Everyone knows about the story of Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden. I always associate the words, "In the beginning..." with it because I was taught that Adam and Eve were the first beings to be created by God in his image. The story is very well known even if it isn't in a biblical sense. I've had so many conversations about Eve's decision to eat of the fruit and Adam's choice to follow her. Usually when the subject comes up, I can't help but to think, what would you have done if you were in Eve’s position?
Coming from a Christian background, I have a good understanding of the type of relationship Eve shared with God, and the one she shared with Adam. I questioned a million times how she was able to be manipulated by Satan into making such a decision. It was heavy on my mind so I had to put it in real terms. I compared the relationship Eve and God shared to a parent and child, Adam and Eve to husband and wife, and Eve and Satan to a friendship.
Eve and God: In Christianity, the relationship parents share with their children are very important. One of the 10 Commandments God gave as a guidance to live, is "Honor thy father and thy mother". It's pretty evident from the Bible's parables, the significance of having a good relationship between a parent and a child. I believe if I was presented with breaking the only rule I was given, I would seek guidance in my parent.
Eve and Adam: A “good” marriage, whatever that might be your spouse is your best friend. The two of you feed off of one another to grow together. Biblically, a husband and a wife are one, the husband apparently being more dominant. Presented with a decision that affected both of us, I would at least have to console with my husband.
Eve and Satan: I could really put a finger on exactly what kind of relationship they had. I settled on a friend and that just made accepting Eve's decision so much more confusing. I'm sure they were familiar with one another from have living in the same garden. Biblically, I believe people are more inclined to listen and help giving the time period. But either way, I don't believe I could have been manipulated by a friend to betray the trust of a parent, or spouse.
Many people don't understand my interest in trying to figure out why Eve ate from the Tree of Life. Maybe it's because her decision in a sense affected me, and maybe it's unimportant and Eve made a "human" decision. Or maybe the relationships I choose were incompatible. I'm just not sure that I could've made the same decision.
