What was the purpose of the tree of knowledge?
352257
Interesting question.  Knowledge has been traditionally forbidden by religion.  Religous leaders are afraid of knowleddgable people.  It was knowledge that led to the theory of evolution.  Galileo was imprised by the religous power for seeking knowledge.
902673
My mom told me that Lucifer was the only arch angel that God shared his wisdom with. And the result of it caused Lucifer to believe he was better and more wise than God, So God challenged him and sent him to the underworld. \nThat is why we were not allowed to eat the apple from the tree of knowlesdge, also why Lucifer tempted us with it. \nSometimes we think that we know more than God, and that is a result of the apple and the tree of knowledge.
324523
You can tell a good tree by its fruits.  Millions and millions of alcoholics, drug addicts, overeaters, gamblers and hundreds more such suffering people, have not only recovered from from their problems, but have had a spiritual awakening (in various stages) as a result of living the 12 steps and 12 traditions. \nThey are not allied with any religion, there is no dues or fees.\n\nJesus did not disappear.  He went to pray in a place called the Garden of Gethsemane to talk with His Dad. Later He just wanted to be with his friends, and if you were about to die, I think you would too.
45337
This would be very difficult, but not impossible.\nThe number of occurrences of the phrase “tree of life” changes depending upon which version of the Bible you use.  Just for the sake of conformity, I’ll stick with the New King James Version referenced above.\n\nOf the three references to the Tree of Life in Genesis, only the verse from Genesis 2:9 specifically tells us that the Tree of Life was one of two (there may have been more, but we are not told so) special ones in the Garden of Eden (“…The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil).\nThe remaining two references from Genesis 3:22-24, tell us some of the properties of eating the fruit from this tree (“live forever”) and what G_d did to guard the tree from Adam and Eve after they had eaten the fruit of the other tree.\n\nLooking at this in context of the over all story, Genesis 2:16 tells us:\n16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” \n\nThis certainly sounds like Adam would live forever if he just leaves this one tree alone.  This especially makes sense if one realizes that the Tree of Life and its fruit was not forbidden.\n\nAt some time after this, Eve joins the story (Genesis 2:20-25).  There is no record of either G_d or Adam ever telling Eve that she could not eat of this special tree, but when she is confronted with this, she does indicate that she knows that the fruit is forbidden. (Genesis 3:2-3).\nI’m sure you know the story line, Eve is tempted through deceit, makes a choice, eats, is changed but does not immediately die, and then tempts Adam who does likewise.  The change includes knowledge gained and the ability of living outside of time lost.\n\nThere are four additional references to the tree of life in Proverbs, each of these gives additional information about the tree and its properties.\n\nThe references to the tree of life in the book of Revelations explains that this option will be given back to humanity at some future time.
1036624
different levels of knowledge breeds diversity = conflict?\n\nmaybe god wanted his creations to follow a set of imperatives and hence live harmonious lives
619403
Probably the printing press..without it, knowledge would have been fragemented, hard to find written history of knowledge. The printing press allowed free exchange of ideas on a world-wide level. Without the avilable knowledge in books, nothing much would have happened. The printing press opened the door to all the future knowledge and collective use of it.
224219
To help others and make them happy before their death.\n\nTo care, protect and conserve the things God gave us.\n\nTo have an understanding and better life for ourselves.\n\nTo be ready in entering the gardens of God.
774686
You are right, the purpose of any social construct is to aid society with the development of thier culture and knowledge, if this construct is searationist or technophobic the society won't develop and stay stuck in the dark ages.\n\nI think what you are proposing is basing our society on observations made of life forms in general- every species must have the instinct to survive and procreate otherwise there will be no future generations, to develop further the human species must advance technologically to adapt to the rise in population(unless culling of the population is decided upon).\nYou are right to question beliefs. The truth is to find the truth we must not make wild guesses and decree them to be truth, but wait until there are observations made which suggest a certain area of research may be sensible- there are no such observations that make it worthwhile looking into the existence of a god in the same way as there are none that sugest we should believe there is life on the moon. \nIt is interesting to note that the christian mentalists who have replied are not sticking up for other gods and religions which are all just as true and viable as thiers- also atheism is just as viable and equally as provable and unprovable, they seem to have very small, closed minds.
