I am someone who believes in the judicial system despite all the drawbacks we see. The United States Supreme Court disqualifying torture as an interrogation method, for example, even when the president of the country and his VP have, through legal artifices, tried to justify it.
Nonetheless, my belief is not shared by many people. A lawyer friend said to me that, “the law is not made to solve problems, but to prolong them indefinitely.” Just to exercise my imagination, I decided to use his theory to analyze Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
If God were alive today, we would all still be in Paradise. He, however, would still be replying to pleas, appeals, letters, court injunctions or writs; He would be required to explain his decision to expel Adam and Eve from Paradise just for breaking the arbitrary law of refraining from the evil fruit, without any legal grounds at countless hearings.
If He hadn’t wanted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit, why did he put that tree in the middle of the Garden and not outside the walls of Paradise? If an experienced lawyer were called to defend the couple, he could allege the theory of “administrative omission.” Besides putting the tree in the wrong place, he didn’t surround it with notices and fences, failing to take the minimum safety measures and therefore exposing all who passed by to danger.
Another lawyer might accuse him of “inducement to crime”; He drew the attention of Adam and Eve to the exact place where the tree was growing. If He had not said anything, generations and generations would have passed through this Earth without anyone being interested in the forbidden fruit – considering that it should have been in a forest, full of similar trees, and, therefore lacking any specific merit.
But Genesis happened before the judicial system and, therefore, allowed God to have full freedom of action. He wrote a single law, and found a way of convincing someone to break it, just to be able to invent Punishment. He knew that Adam and Eve would end up bored with so many perfect things, and, sooner or later, would try His patience. He stayed there waiting, because He – Almighty God – was also bored with things working perfectly. If Eve had not eaten the apple, what interesting things would have happened in those billions of years?
Nothing.
When the law was broken, God – the All Powerful Judge – had even simulated a pursuit, as if he did not know all the possible hiding places. With the angels watching and amusing themselves with the prank (life for them also must have been very tedious, since Lucifer had left Heaven), He finds Adam.
“Where art thou?” God asked, already knowing the answer. He did not warn him about the consequences of the reply. He did not say the well-known words that we have heard so often in movies, “anything you say may be used against you”.
“I heard your steps in the garden, I was afraid and hid, because I am naked”, answered Adam, without knowing that, from then on, he would be the admitted culprit of a crime.
Well. Through a simple trick, where he seemed not to know where Adam was, nor the reason for his escape, God had managed to get what he wanted. He expelled the couple, and their children ended up paying for the crime as well (as happens until today with the children of criminals), and the judicial system had been invented; law, breaking the law, judgment and punishment.
I have heard of what is referred to as the higher law. This is law governs the realms of soul and spirit. It is said that higher law rewards or purnishes intention rather than words or actions. Hence an apparent noble deed borne of bad intentions is much worse than an apparent bad deed borne of noble intentions.
Man’s carnal laws often judge actions. Hence, noble men and women, even prophets are found guilty. For example if Jesus returned today and resumed accusing the clergy of selfishness, the judiciary of injustice and the politicians of wickedness, he would quickly receive todays version of crucifiction.
im really impressed with ur works.i want to know how do u get inspired?there are alot of things in our mind, but seems like you can manage it really well and arrange it, so thats why you can relate things and produce great works.the meanings behind your story are impressive and i would say u r the best writer ive ever found.GBU!
Paulo, I really like reading how you have connected modern Law with the Genesis and God. The Bible does recommend us to solve disputes before one of the parties take someone to court, so even back then the court system must have been a hassle.
I agree with your view on torture. I just don’t believe punishment or any form of torture is the best way to get a terrorist to speak or give classified information. The water boarding is a hot topic here these days, and Obama is investigating CIA’s use of this method after 911. Why are most Al Quida members recruited? For religious purpose; They are promised 72 virgins in heaven. And for financial reasons; They are promised the family to be taken care of financially. So, why not offer terrorist-suspects something in this direction during interrogation, offer them reward and benefits, to encourage them to have a change of heart?
Love,
Heart
The matter starts form an awareness and division of “Good and Evil” by fear.
The awareness give us negative thoughts on other people or ourselves.
The negative thoughts bear fear. Fear interrupt when we go forward our owning dream
In The Light’s world, all is right because of not having a sin awareness with love energy.
When a human thinks, he thinks human thoughts…you are human. The tree is there b/c God wanted us to choose to love him of our own free will, not as created robots. The tree was there on purpose; He knew what He was giving us…free will. While sin has natural consequence in the orderliness of God’s world, you’ve missed that He is nudging us toward preparation for Heaven, NOT sitting gleefully on the sidelines waiting for us to screw up. He’s giving us chance upon chance to see Him, love Him & follow Him & help point the way for others. You were so right to say that if A & E hadn’t eaten from the tree we’d still be there, instead I’ve had plenty of opportunities to be comforted by my God when I’m suffering, loved by God when Satan tells me I’m unlovable, befriended by God when my human friends let me down. His justice is perfect; our judicial system is not. He can give life to a murder victim; we can only punish the killer. God bless you & keep praying. He’ll give you answers instead of human thoughts.
Hello Friend
My Name Is Tbrenn Kelly – Mckinnon. I am the youngest person in my university level English course at the age of 16. I was hoping to ask you for help on a certain paper I am writing. I was wondering if perhaps your pilgrimage influenced the writing of the Alchemist and in what ways?
Thank You for you time
Sincerely
Tbrenn Kelly-Mckinnon
Dear Paulo,
as a laywer i was very surprized by the way you handled the “case”. It is true if there was a judicial system in those times propably until nowdays will be still waiting for the final verdict, after years of unumerable trials and pleas.
It is also true God had responsability and intention first degree, because it was an event that well had predicted and should have taken all the precautious measures in order to avoid the following action by Adam and Eva.
