The Generations of Adam

This post is about three of the most widely known stories in the Bible. Following the creation is the story of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve are two very complex characters that in a way, are responsible for the state in which man is right now. This story reminded me of Pandora's box. I've known about Adam and Eve since I was born but I hadn't realized how similar these stories are and how these characters that have to do with Gods or Deities are in some way responsible for things that happen to people today or people's behaviors. This also led me to conclude that the story of Adam and Eve, is in its way, myth. After looking at Adam's behaviors towards God and his reactions it didn't look as if Adam was a "manly-man" but instead, naive and a bit of a coward, "[9] And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
[10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid". On the other hand, the more daring and intelligent Eve gets the blame, "[12] And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." I suppose that it was Eve who got the blame since it was she who was brave enough to defy God. Although Eve ate the apple and gave it to Adam unintentionally, at least she tried it and humanity isn't that bad right now because of that. I also think that if God had not wanted Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge, he would've stopped the serpent or stopped them, or even put the tree of knowledge even farther away so that they could not reach it.

The second story is about Adam and Eve's sons, Cain ad Abel. Once Cain kills his younger brother, Abel with no particular reason, h is sent to the lands east of Eden, Nod. Althoough Cain protests, "13] And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.[14] Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
[15] And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him" there's not much he can do. There, he finds a wife and has many children (the generations of Adam). I think this part is very random because Cain just leaves, finds a wife (not the daughter of Adam or Eve) with no background, and has children. This made me question incest and how it was that he and he his wife came to find each other. Also, something else that I kept questioning myself was how was it possible that someone with no childhood (literally)could raise two boys and not expect them o kill each other. Anyways, coming back to the incest part, I do think that incest is a sin and that it will later appear in the bible as we move on in the text. So, just as Baghavad-Gita the Bible is also very contradictory.

The third and final story in this post is the story of Noah. This reminded me of Gilgamesh and the story the old man tells him about a flood. However, before the story begins, there's a list of the children and the generations (which lasted on average, around 500 years each) previous to Noah. This also got me to think that probably God had to create more men (and women) along with Adam and Eve since many generations couldn't have just appeared spontaneously. Anyway, coming back to Noah, when I read Gilgamseh I had a vague idea of what Noah was all about but I was sure that they had similar aspect that linked these two stories. I really like the story of Noah because although it's the outcome of the wickedness of men, I do think that it sends a message like "don't leave anyone behind" and something like "care for your world". I really like these ideas and since God ordered Noah to include two of each species in his boat, itlike God wanted his creatures to be cared for. I think that this part is crucial because if God had wanted only people on Noah's boat, then it would have probably been after more personal benefits. It's like God letting the people know that yes, nature does matter and we should be generous enough to care for it. This is something I hadn't realized before.