Neil E. Das

OF MAN’S first disobedience-Survey

fall.jpg
“OF MAN’S first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the World, and all our woe…”
So begins one of the most famous poems in the English language, John Milton’s Paradise Lost. It serves a suitable introduction to questions I like to ask believers and non-believers in Christianity alike. In short, “Is Milton right?’
More specifically, in Eden, before the Fall of Humanind…
…did beasties die?
…did beasties eat other beasties?
…did humans eat beasties, or just veggies and seeds and such?
…did humans die?
Your answers can be simple “Yeses” or “Nos,” as I am really interested in gut reaction thoughts foremost (i.e. the position you learned as you grew up), but if your thinking has undergone a shift over the years you can detail that.
This all does relate to some thinking I have been doing for a while and your replies would be appreciated. I am not looking for an argument here. Not yet, at least ; )
Finally, an old previously posted poem of mine on the theme.
bruno
i have a little dog
unaffected by the Fall
or so it seems
he’s all loving licks
and waggling
and playful romps
and glee
and then I watch him
growling
eating meat

7 comments

  1. Well, I must admit that much of what I first came to know about the fall, and what came before the fall, was from Paradise Lost, before having read the bible. So, I’m a yes – I believe it. It makes sense to me, the bible doesn’t contradict it, and even supports it, in a logical sense. How can the world be perfect if there was death? There was certainly no mention of eating meat, in fact it was all about the fruits of the earth. I can waiver though. Someone could certainly convince me otherwise, if they had the scripture to back it up.

  2. Before “the fall” mankind had a consciousness that gave us a different experience. The Fall, in my opinion, simply means the introduction of duality, where things suddenly are good or bad, yes or no, et cetera. Before the fall all was as holy as it was ‘vague’ because we did not have an understanding of duality yet. So yes they died, but we did not see the pain in it.
    As we grow to a yet higher consciousness, we will come to the understanding of dualism that good and bad both are facts, but in the eye of the beholder.

  4. Hey:
    I was excited to see the MS150 countdown on your site! I’ve put in not quite 1,200 miles this year and this will be my 4 th year. Ironically, my BLOG also deals with spirituality. Please drop by. Even if you find that you don’t agree with my content, you can amuse yourself with the cycling photos that I post.
    P. Del Ricci – Dark Glass

  5. …did beasties die? Yes
    …did beasties eat other beasties? Yes
    …did humans eat beasties, or just veggies and seeds and such? all of the above
    …did humans die? No

  7. Neil:
    I’m sorry that it took me so long to get back to your BLOG. I’ve had best intentions of visiting more often, but…….
    How was your ride in the MS150? I thought it was a tough but fulfilling course this year.
    To address the topic of this post, I believe that animals did consume one another in the time of the Garden. Honestly though if some divine epiphany revealed otherwise, I could accept it.
    I actually spent some time pondering this during the MS150.
    I’m curious as to where your fascination with the topic comes from.
    Peace,
    P. Del Ricci – Dark Glass

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