Tony\'s God (Introduction)

by Balance_Maintained , U.S.A., Tuesday, November 22, 2011, 17:49 (4751 days ago) @ dhw

I would like to submit as evidence several passages to support the argument.

First, I submit Genesis 1:26 Which implies an original purpose for mankind.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth,b and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Note that there is no mention of "let them farm."

Secondly, this is reiterated in 1:28:

"God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

1:29 States that the plants were given as food, but as I shall show in a moment, this initially did not require cultivation. Also note that this also implies that all creatures were initially vegetarians. Also worth noting is that humans received special right to the seed bearing fruits.

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so

3:17 States the case clearly that farming was a punishment:

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
18It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19By 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.”

Genesis 4:2 Sets the stage to differentiate between what man *thinks* he should be doing, and doing what was originally purposed:

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.

What Cain offered was what was reaped from their PUNISHMENT, what Abel offered was from what was mans original PURPOSE to be doing in the first place. Also, what Cain offered was just 'some of the fruits', what Abel offered was the best of his best.

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What is the purpose of living? How about, 'to reduce needless suffering. It seems to me to be a worthy purpose.