
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
<br>

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through painful toil you will eat food from it



<sup>18</sup>
It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
<br>

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all the days of your life.



<sup>19</sup>
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”<
br
>

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It will produce thorns and thistles for you,



|
|
Genesis 3:17-19 (NIV)}}

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and you will eat the plants of the field.

 

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By the sweat of your brow

 

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you will eat your food

 

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until you return to the ground,

 

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since from it you were taken;

 

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for dust you are

 

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and to dust you will return.”<
/poem
>

 

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|
ref=
Genesis 3:17-19 (NIV)}}

 

 



Though God cursed mankind to eventual death, Genesis does not explicitly state whether Adam and Eve were immortal prior to the Fall and there are differing opinions among Christian denominations as to the extent that God altered the "rules of the game" as a result of his curse. The only change Genesis explicitly mentions is that the earth will produce plants with
thorns and thistles. However, it is obvious that God was only speaking generally here, as not all plants do produce
thorns and thistles.

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Though God cursed mankind to eventual death, Genesis does not explicitly state whether Adam and Eve were immortal prior to the Fall and there are differing opinions among Christian denominations as to the extent that God altered the "rules of the game" as a result of his curse. The only change Genesis explicitly mentions is that the earth will produce plants with thorns and thistles.

 

 



Some Christians believe that God's curse on mankind explains why the post-Fall world is flawed.
This is disputable as an unbiblical position
that
is
not
supported
by
a straightforward reading of Genesis because
,
as noted, God did not explicitly curse
the
entire world
,
but a certain aspect and
its
relationship
to
mankind
.
Young Earth Creationists contend
that there was no death prior to the Fall
and
that
, by implication,
now-carnivorous animals were vegetarian. Non
YECs point out that
this claim
is
dubious, as the Genesis account is clear that God created agricultural plants and livestock, which clearly die when they're harvested or slaughtered and consumed.
Further
,
God expressly differentiated "livestock" from "wild animals
.
"
They also point out that nowhere did God state that he changed all plants or any animals as a result of the Fall. Genesis only explicitly states that certain plants will grow thorns and thistles, and may be read to say that man went from an immortal to a mortal state.

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Some Christians believe that God's curse on mankind explains why the post-Fall world is flawed.

 

+

Romans 8:20-21 says
that

 

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{{quote|For the creation was subjected to frustration,
not by
its own choice
,
but by the will of
the
one who subjected it
,
in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from
its
bondage
to
decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God
.
|We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. …}}

 

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Genesis indicates
that there was no death
{{note|That is, there was no death of ''nephesh'' creatures, a term that is not used of [[invertebrate]]s or plants{{ref|{{author|Jonathan|Sarfati}}, [http://creation.com/the-fall-a-cosmic-catastrophe The Fall: a cosmic catastrophe], ''Journal of Creation'' 19(3):60–64 December 2005.}}}}
prior to the Fall
.

 

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This also implies
that now-carnivorous animals were vegetarian
, supported by Genesis 1:30 describing God declaring that all the green plants are food for mankind and the animals
.

 

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Non
-[[biblical creation]]ists question
this claim
as
dubious, as the Genesis account is clear that God created agricultural plants and livestock,
the latter being differentiated from "wild animals"
which
livestock, they argue,
clearly die when they're harvested or slaughtered and consumed.

 

+

However
,
Genesis does not say that they were intended to be used for this purpose
.
Cows can be kept for milk and sheep for wool, for example.

 

+

They also point out that nowhere did God state that he changed all plants or any animals as a result of the Fall. Genesis only explicitly states that certain plants will grow thorns and thistles, and may be read to say that man went from an immortal to a mortal state.

 

+

However, it is clear that the Bible is not meant to comprehensively list every decree from God, and the [[New Testament]] compares Jesus physical (and spiritual) death to Adam's, indicating that Adam's punishment included physical death.

 

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== Original sin ==

 

 

 

Adam's disobedience is known as [[original sin]]. The term is also applied to the [[sin]] nature of all of his descendants. Various Christian denominations take different positions on the hereditary nature or transmission of this sin nature. For example, the [[Roman Catholic]] Church teaches that original sin is not transmitted from the father to children as such. Rather it inheres in man's nature as a "depraved being" divorced from the original holiness bestowed by God in the Garden of Eden from his "very good" creation of mankind and various land-living animals on the sixth day of creation.

 

Adam's disobedience is known as [[original sin]]. The term is also applied to the [[sin]] nature of all of his descendants. Various Christian denominations take different positions on the hereditary nature or transmission of this sin nature. For example, the [[Roman Catholic]] Church teaches that original sin is not transmitted from the father to children as such. Rather it inheres in man's nature as a "depraved being" divorced from the original holiness bestowed by God in the Garden of Eden from his "very good" creation of mankind and various land-living animals on the sixth day of creation.

 

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== Note ==

 

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{{note list}}

 

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== Reference ==

 

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{{reflist|2}}

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