Why do people ignore the talking snake?

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grannymh

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Having been up to my eyeballs in threads discussing the proper way to understand the Adam and Eve story, a weird thought rolled between my ears. The talking snake is ignored. Why?

While some people erroneously peg Adam as some kind of spiritual symbol-- he is a real person – the talking symbol is usually dismissed without a footnote. Understandably, original sin threads have better fish to fry than a talking snake. Yet, artists delight in a winding serpent peeking through the tree leaves.

Could it be that some people are, deep down, leery of what might turn up if the talking snake’s resume surfaced? The idea of any kind of spiritual being is not always welcomed. Also, some people may not want to consider the seriousness of the relationship between man and God which may lead to that nasty emotion called guilt. Remember that relativism is now the name of the game.

For those who enjoy learning, paragraphs 355 to 421 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition are recommended reading. Personally, I find that paragraph 396 has a lot of answers if one is willing to get their hands dirty digging.

One can put the word paragraph and its number in the Catechism’s search bar in link www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

Blessings,
granny

The quest for truth is worthy of the adventures of the journey.
 
Do you mean why do we ignore the fact that the snake could talk? As in, snakes don’t talk so why did that one?
 
LemonAndLime said:
Do you mean why do we ignore the fact that the snake could talk? As in, snakes don’t talk so why did that one?
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:yup:
I sure did.

Blessings,
granny

The human person is worthy of profound respect from the moment of conception.
 
It is relatively small potatoes compared to the creation of Adam, Eve and everything else.
 
Why do people ignore the talking snake?
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Because most of us get the heebie jeebies around snakes and if they talked to us we’d probably run away screaming like little girls? 😃
 
lutherlic said:
It is relatively small potatoes compared to the creation of Adam, Eve and everything else.
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Animals, in themselves, are not equal to the creation of Adam and Eve. Yet, they are important in our lives and deserve our respect and care.

However, the serpent in Genesis is not just any animal. He is seen as the explanation of the presence of Satan, a fallen angel who mendaciously seduces Adam. Adam could have resisted, but he didn’t.

Blessings,
granny

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, Paragraphs 391-395.
scborromeo.org/ccc/para/391.htm
 
grannymh said:
Screaming like little girls.:rotfl:

What about Adam?
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He probably gave them a good swift kick after the garden, wishing that Eve had too.

It’s not like we have no experience with snakes around my house.
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
My son and one of his 5 or 6…
 
grannymh said:
Animals, in themselves, are not equal to the creation of Adam and Eve. Yet, they are important in our lives and deserve our respect and care.

However, the serpent in Genesis is not just any animal. He is seen as the explanation of the presence of Satan, a fallen angel who mendaciously seduces Adam. Adam could have resisted, but he didn’t.

Blessings,
granny

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, Paragraphs 391-395.
scborromeo.org/ccc/para/391.htm
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Actually, the snake seduced Eve, not Adam, and then Eve seduced Adam.
 
thistle said:
Actually, the snake seduced Eve, not Adam, and then Eve seduced Adam.
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o.k. I may be off base with these thoughts…

Wasn’t our will originally created to seek God as the greatest good?

Some other questions which bother me. Since Adam was with Eve, shouldn’t he have reminded her of God’s command? Did he fail in his duty? Genesis 3: 6.
Verse 7 then refers to the eyes of both being opened.

Or was Adam so amazed by a serpent speaking such interesting concepts that his intellect was processing the information before he made a decision?

Note: I believe that the author of this part of Genesis was very concerned about putting down the highlights of what had happened in order to insure God’s revelations. Thus, he left out some of the common details which people already knew or could figure out from common experience.

I am really speculating on Adam’s actions because they are so similar to those of my own human nature.

Blessings,
granny

The human person is the apple of God’s eye.
(example of reality and figurative language)
 
Church_Militant said:
He probably gave them a good swift kick after the garden, wishing that Eve had too.

It’s not like we have no experience with snakes around my house.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h244/corona_stellarum/Decorated images/SnakesonaKeith001-1.jpg
My son and one of his 5 or 6…
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Do you realize the theological truth behind what you are saying?
:o I don’t mean this as it sounds.
Right now there is a “snake” talking to me from a screen which needs to be shut down so this sinner can get to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in honor of my ancestors who knew how to kick snakes.

Blessings,
granny
👋
 
So is this ‘talking snake’ supposed to be metaphorical or literal? i mean, a talking snake? Really? Sounds like silliness
 
Yeah, the “snake” was not a simple animal - note that he is also described as “more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth”, even though real snakes are not particularly bright animals. It was some sort of extremely clever spirit, that much is clear, and both the context and the Tradition point to it being the devil.

As for the question whether the story of Adam, Eve and the snake is literal or an allegory, my guess - I honestly am not sure if this is correct, but that’s the best I could come up with - would be that it is both.

With the original sin, Adam and Eve broke reality itself and introduced Death into the world. Biologically speaking, of course, death existed far before the origin of the human species, but that is irrelevant: the Fall corrupted the very nature of the material universe, as well as that of the beings - ourselves- who were created to rule over it in the name of God, and even time as it is now is not the same as time as it was “before” the Sin.
 
thistle said:
Actually, the snake seduced Eve, not Adam, and then Eve seduced Adam.
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Eve didn’t really seduce Adam. Wording it like that implies its Eve’s fault for the fall. Adam was at fault to, yet in the history of the Church women have always been more persecuted for it than men.
 
LemonAndLime said:
Eve didn’t really seduce Adam. Wording it like that implies its Eve’s fault for the fall. Adam was at fault to, yet in the history of the Church women have always been more persecuted for it than men.
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I would offer that the idea of “woman’s fault” exists in general history – ever since the first man forgot to take out the trash.:rolleyes:
 
Mulder said:
So is this ‘talking snake’ supposed to be metaphorical or literal? i mean, a talking snake? Really? Sounds like silliness
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Usually, this “talking snake” in Genesis Chapter 3 would be considered metaphorical. However, the possibility does exist that the real Satan was present in the form of a serpent. Either way, what is important is the significance of the event.

The next question is what does the snake’s chitchat designate. It had to signify something crucial because an organic apple by itself could not cause the ensuing disaster.

Blessings,
granny

The human person is worthy of profound respect from the moment of conception.
 
grannymh said:
The next question is what does the snake’s chitchat designate. It had to signify something crucial because an organic apple by itself could not cause the ensuing disaster.
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I know the creature was called a snake, but it had not left it’s legs behind yet. More like a talking gecko.

Of course there was no apple. Read your bible. It was fruit, my guess is a fig. Jesus finally killed the fig tree when he came.
 
Evan said:
I know the creature was called a snake, but it had not left it’s legs behind yet. More like a talking gecko.

Of course there was no apple. Read your bible. It was fruit, my guess is a fig. Jesus finally killed the fig tree when he came.
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It’s believed by many to be a banana. Apples didn’t actually exist 2000 years ago, they’re a very young fruit. So I’ve heard anyway. But it definately was not an apple.
 
Evan said:
I know the creature was called a snake, but it had not left it’s legs behind yet. More like a talking gecko.

Of course there was no apple. Read your bible. It was fruit, my guess is a fig. Jesus finally killed the fig tree when he came.
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Since you are listed as Catholic, would you please share the Catholic teaching which is in your scenario. Thank you.

Blessings,
granny

The quest for truth is worthy of the adventures of the journey.
 
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