Really? ;-) I'm baffled by this as well. I wonder if it is just due to indoctrination or due to this snake/Satan just epitomizing an archetype of evil that we so easily identify and categorize which prevents most people from considering the details of the story a little more closely. It's a really messed up story when you think about it, as you point out so well.
Shameless self-promotion: I also did a post about the Fall where I explored the points of why this snake is unlikely to represent Satan, despite the NT authors' claims to the contrary, as well as examined what the actual curses were compared to what they are now claimed to be. Check it out if you're board. :-)
Great job Grundy. What I find interesting is how few Christians ever stop to actually think about those questions. I get the ones who do think about and still believe...I understand indoctrination and the strong pull of apologetics--even if it frustrates me. I have a much harder time with people who are simply unwilling to even address the question(s) when confronted with them...
Indoctrination is a powerful thing. I heard the Adam and eve story many times as a kid, and for some reason it never occurred to me to ask these questions about the snake. I think it's because I heard it early and often, in my mind the snake belonged there, why would I question where it came from?
I think I would have become an atheist at a much younger age if these types questions had been raised. I grew up Catholic so I had the idea of original sin which supposedly came about as a result of this story. I didn't make the connection until someone pointed out that either original sin is real and the story is literal, or if it's a metaphor, then where did original sin come from? And even further, if this never happened, why did God send his son to die such a horrible death?
I find it interesting that Christians automatically link the talking snake with Satan. Nothing in Genesis indicates that the snake is anything more than a snake -- it's certainly not the Prince of Darkness in reptile form. I guess even they find a talking animal story so embarassing that they have to give it extra context.
As a side note, it's hard to be impressed with a deity whose master project can be undermined by a single reptile.
The snake represents a phallic symbol. It tempts Eve who is innocent and has not yet known a man and once she gets to know the snake, she is no longer innocent. It's just like when a virgin girl receives a penis and is no longer innocent. The snake represents the penis and how men see it as removing a girl's innocence.
Really? ;-) I'm baffled by this as well. I wonder if it is just due to indoctrination or due to this snake/Satan just epitomizing an archetype of evil that we so easily identify and categorize which prevents most people from considering the details of the story a little more closely. It's a really messed up story when you think about it, as you point out so well.
ReplyDeleteShameless self-promotion: I also did a post about the Fall where I explored the points of why this snake is unlikely to represent Satan, despite the NT authors' claims to the contrary, as well as examined what the actual curses were compared to what they are now claimed to be. Check it out if you're board. :-)
I'll check it out.
DeleteI meant "bored," not "board." If anything, I'm the wooden one here. :-)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Plank from "Ed, Edd, and Eddie" reads this blog? :)
DeleteGreat job Grundy. What I find interesting is how few Christians ever stop to actually think about those questions. I get the ones who do think about and still believe...I understand indoctrination and the strong pull of apologetics--even if it frustrates me. I have a much harder time with people who are simply unwilling to even address the question(s) when confronted with them...
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. I guess some are just better at turning their brains off.
DeleteIt's Prometheus, my man.
ReplyDeleteNo, it was Thulsa Doom from the first "Conan the Barbarian" movie! He's a LOT older than anyone thinks.
DeleteIndoctrination is a powerful thing. I heard the Adam and eve story many times as a kid, and for some reason it never occurred to me to ask these questions about the snake. I think it's because I heard it early and often, in my mind the snake belonged there, why would I question where it came from?
ReplyDeleteMaybe you were just used to talking animals in kid's stories.
DeleteI think I would have become an atheist at a much younger age if these types questions had been raised. I grew up Catholic so I had the idea of original sin which supposedly came about as a result of this story. I didn't make the connection until someone pointed out that either original sin is real and the story is literal, or if it's a metaphor, then where did original sin come from? And even further, if this never happened, why did God send his son to die such a horrible death?
DeleteI find it interesting that Christians automatically link the talking snake with Satan. Nothing in Genesis indicates that the snake is anything more than a snake -- it's certainly not the Prince of Darkness in reptile form. I guess even they find a talking animal story so embarassing that they have to give it extra context.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note, it's hard to be impressed with a deity whose master project can be undermined by a single reptile.
Glad you can comment again, Ahab!
DeleteThe snake represents a phallic symbol. It tempts Eve who is innocent and has not yet known a man and once she gets to know the snake, she is no longer innocent. It's just like when a virgin girl receives a penis and is no longer innocent. The snake represents the penis and how men see it as removing a girl's innocence.
ReplyDelete