The accusations are very well grounded and propably God would have been convicted but there is a little problem.
You see as authorities are divided in legislature, judicial and the executory
If angels are the executory, legislature and judicial is God we have a problem you see when a member of these authorities commits a crime, he is judged by a superior Court Council that is consisted by Superior than the accused judge.
So God could never be judged by any court because noone has juristinction on Him. Case dismissed.
Nevertheless conceirning the accused grounds this what i say
First of all you mentioned that he put one Law and only knowing that Adam and Eva would have commited the crime and would have set a series of facts in order to do His Will and that basically Free Will is nothing but free so He is accused as a moral accomplice of the Fallony that was commited by ommitted action (survelance of the surrouning place and lack of taking the precaution and required measures).
People brakes the law all the time but no one ever went to trial the legislature despite the fact that he also knows that his law won’t be executed 100o/o but no one has ever accused of him as a moral accomlice to any of the commited crimes, so this ground is overuled.
Second of all was God’s ommittions so imprortant and definitive for the result so even if he never would have ommitted the above (survelaince and taking the appropriate measures)we would or we wouldn’t have the same result?Meaning would Adam and Eva even without God’s interventions would or wouldn’t eat the apple just with a little help from the snake?
And finally is the snake the moral accomplice of the crime?
Well Adam and Eva were adults meanining that they were legally capable and mature to make their choices because Law’s purpose supposingly, theoratically is to make the life better and more eaasy going for the members of the community in order to serve the common good.
Police and any other measures are precautious measures to avoid the crime not to encouranging them or in any way to provoke it allthough it is a fact that crimes are done even without any precaution measure taken.
Neggliggence or intention are irrelevant Adam and Eva commited this knowing the law, the consequences,being totaly and legaly capable so they would have done it even without any intervention by God. So this ground is overuled also.
Last of the snake but you didin’t ask about it have you?
So God seems to be more not guilty of charges than you thought in the first place isn’t it? What do you think?
Have you ever seen the movie
“the man that sued/filled charges of God”? It is an amazing story
with love maria-dove
Yes! Beautifully said!
I am grateful to be able to self-govern, being accountable for my choices, with a loving purpose at heart.
Thank You Paulo, Much Love to All : ) xo
U mean S/HE ’stage -managed’ the show, wonder if God is still doing that job or like us humans he too has learnt the art of boredom ( afterall we must learn from our children just as we teach them ) and gone on a vacation, leaving it to us humans – gOd help ! or worse still now even he has lost the plot ! ha ha ha ….
love
aditya
Provocation wakes up imagination.
When God has meant for two people to be together, other people should step back and let it happend.
The Bible was written a long time ago, a time when science was alchemy. According to history repeating itself are human kind not due a new Prophet? A Prophet to guide us forward… or like in the book the Alchemist is what we are looking for right under our noses; like Stephen Hawkins being the new age Prophet? I wish Hawkins were so humans could forget about the status of Israel, for example, and focus on the greater questions in life… like LIFE? I’ll get back to the post on Law and the Garden… Reading the Bible reminds me sometimes of reading a fairy tale, there are stories and a moral to that story; if you are not a good person you will be punished; love your neighbour etc. One of the things that came to mind while reading this post is that Godly energy is neither good nor evil it just is.
Over the summer I got to work in the local court house. One lunch I was sitting in my Jeep smoking and listening to the local radio. From the side door of the court house the police came out followed by about eight men in handcuffs; there were bank robbers and a few rapists, possibly a murderer also. I sat pinned to my seat as one by one they passed my window. I thought to myself; I did not have a totally wonderful life growing up; my teen years and early twenties spent drinking and smoking, my education is worth nothing, but I still managed to be sitting on the other side of the counter in the court house. It’s about personal choice in life, well in my life anyway, I could get up in the morning and steal some old ladies hand bag or try and rob a bank, shop… but I choose not to because I don’t want to get thrown out of the Garden of Eden!
well very truly said sir giving da apt example of god..but dnt u think dat we have some fealings inside us dat 2 help us and arouse our anger so that we can b punished by law.if we have control on our selves if we can control our emotions den how can we b punished..well may b mah opinion might b wrong but anyways spelndid job sir,and i totally agree wid what indra has said have a great time ahead..
I tanker
I haven vandrer en prestemann.
Han tenker alvorlig på Gud.
Da lister lett over gangens sand
en søt liten sommerens brud.
Og presten slår øynene opp og
ser
at piken er såre skjønn.
“Barn,” si’r presten, “se
presten ber,
og du forstyrrer hans bønn.”
“Jeg var på vei til min elskede,
jeg”
si’r piken med senkte blikke.
“Jeg tenkte på ham og jeg så
deg ikke.
Og da er det underlig rart av
deg
som tenkte på Gud – at du så
meg!”
I will only say You many many thanks for your books, wich – many of them are translated in Latvian, my language.I am surprised of deep similarity of meanings, impressions.I made walking Santjago de Compostella 2008.After them I read the book of You. many thank about spirit of Camino.You must have a dream…these words of You are like stars in the sky over us, I believe , that all good words find way to our souls. You are the real, very very important person in my life!Thank You! Your books are like present, like sun at the darkness.I hope, You will read that.I can’t find place, where I can write that! :) Indra
Hi heart !
just chancing by, it would have been sad to beleive that commnets get edited out here, specially once which are constrcuive. it was a delay afterall !
yes what u have said makes sense, one needs to attack teh root cause of spread of terrorism, primarily it ia lack of information ( those who turn innocent people into suicidal terrorists, keep their victims away from wider information, access to TV ) and lack of oppertunities to improve one’s finacial lot. a more justifibale distibution of industry and wealth could be the long term answer to this problem !
love
aditya