A
arkwright
Guest
This is a problem I have had on and off for several years , but just now it has become really serious . I have tried to find solutions but they either have not been given or do not make sense .
I will start with an example . A father had two sons , a younger one who was single and an older one who was married with children .
The younger son asked the father if he could have his share of the inheritance now rather than wait until later . The father agreed , but on one condition , that the money be spent wisely .
However the son went off and squandered his money on a life of debauchery . He became homeless , hungry , isolated , jobless and despairing . He thought of his father and decided to return home and see what would happen .
His father pointed out that he had disobeyed him and was no longer welcome in his house , and so he would have to live with the life he had chosen .
The elder son entered the house and heard the sad news , and the father said to him that because of the sin of his brother he too , along with his wife and children , were to be banished from the house with no inheritance but a life of poverty , hunger , suffering and isolation .
Now I am sure we would all agree that this was unjust of the father , and not the action of a man of love . It just does not make sense that the elder brother should be treated in this way simply because his brother had done the wrong . But from the beginning is not this the behaviour God has shown to us human beings ?
Adam and Eve disobeyed God . They were expelled from the garden , The consequences of their sin were isolation from God , suffering and eventually death .
But why should every other human being after them be banished from the garden for the sin of these first two humans , and suffer the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve ?
Surely the just and loving way would be for all future human beings to live in the garden . They had not committed the sin of Adam and Eve , so where is the justice and love of God in all of this ?
As you can see this strikes at the very root of Christian Revelation , and I am finding it hard to come to terms with .
I will start with an example . A father had two sons , a younger one who was single and an older one who was married with children .
The younger son asked the father if he could have his share of the inheritance now rather than wait until later . The father agreed , but on one condition , that the money be spent wisely .
However the son went off and squandered his money on a life of debauchery . He became homeless , hungry , isolated , jobless and despairing . He thought of his father and decided to return home and see what would happen .
His father pointed out that he had disobeyed him and was no longer welcome in his house , and so he would have to live with the life he had chosen .
The elder son entered the house and heard the sad news , and the father said to him that because of the sin of his brother he too , along with his wife and children , were to be banished from the house with no inheritance but a life of poverty , hunger , suffering and isolation .
Now I am sure we would all agree that this was unjust of the father , and not the action of a man of love . It just does not make sense that the elder brother should be treated in this way simply because his brother had done the wrong . But from the beginning is not this the behaviour God has shown to us human beings ?
Adam and Eve disobeyed God . They were expelled from the garden , The consequences of their sin were isolation from God , suffering and eventually death .
But why should every other human being after them be banished from the garden for the sin of these first two humans , and suffer the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve ?
Surely the just and loving way would be for all future human beings to live in the garden . They had not committed the sin of Adam and Eve , so where is the justice and love of God in all of this ?
As you can see this strikes at the very root of Christian Revelation , and I am finding it hard to come to terms with .