Aging

[Henning]

Is there anything in scripture that tells us why aging occurs ?

As I understand it, the conditions before the fall were such that Adam didn’t age (in the geriatric sense, telomere shortening etc.) and could have continued on earth without a time limit. But that after the fall aging commenced.

 

[St_Gregory]

You’re understanding sounds good.

I guess aging, to weakness, is just another evil that sin caused to enter. - that would be an Augustinian answer maybe?

It could also be to do with God’s plan for us to develop spiritually through our short lives and maybe we react to God and spirituality and faith etc in different ways at different ages and this is why we age. - that would be an Ireanaus-ian answer maybe?

 

[puzzleannie]

I don’t know the scriptural basis, but my guess it is a gift of God’s mercy. If had to live 80-90 years as a 7th grader, 24 yr old, or 40 yr old I would probably, well no not that drastic, but sounds like purgatory on earth to me.

 

[COPLAND_3]

You’re understanding sounds good.

I guess aging, to weakness, is just another evil that sin caused to enter. - that would be an Augustinian answer maybe?

It could also be to do with God’s plan for us to develop spiritually through our short lives and maybe we react to God and spirituality and faith etc in different ways at different ages and this is why we age. - that would be an Ireanaus-ian answer maybe?

Good answer! I can see that aging does eventually cause people to think about life after death, which is a good motivator to think about God and your fate. Often young people think (falsely) that they have plenty of years before they have to worry about getting right with God, whereas when you go to Church you see lots of older people who faithfully show up.

 

[joseph_virgen]

aging has always been God’s plan. go back to genesis 4-21-22 and look that after man an woman disobeyed God, God said: “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil,. He must now reach out his hand and take also fronm the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.”

 

[Henning]

aging has always been God’s plan. go back to genesis 4-21-22 and look that after man an woman disobeyed God, God said: “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil,. He must now reach out his hand and take also fronm the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.”

Do you think they were aging **before **the fall…or ? Because before the fall, as you showed, they hadn’t yet eaten from the tree of life.

 

[joseph_virgen]

they never ate from the tree of life. that is exactly why they were kicked out of the garden, so that they never eat of it and live forever. as for aging, Gods words stand on their own, though some left wing parties would have us believe that it wan only through their disobedience did aging, sickness and death came into being. this is bad theology and bad teaching.

 

[Huiou_Theou]

they never ate from the tree of life. that is exactly why they were kicked out of the garden, so that they never eat of it and live forever. as for aging, Gods words stand on their own, though some left wing parties would have us believe that it wan only through their disobedience did aging, sickness and death came into being. this is bad theology and bad teaching.

:dts:

This isn’t the Democrat Vs. Republican Catholic stance…

The church does draw from the text of Genesis that before the fall, man did not have to die. Check the CCC – it’s in there!

But, be careful, as death is not a single meaning word – in Genesis, the text reads of the curse – “you will die to death”
Also, the book of revelation speaks of a “second death” with respect to those damned for eternity.

But, Jesus, speaks of the seed which dies to bring forth fruit – eg: not one which “dies” to death, but rather sprouts new life.
As Adam & Eve were to be fertile before the fall, they could bring about new life – which itself implies, like the seed of fruit, that they could experience a change – but not one which ended in the grave and under corruption. They were not infirm, and I expect that DOES mean they did not age in the sense of having a limited lifespan for the whole body.

The reproductive organs, to cite the idea of the genetic aging given before – are in fact exempt from such aging. The body will produce these cells on a continuous basis, which is why young children are in fact – young. Many speculate that the aging of cells is itself a defense against cancer – in other words, that aging is an imperfect remedy to a disease.

Since the aging process could (theoretically) be removed by copying the genetic information in the stem cells to reproduce as the reproductive organs do, aging itself is not the only way the human body is capable of existing in. Cancer, however, strikes eventually – so mere reprogramming does not circumvent the curse of death brought on in the Garden.

But even testing the idea using some kind of extreme: eg:
There are some life forms – eg: deep buried bacteria – which apparently live for 1000’s of years. So, even though not immortal – they show as an approximation the possibility of indefinite temporal life.

But, as the universe shows marks of temporal decay – (That is, the universe will end or at least re-cycle) – there is an ending even to the extreme of life in our universe… temporal life…

 

[joseph_virgen]

thank you. i am always ready and willing to listen to the Word. however, i am not of the mind of “midrashing” everything within the bible. in the words of those who expound logic within its holy pages i lean towards: it means what it says, and it says what it means.

simple. perhaps a bit much. but that is where the beauty is. no need for a society of minds to tell me what God so plainly says. and His logic is unmistakable.

 

[Huiou_Theou]

thank you. i am always ready and willing to listen to the Word. however, i am not of the mind of “midrashing” everything within the bible. in the words of those who expound logic within its holy pages i lean towards: it means what it says, and it says what it means.

Joseph, I am not a Lawer in some jewish 600+ laws court trying to strain a gnat out of a cup, and gleefully smoking camel cigarettes.
I agree, midrash, is – well — rash; but discussing the language of scripture isn’t midrash. Deciding whether or not one can sell wine if a Gentile falls in the press and dies – IS.

simple. perhaps a bit much. but that is where the beauty is. no need for a society of minds to tell me what God so plainly says. and His logic is unmistakable.

Well, thanks Joseph, for informing all those in cyberspace who aren’t able to make an opinion of the bible on such simple grounds (That’s what you’re doing here ?). I know, perhaps I am ignorant, as has happened in the past…