Adam and Eve

[Woland]

Hello everyone,

Just a few questions I've had for a while.
I would really appreciate some literalist input on this, but if "liberals" (generic sense) know what sort of theological answers various sorts of literalists would typically give to these questions, please write them down if you are able and willing.

1. Were Adam and Eve created with "free will"?
2. Did they initially have knowledge of good and evil?
3. Is it "evil" to disobey God?
4. Assuming that any transgression against God is (the definition of?) "evil", how is it meaningful to say that Adam and Eve transgressed against God to the point where perfect justice and love entails that billions of people must suffer - some extremely - and perhaps even be tortured eternally (or extensively), as they ate the forbidden fruit when they didn't have knowledge of good and evil in the first place?
5. Is Satan more powerful, knowledgeable and cunning than the first humans?
6. What does "free will" mean? Is it correct to say that it is something like "the proposition that you can make a (somehow differently than if you're lacking it) meaningful choice between good and evil"?

Any kind of answer/speculation will do just fine for this thread.
Biblical references would be great, but are not required.

The debate (more like discussion) element of this thread will consist in the dialog which will be enabled by the various answers to these questions which I hope I will get.

I'd like this thread to remain in the TDD forum because of the discussion format I have in mind, but if a moderator believes its place is elsewhere I don't have any serious issues with its being moved.

Thank you.

-Woland

[JehovahsWitness]

Hello everyone,

Just a few questions I've had for a while.

1. Were Adam and Eve created with "free will"?

Yes

2. Did they initially have knowledge of good and evil?

Yes

3. Is it "evil" to disobey God?

Yes

4. Assuming that any transgression against God is (the definition of?) "evil", how is it meaningful to say that Adam and Eve transgressed against God [...] when they didn't have knowledge of good and evil in the first place?

(see question #2)

5. Is Satan more powerful, knowledgeable and cunning than the first humans?

Yes

6. What does "free will" mean?

The ability to make independent decisions.

[2timothy316]

As I review some of the posts and personal interpretations on this most important topic I think it well that we should observe some critical details of the account.

1. Adam was according to the account was not born as a little child which would grow to manhood. Would this indicate that he was transported from another planet to start the process of mortality on this earth?

Where did you read this?

2. Is not the same also true regarding his wife eve?

I'm not convinced that either Adam or Eve was 'transported from another planet'.

3. Although placed here on this earth as fully grown adults it is also obvious that they had all memories of their childhood and birth erased so that they indeed were as a newborn.

Again, where are these ideas coming from?
The Bible says, "And Jehovah God went on to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living person." - Gen 2:7
There is no mention of this dust coming from another planet.

4. They, under that circumstance had no idea of what death or sin meant, since that had no knowledge of good and evil and the consequences thereof.

The above is a common misconception. One even I used to have. The tree had no special powers. Because Eve was the first to eat and nothing happened. It was only when Adam ate that the effects of their error were felt. (Gen 3:6, 7) The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad was simply a test to see if Adam and Eve could follow commandments. The tree was simply the "tree that is in the middle of the garden". Eve convinced herself that the tree was no different from any another tree. Which she was not wrong. Yet she didn't observe the commandment. That is the true source of the fall. The disobedience, not the tree 'opened their eyes' to being on the wrong side of God's favor. The Bible says, "the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was something desirable to the eyes, yes, the tree was pleasing to look at." This thought is what got the ball rolling toward disobedience. "But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death." James 1:13-15. After the lie told from Satan combined with her own desire, she convinced herself there was no real reason to follow God's commandment.

5. Some on this topic have wrongfully declared that Eve was rebellious. The scriptures do NOT support this position.

The Bible says, "the woman was thoroughly deceived". Yet she didn't make any real effort to cross-check the snake's story. She might not have had rebellion in mind perhaps. Yet her willingness to convince herself to do her own thing was not good either. (1 Tim 2:13, 14)

6. Some have also wrongfully declared that Adam partook of the fruit as an act of rebellion. Again, the scriptures do NOT so declare such to be the case..

"Adam was not deceived...became a transgressor." - 1 Tim 2:13, 14

Meaning of Transgressor:
to go beyond limits set or prescribed by

Meaning of rebel:
1. opposing or taking arms against a government or ruler
2. disobedient

If Adam was not deceived this means he knew what he was doing. He knew that he was going 'beyond the limits set'. How is that not a rebellion against the laws of a ruler? Namely God.

