Before sin, were there fears?

[PumpkinSeed]

I know that the church teaches before the fall of man, there was no death, no killing (which means all animals were vegetarian), there was no disease or sickness or harmful things.

So does this mean that Adam and Eve did not have fears?

For example, most people are afraid of spiders, but back then if nothing bad happened, then they would have never bit you, right? So, did they have fears? Were they afraid of anything? Storms, heights, snakes, deep waters, ect?

I’m terrified of spiders and statistically, most people are aswell. Things like that make me question “why would God create something that so many would fear”?

I cannot stand spiders and I really truly wonder why God would create something that is so fearful to many people. Does he find this funny?

 

[Turtle_Turtle]

Interesting question, subscribing to see what others answer.

For now, I’ll submit that those types of fears did not exsist. Remember they were in a state of grace, and sin had not entered the world. Why would they have to be afraid?

 

[Aeden]

Unless the Church has a teaching on the subject, I would say that no, probably not. There are two things that mankind fears for: his body and his soul. Before the fall, mans sould was gauranteed slavation, for he was sinless, thus there was no fear for spiritual well being. Since there was total peace before the fall, man need not fear for his body’s safety and, should he die by an accident, he would know that he would reach a far better place. Thus, I would say that no, there was no fear, only joy and peace. Just my two cents.

 

[Gods_Peace]

+Only perfect, rational fear of God. And his Commandment+

 

[hawkeye125646]

Fear is an Acronym

F ictional
E vidence
A ppearing
R eal…

I dont believe they had any fear, either… For, when they were FULL OF GRACE, before the fall, which is imbued with the power of God…

 

[TS_Aquinas]

I know that the church teaches before the fall of man, there was no death, no killing (which means all animals were vegetarian), there was no disease or sickness or harmful things.

No, they weren’t. Science and reason says otherwise regarding the animal subject and the Church does not stand against evidence.

So does this mean that Adam and Eve did not have fears?

Fear of the Lord is a gift of the Holy Spirit, would such a gift not be evident in Adam and Eve least we say a gift from God would be ignoble to them? Perhaps not all fears, such as death but fear of the Lord is proper to any creature, angel and man, in any state whether it is a state of grace or sin.

 

[Turtle_Turtle]

Fear is an Acronym

F ictional
E vidence
A ppearing
R eal…

I dont believe they had any fear, either… For, when they were FULL OF GRACE, before the fall, which is imbued with the power of God…

I like that acroynm. Thanks for sharing.

 

[PumpkinSeed]

I’m not talking about fear of God, I’m talking about real-life everyday fears that people have.

Deep water, bugs, spiders, darkness, snakes, ect (those are some common ones)

 

[PumpkinSeed]

No, they weren’t. Science and reason says otherwise regarding the animal subject and the Church does not stand against evidence.

I do believe in evolution too, I just wasn’t sure if God made it possible for them to be otherwise (veg), but now that I think of it that was a dumb thing for me to say. Ok then the animals were going around killing eachother. Why didn’t they go after adam and eve?

I highly doubt (by your logic) that they were safe prancing around with lions and bears.

 

[Poseidon]

I do believe in evolution too, I just wasn’t sure if God made it possible for them to be otherwise (veg), but now that I think of it that was a dumb thing for me to say. Ok then the animals were going around killing eachother. Why didn’t they go after adam and eve?

I highly doubt (by your logic) that they were safe prancing around with lions and bears.

Adam and Eve were not real people. Humans evolved just like every other animal, so there wasn’t a literal pre-fall period in human history.

 

[PumpkinSeed]

Adam and Eve were not real people. Humans evolved just like every other animal, so there wasn’t a literal pre-fall period in human history.

I used to think that too when I was an atheist.

 

[Poseidon]

I used to think that too when I was an atheist.

This is also what science shows us…there’s no evidence for a Garden of Eden and there’s lots of evidence that humans evolved. Many Christians accept this fact as well, and say that at some point along the evolutionary line God inserted a soul into the “first” humans, and they were our Adam and Eve. So evolution and Christianity are not incompatible, as you might think (human evolution that is, as you seem to believe in animal evolution without a problem).

 

[TS_Aquinas]

I do believe in evolution too, I just wasn’t sure if God made it possible for them to be otherwise (veg), but now that I think of it that was a dumb thing for me to say. Ok then the animals were going around killing eachother. Why didn’t they go after adam and eve?

