Friday, November 16, 2007

Chapter Two. Eve is Sad and then Delighted.

Chapter Two.
Eve is sad and then delighted.
From a CD of stories by Paschal Baute
entitled “Out of the Box, 101. Stories for a New Beginning.”
Release date, Spring, 2008

Once upon a time, way back when, God found Eve sitting with her face in her hands, looking very sad, dejected and crying.

What’s the matter, my darling daughter Eve?”

“Oh God, this Adam guy of yours, he keeps blaming me for all that has happened. Eating the fruit, listening t the Serpent, getting banished from the Garden. Anything bad that happens turns out to be my fault. Apparently I started it all - downhill.” And She cried.

Through her tears, she asked, “Is that true? Was it all my fault?”

God laughed and clapped his hands. “I am so glad you asked, Eve. My sacred writers could not get all that sorted out right. I just had to live with their confusion, and anyone who pays attention will notice that Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are contradictory.”

“Then what really happened?” Asked Eve

“I love it when humans ask and especially when they question.” God chuckled.

“Can you imagine that I, being God, didn’t know what would happen? When I gave you that beautiful garden full of delicious fruit and said ‘Do not eat from that One tree,’ can you imagine that I, God, did not know what I was doing?” God laughed out loud. “By forbidding that one tree, don’t you think I knew I was making that one tree the most attractive tree in the entire garden, the fruit most juicy?. Really, Eve. I may be God but I am not stupid.

Eve’s eyes got bigger, she lifted her head, and now she was really listening.

God continued. “Do you think the serpert talked on his own?” God laughed. “He works for me. Didn’t the serpent say “You will not die? You didn’t die you? Did the serpent say, you would know the difference between good and evil? And so it happened! It is true, isn’t it? You see? The Serpent works for me, it was all part of my plan. Serpent voiced the provocation you needed?

Eve said, plaintily, “...we needed?”

“Yes,” said God, laughing again, “Until you ate of that tree, you were like all the other critters in the garden - not knowing the difference between good and evil. Now to be HUMAN, you must know the difference between good and evil. I intended, wanted, no craved that you would so eat!”

“But you told us not to,” said Eve, wondering.

Yeah, baby, but. I did not give you any reasons! Only “Because I said so.” Let me make it clear what is going on here that my sacred writers never sorted out.

“The way you humans will grow in your humanity is by standing up to unreasonable authority. I expect you to stand up against monarchs, kings, emperors and dictators. Only by doing over a long period of time will you eventually discover something no writers of the bible even dreamed of. A society built upon human rights.”

Eve’s eyes could not be bigger. She was open mouthed in amazement. “You mean,” she said, “It was ALL part of your plan?”

“Of course, darling daughter,” and God smiled.

“Really?” said Eve.

God said, chuckling again, “Well you both had to cooperate. But the answer is yes.”

“What is this banishment stuff?”

“That was not banishment that was GRADUATION, INTO THE REAL WORLD. (Pause) The garden? That was simply Original Bliss.”

“Original Bliss never lasts, even though I can’t keep humans from hankering for it.”

“Original Bliss is the state of innocence. It never lasts. Beauty, from me, never lingers, but only VISITS. It is the Promise of Something Else, to be found only in Me alone.”

Eve said, “But It FELT so good back there?”

“It is the difference, God continued, between LUV and Love.”

There was a long pause and neither spoke. Eve was thinking about everything God had said.

Finally Eve, said, “WOW!” And for the first time, breathed a great sign of relief. “So we are more fully human now and still walk with you?”

And God said , “Yes. You cannot walk without me except in your heart.”

Eve said Thank you God.” God said, “You’re welcome.”

Then Eve added “By the way, will you tell Adam this, all this?”

“Well, he is a little slow and right now prefers the one up position.
But I promise to come to him in a dream. This is one of my preferred ways.”

Then God continued, “But the lesson here is the other part of the Story, that you, Eve, also came straight from my heart and you do not need to stand down to Adam. Simply love him, that’s all.

Eve said: “Thank you, Father God.”

God said, “You are welcome.” And smiled and God’s smile went from end of the universe to the other. God’s smile is still out there and in here for anyone who looks and loves.++

To be continued.
Copyright, Paschal Baute. 2007,
Note: This may be used by ministers of the Gospel with attribution. It may not be circulated for profit. November 15, 2007
Www.paschalbaute.com

Comment. The phrase “Original sin” is not in the Bible, although preachers, theologians and Bible lovers are fond of using it. It is my belief that it is a most harmful teaching, used for thousands of years to keep Christians ready to feel guilty, and from valuing the Inner Journey. If Jesus meant that the Kingdom of God is within us, he did not mean for us to find evil. The writing of Matthew Fox on Original Blessing applies here.

The teaching in Celtic spirituality is that birth itself is an original blessing, and that everything in nature, in creation, is a gift, an icon, a metaphor, and thin veil of the Divine.

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