The effects of the fall

The effects of the fall
1. “’When something happens to you, how do you determine whether it is good or evil?’
‘Mack thought for a moment before answering. ‘Well, something is good when I like it – when it makes me feel good or gives me a sense of security. Conversely, I’d call something evil that causes me pain or costs me something I want.’
‘So it is pretty subjective then?’
‘I guess it is.’”

Q. What if everyone determined good and evil the way Mack does? What would the results be?

Q. How would you answer Papa’s question? How do you decide when something is good or bad?

2. “‘And how confident are you in your ability to discern what indeed is good for you, or what is evil?’
‘To be honest,’ said Mack, ‘I tend to sound justifiably angry when somebody is threatening my ‘good,’ you know, what I think I deserve. But I’m not really sure I have any logical ground for deciding what is actually good or evil, except how something or someone effects me. …All seems quite self-serving and self-centered, I suppose. And my track record isn’t very encouraging either. Some things I initially thought were good turned out to be horribly destructive, and some things that I thought were evil, well, they turned out …’
Sarayu interrupted, ‘Then it is you who determines good and evil. You become the judge. And to make things more confusing, that which you determine to be good will change over time and circumstance. And then beyond that and even worse, there are billions of you each determining what is good and what is evil. So when your good and evil clashes with your neighbor’s, fights and arguments ensue and even wars break out. And if there is no reality of good that is absolute, then you have lost any basis for judging. It is just language, and one might as well exchange the word good for the word evil.’
‘I can see where that might be a problem,’ Mack agreed.
‘A problem?’ Sarayu almost snapped…’Indeed! The choice to eat of that tree tore the universe apart divorcing the spiritual from the physical. They died, expelling in the breath of their choice the very breath of God. I would say that is a problem!’ (pg. 134-135)

Q. What powerful ability do we share with God? How does God want us to use our ability to discern between good and evil? What do we need from God to use this ability to help others rather than harm them?

Q. How does our culture feel about an absolute moral guide?

Q. Is it really wrong for us to judge? Don’t we have to make judgments about people and situations to determine if they are good for us or our family? What is the difference between appropriate ‘discernment’ and inappropriate judging?

Q. Mack is being honest about his judgment. He realizes it is “self-serving and self-centered.” Jesus said, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1-2) Based on this passage, how should be approach the evaluation of others?

Q. How did Adam and Eve’s choice to eat the forbidden fruit – the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil – “divorce the spiritual from the physical” and “expel the very breath of God?” (See Genesis 3) How would our lives be different if they hadn’t made this decision?
3. “You imagine. Such a powerful ability, the imagination! That power alone makes you so like us. But without wisdom, imagination is a cruel taskmaster. If I may prove my case, do you think humans were designed to live in the present or the past or the future?’
‘Well,’ said Mack, hesitating, ‘I think the most obvious answer is that we were designed to live in the present. Is that wrong?’
‘Jesus chuckled. ‘Relax, Mack; this is not a test, it’s a conversation. You are exactly correct, by the way. But now tell me, where do you spend most of your time in your mind, in your imagination, in the present, in the past, or in the future?’
‘Mack thought for a moment before answering. ‘I suppose I would have to say that I spend very little time in the present. For me, I spend a big piece in the past, mot most of the rest of the time, I am trying to figure out the future.’
‘Not unlike most people. When I dwell with you, I do so in the present – I live in the present. Not the past, although much can be remembered and learned by looking back, but only for a visit, not an extended stay. And for sure, I do not dwell in the future you visualize or imagine. Mack, do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever, pictures me there with you?
‘Why do I do that?’ asked Mack.
‘It is your desperate attempt to get some control over something you can’t. It is impossible for you to take power over the future because it isn’t even real, nor will ever be real. You try and play God, imagining the evil that you fear becoming a reality, and then you try to make plans and contingencies to avoid what you fear.’ (pg. 141-142)

Q. Do you find yourself living mostly in past, present, or future? Why is this? What problems does this focus on the past or the future create in our lives?

Q. Like Mack, do you find yourself fearing the future? Especially during these times of financial turmoil, it’s hard not to give in to anxious thoughts about the future. How can we overcome this ‘bad habit?’

Q. Have you ever tried to “play God” by making contingency plans for the future? How has it worked for you? Can you remember times when you were able to trust God with the future? What was the result?
4. “Why do I have so much fear in my life?’ responded Mack.
‘Because you don’t believe. You don’t know that we love you. The person who lives by their fears will not find freedom in my love. I am not talking about rational fears regarding legitimate dangers, but imagined fears, and especially the projection of those into the future. To the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe I am good nor know deep in your heart that I love you. You sing about it; you talk about it, but you don’t know it.’ (pg. 142)

Q. How would you answer Mack’s question? “Why do I (we) have so much fear in my life (our lives)?”

Q. Paul wrote, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) How does it help to know that no matter what happens in the future, you’ll always be loved by God?

Q. The Apostle John wrote, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18) How does God want us to view the future? (See 1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7, and Matthew 6:25-33)
5. “’…Can you imagine this scene if the earth was not a war, striving so hard just to survive?’
‘And you mean what, exactly?’
‘Our earth is like a child who has grown up without parents, having no one to guide and direct her.’ As Jesus spoke, his voice intensified in subdued anguish. ‘Some have attempted to help her but most have simply tried to use her. Humans, who have been given the task to lovingly steer the world, instead plunder her with no consideration, other than their own immediate needs. And they give little thought for their own children who will inherit their lack of love. So they use her and abuse her will little consideration and then when she shudders or blows her breath, they are offended and raise their fist at God.’
‘You’re an ecologist?’ Mack said, half as an accusation.
‘This blue-green ball in black space, filled with beauty even now, battered and abused and lovely.’
‘I know that song. You must care deeply about the Creation,’ smiled Mack.
‘Well, this blue-green ball in black space belongs to me,’ Jesus stated emphatically.” (pg.144-145)

Q. The Bible says we humans were given responsibility to care for the earth. “Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26) How are we doing? Why?

Q. Jesus quotes a lyric from the Bruce Cockburn album Humans, “This blue-green ball in black space, filled with beauty even now, battered and abused and lovely.” In your opinion, who is abusing the earth and why? Is there anything the average person can do to stop the abuse?

Q. What responsibility do we have to protect the earth? What should God’s children be doing personally, corporately (as a member of the church), nationally (as a citizen)?