I wasn’t speaking for evolution but the fossil records we have of animals that date back a great deal puts to question the baseless theory that animals haves a relation with our sins. Or one could simply turn to the very fact that animals are configured naturally to consume either plants or each other. There is no support to suspect otherwise that our sin reconfigured them from a strict vegetative diet or even a non-existent diet.

I highly doubt (by your logic) that they were safe prancing around with lions and bears.

I have no idea what is involved in the state of original justice but I do know it is possible that beast will not attack man by directing your attention to Daniel in the lion’s den.

 

[tonyrey]

This is also what science shows us…there’s no evidence for a Garden of Eden and there’s lots of evidence that humans evolved. Many Christians accept this fact as well, and say that at some point along the evolutionary line God inserted a soul into the “first” humans, and they were our Adam and Eve. So evolution and Christianity are not incompatible, as you might think (human evolution that is, as you seem to believe in animal evolution without a problem).

Fundamentalism is fallacious!

 

[PumpkinSeed]

This is also what science shows us…there’s no evidence for a Garden of Eden and there’s lots of evidence that humans evolved. Many Christians accept this fact as well, and say that at some point along the evolutionary line God inserted a soul into the “first” humans, and they were our Adam and Eve. So evolution and Christianity are not incompatible, as you might think (human evolution that is, as you seem to believe in animal evolution without a problem).

Yes I do without a doubt believe in Evolution. I just thought that adam and eve were like the first actual evolution of modern day man. I know that is illogical as there would be more of them, but God might have killed them off and made only two or whatever. I don’t really know.

Genesis of course does not make sense with evolution. I do believe in evolution, I’m just not sure how to tie in correctly with Genesis.

Unless Genesis is just a description of man along the way who turned to sin meaning that there were other humans other than Adam and Eve but that those two were the first humans to sin? I’m not sure how to tie it in correctly with evolution.

Of course the story itself could just be metaphorical in which case, my whole understanding of the Genesis story of the Garden of Eden has been corrupted.

 

[tonyrey]

Yes I do without a doubt believe in Evolution. I just thought that adam and eve were like the first actual evolution of modern day man. I know that is illogical as there would be more of them, but God might have killed them off and made only two or whatever. I don’t really know.

Genesis of course does not make sense with evolution. I do believe in evolution, I’m just not sure how to tie in correctly with Genesis.

Unless Genesis is just a description of man along the way who turned to sin meaning that there were other humans other than Adam and Eve but that those two were the first humans to sin? I’m not sure how to tie it in correctly with evolution.

Of course the story itself could just be metaphorical in which case, my whole understanding of the Genesis story of the Garden of Eden has been corrupted.

Genesis is allegorical. It is indisputable that at some point in history our ancestors grasped the difference between good and evil for the first time. It is extremely improbable that they all did so simultaneously!

But the topic is whether there were fears - to which there is an answer in the Catechism:

CCC 385 God is infinitely good and all his works are good. Yet no one can escape the experience of suffering or** the evils in nature which seem to be linked to the limitations proper to creatures**: and above all to the question of moral evil.

 

[hawkeye125646]

I like that acroynm. Thanks for sharing.

No problem! Most of what we fear never happens, especially, when we are in the state of grace… Also, when whatever we fear DOES come true, it is not as bad as we thought it was going to be… We have roofs over our head, food on the table and clothes on the back…

However, back to the point… My actual question that I would love to have pondered is… If Eve did not fall into temptation, what would we be like now?

 

[vz71]

However, back to the point… My actual question that I would love to have pondered is… If Eve did not fall into temptation, what would we be like now?

Whether or not we consider Genesis allegory, it seems apparent that at some point man fell.

So what if we hadn’t fallen?

I suspect things would be much more peaceful.

 

[TS_Aquinas]

However, back to the point… My actual question that I would love to have pondered is… If Eve did not fall into temptation, what would we be like now?

The same, someone would have fallen. As Pope Benedict XVI explains that human beings are a relational being, thus interconnected. I’m paraphrasing but if I remember correctly he said in a homily “I am only myself only among others.” There is no such thing as victimless crimes or sins, what affects one affects the whole. As the mystical body of Christ is affected when one member falls into sin and thus all members are affected, so to is humanity when one of us sins. We were never meant to be individual splinters of humanity, but a singular acting body. Aquinas’ teaching of essence / existence and will illuminate the subject further, such as the essence of humanness or humanity and as it really exists.