Do the data show the serpent lied & therefore God didn’t?

#maklelan1997

[RustyWalker]

I never got over, "and then she gave some to her husband, who was with her."
Just as Eve shifted the blame to the serpent, who incidentally I interpret as having meant, "Fruit's not going to kill you sweetie, " Adam shifts the blame to Eve.
The text says he was with her, and if he was with her, he should have wondered why a serpent was talking to Eve, and why what it said contradicted God, and then thought for himself about whether either of them should eat it. He did nothing. He offered no counsel to Eve that it might be a bad idea.
Why?
It seems obvious to me. Neither of them knew it was wrong and couldn't until after eating from the tree.
They're not punished for an immortal act like theft. They're punished for not being blindly *and uncomprehendingly* obedient.

[Cornelius]

And the fact that they NEED the tree of life to keep living is a pretty clear indication that they were otherwise mortal — that is, they weren’t immortal prior to “the fall.”

[WattaYog]

The only thing more impressive than Dan's knowledge of the Bible is his t-shirt collection. 🤘🏻

[RachelColomb-yn]

All these miscommunication are down to the fact most of the bible is not the word of God but of men with an agenda.

[That_Tuning_Guy]

Thanks for all your great commentary! You've helped me a lot in my religious journey.

[roberthunter]

I can testify that no Serpentes species has EVER lied to me. In fact, they won't even talk to me, which is a bit anti-social, but whatever.

[scottaustinmartin]

I’m constantly running into evangelical Christians who think that scholarship is its own form of dogma. Sadly, this is how far we have slipped in terms of basic literacy. They simply do not understand how science works.

[JesseMeijer]

Another point that I've never heard being addressed is that Eve wasn't even there yet, when God commanded Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge.

[therealsmalk]

"Rhetorical prophylaxis" is a great one.

[dougmorrow]

How could Adam and Eve know it was wrong to disobey God? They hadn't eaten from the tree yet.

[davidbeazley]

Quite telling that he read “ the woman you gave to be with me” as “the woman you gave me, to be with”. A subtle but very distinct difference.

[ant]

Follow the evidence wherever it leads, even if you don't personally like where it's going

[XeriusFalconbridge]

Thanks as always, Dan! Always be on the lookout for this fallacy, because besides semantics, it is their favorite. Almost all dichotomies should come in the form: "X is true, or it is not" or "Y is false, or it is not."

Very few dichotomies, ever, come in the form "If X is false, then Y is true."

[theoutspokenhumanist]

It's worth noting that when Eve tells the serpent, 'God said, "You shall not eat of it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die, "' the serpent's answer, "you will surely not die", is correct and appropriate. To answer more fully, with 'you will not die on that day', would be very strange, as Eve had not introduced that additonal information.
The narrative is simple and straightforward and once again we see a theist applying his own biased misreading of the text to justify his dogma.

[nates]

"How did we get to the point where it became about God lying?" Some of us read the Bible and realized that, according to the text itself, God lied. It really isn't that complicated. I don't get why that creator can't understand that. His God, according to the Bible, has regrets, lies, deceives and commands his people to do atrocious things. Those are facts. Hopefully one day that creator comes to terms with that. He could start by actually reading the Bible but I don't believe in miracles so....

[jimwyatt]

I never had thought about a number of the points presented here.

[desperateambrose]

"I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was going to BLAME you." 😋

[FernLovebond]

Academics clapping back at laypeople is juicy to me.

[-better-research]

One of the best video responses so far. Very thorough and lucid and to the point.

[lisachelton]

"Let the dead bury the dead, " meaning let those who are spiritually dead bury their physically dead relatives. Much is written in the NT about slavery to fleshly lusts, equating it to death.

I have always thought that the Adam and Eve story was about humans coming to consciousness. Their innocence and purity died when they came to know good and evil.