57685
Every human person is endowed with a spiritual soul, with intellect and with free will. Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts. \n\nGod created man in his image and established him in his friendship. A spiritual creature, man can live this friendship only in free submission to God. The prohibition against eating "of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" spells this out: "for in the day that you eat of it, you shall die." The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" symbolically evokes the insurmountable limits that man, being a creature, must freely recognize and respect with trust. Man is dependent on his Creator, and subject to the laws of creation and to the moral norms that govern the use of freedom. \n\nAlthough set by God in a state of rectitude man, enticed by the evil one, abused his freedom at the very start of history. Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. He lifted himself up against God, and sought to attain his goal apart from him. By his sin Adam, as the first man, lost the original holiness and justice he had received from God, not only for himself but for all human beings.
459441
Well the point of the GBM is to plant trees to conserve the enviroment and improve the quality of life of Africans. In her Nobel prize speech she talked about a stream that ran close to her house when she was a child and now that that stream is dried up and forces people to walk long distances to get water. I suppose her inspiration was to improve others quality of life.
211742
Undoubtedly,it was wood from a tree from\nthe area where they were.  The Bible does\nnot tell us what kind of wood was used.
1159472
you are posing the same idea that Lucifer did to Eve. That God had some evil intent in His edict. Why or why not eat of the tree is not the issue. God could have just as well of said "Do not pee where the grass does not grow" The real issue is whether to obey God or not. The exercise of free will as according to Gods plan was initiated here so that after the full consequence of self interest is evident and the world is impacted as it has been God could then show that the exercise of the will by choosing to Love God through Christ would be possible, to the intent that the manifold wisdom of God might be known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places.
766537
It is not the purpose of most religions to explain the physical properties of the universe.  It is not God's stated purpose to teach the physical workings of the universe.  The bible pretty much leaves an open question regarding man's future and ongoing exploration of the physical universe.\n\nSo, yeah, I'd expect astronomers (atheist or otherwise) to tell us more about the universe that God.  I don't think that violates any expectations, religious or otherwise.
1052268
Because God gave us and the angels free will. The tree of knowledge was a test for us humans, and because Adam and Eve disobeyed God they failed the test and we suffer the consequences of that original sin. If Adam and Eve would have obeyed God, we would not have to die. Sin leads to death, but Jesus offers eternal life in Heaven to those who follow Him and keep His commandments and to sinners if they repent and honestly try not to sin again.
899305
1 To improve knowledge\n2 To gain understanding\n3 To appreciate life
153927
Knowledge is best defined (I think) by Peter Senge as "the capacity for effective action."\n\nThink of Obi-Wan Kenobi: he is full of knowledge, because he knows exactly what to do and how to act effectively.\n\nSo to answer your question, I think the nature of knowledge is first mental.\n\nPeople often confuse knowledge with information. They often say that books contain knowledge, when in fact, books only contain information. That information becomes knowledge when you read it and integrate it into your long-term memory so you can use it at the right time and place.\n\nI would add to Senge's definition: "Knowledge is the capacity for effective action or superior discrimination."\n\nIn other words, knowledge should enable you to make better decisions because you can evaluate information better than the average person.
863029
Knowledge is what is known. Like the related concepts truth, belief, and wisdom, there is no single definition of knowledge on which scholars agree, but rather numerous theories and continued debate about the nature of knowledge.\n\nKnowledge acquisition involves complex cognitive processes: perception, learning, communication, association, and reasoning. The term knowledge is also used to mean the confident understanding of a subject, potentially with the ability to use it for a specific purpose.\n\n\nWisdom is the ability, developed through experience, insight and reflection, to discern truth and exercise good judgment. Wisdom is sometimes conceptualized as an especially well developed form of common sense. Most psychologists regard wisdom as distinct from the cognitive abilities measured by standardized intelligence tests. Wisdom is often considered to be a trait that can be developed by experience, but not taught. When applied to practical matters, the term wisdom is synonymous with prudence. Some see wisdom as a quality that even a child, otherwise immature, may possess independent of experience or complete knowledge. Contemporary culture limits the importance of wisdom and intuition, particularly American culture; Wisdom/Intuition is a right brain activity, while logic is a left brain activity.\n\nThe status of wisdom or prudence as a virtue is recognized in cultural, philosophical and religious sources. Some define wisdom in a utilitarian sense, as foreseeing consequences and acting to maximize the long-term common good.