Genesis 3

source http://nasb.scripturetext.com/genesis/3.htm

This chapter actually described how god (while I don't believe god exist, but to keep the text flowing, I will use god to refer to that awful character in the bible) has lied and created a trap for man.

Lies
In verse 3, god has spelt out the consequence of eating the fruit of knowledge - death. However, we later know that after eating the fruit, both Eve and Adam did not die! God is lying!

Trap for man
Before I continue, let consider a simple example that may happen today in many household. You have a small toddler. You also happen to have a pot of hot water where the toddler may reach. You tell the toddler not to touch the hot water because she will get burnt. (quite similar to what god has set up, except we are honest to tell the toddler the true consequence of disobeying.)

Now, the toddler touches the hot water and gets burnt. What do you do?

If you are like me, you may likely to tender the toddler, even if the toddler is not my creation :-). I will comfort her and tell her that because she disobeyed, she suffered the burnt.

In comparison, what did god do to man?

First he puts serpent and woman into enmity. Not only that, he puts all future generations of serpent and woman into enmity!

Second, he punishes the woman by increasing her pain in giving birth. BTW, human has won. There are now procedures in giving birth without ANY pain!

Third, he curses the man to have to work hard for the food. BTW, is it god's intention in the first place to have the man to cultivate the ground? (Genesis 2:5 - one of the reason why there is no plant is because there is no man to cultivate the ground.)

Fourth, because there is a tree of life in Eden and god does not want man to live forever, god sent the man out of the garden Eden.

To me, the punishment (even if you think Eve and Adam should be punished by having the curiosity to eat a forbidden fruit - which is a temptation deliberately set up!) is totally out of proportion to the crime. A moral modern man, as described in the example about the toddler above, would have exercised kindness. On another level, a "all mighty, all knowing" god would have definitely foreseen this happening. Instead of removing the tree of knowledge (i.e. set up a boundary so that the toddler could not touch the hot pot), he chooses to let it happen. I would also accuse god "negligence".

An added bonus for Christians, if you ever go to heaven, you will end up cultivating the ground for god forever. If I were you, I would seriously consider whether heaven is worth going to.