7. There was no sin in the man and his wife being naked.

There is no sin against this now...last I checked.

8. Many have falsely judged Adam and eve that their decision to partake of the fruit was a bad decision. I strongly disagree on the basis that their decision was in harmony with God's eternal plan and in full support of that plan as taught by Peter as shown in 1 Peter chapter 1.

If 'God's plan' was for create A&E to die and make the children after them to suffer, God is the greatest evil person the universe and with that I 'strongly disagree'. So does the Bible, The Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he. (Deuteronomy 32:3, 4) Creating people to die is not just nor righteous.

9. If anyone thinks for a moment that they should have refused to partake of the fruit and remained in the garden, then this is a clear admission that God fully intended marriage to be of an ETERNAL NATURE.

I agree with this.

10. Adam declared that a man should leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife. So according to this statement it is obvious that he had a father and mother. Who is his father and mother and on what planet did they dwell?

Adam didn't declare that. Moses the writer of Genesis did in Gen 2:24. Note the quotation marks stop in verse 23. Because Adam did not say this, saying Adam "had a father and mother." is only have true. He had a Father, which is Jehovah God. Adam's Father wasn't human.

[JehovahsWitness]

10. Adam declared that a man should leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife. So according to this statement it is obvious that he had a father and mother. Who is his father and mother and on what planet did they dwell?

The these words are not attributed to Adam but to the writer of the book of Genesis.

• The passage does not say Adam should leave his father and mother but "a man". Adam couldn't leave his father and his mother because he didn't have a father and a mother (he only had a father). The reference to "leaving one's father and mother" was a general statement regarding Adam's descendants, not specific information about Adam's parentage as an individual

If we take a closer look at the passage in question we find it mentions "The Man [1]" (Adam) and "a man [2] " : a reference to any male descendant of Adam.

GENESIS 2: 21-24 NWT

So Jehovah God caused the man [1] to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh over its place. 22 And Jehovah God built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman, and he brought her to the man.

23 Then the man said:

This is at last bone of my bones

And flesh of my flesh.

This one will be called Woman,

Because from man she was taken.

So notice no "rule" was established about "the man" Adam. It was only after he was united with Eve, that a general rule or adaged was pronounced; and this was because of Adam. The bible then states "That is why..." In other words, because of what ADAM had done (his attitude to his own wife) then a precedent was established for any man ("a man") that were to follow. The "saying" didn't exist before Adam did what he had done, but those that had "fathers and mothers" would be expected to leave them and a man was expected to make his wife his priority. Note verse 24...

VERSE 24
That is why a man will leave his father and his mother and he will stick to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

CONCLUSION: The adage or saying was a generatlity pointing to the fact that the union between a man and his wife starts a new family unity. This is true whether a man has lived with is father and mother or not. The wisdom of the saying applies wether the man is raised in a one parent family or as an orphan with no parents at all - so the emphasis is not on the origins of Adam the man but on the permanence of the marital union for a man that chooses to marry.

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

SEX , MARRIAGE and ... DIVORCE

[William]

[Replying to post 139 by Revelations won]

1. Adam was according to the account was not born as a little child which would grow to manhood. Would this indicate that he was transported from another planet to start the process of mortality on this earth?

2. Is not the same also true regarding his wife eve?

Taking the story literally, this could be one relevant interpretation. It is feasible for example, that a biological species from another planet was able to create and to send out Motherships which were AI or even sentient AI and fully autonomous, carrying the seed of their own planet out in all directions, and upon one such Mothership reaching the earth, found ways in which to mix the seed with whatever lifeforms were on the earth.

This of course does not mean that Adam and Eve had to be transported from another planet, as they could have been grown on the vessel and nurtured there.

For that matter, the Garden of Eden itself could have been on the Ship - say in a section which could be detached from the Mothership as a shuttle - and after the 'fall' the shuttle landed upon the earth and deposited the shamed pair out of the 'Gates of Eden' and sentinels then placed at those gates in order to entice them to leave the area. Once the pair had departed the area, the shuttle could have departed.

The 'Serpent' could also have been grown in the same manner. Or it may even have been the offspring of the original species which built the seeding Motherships and sent them into the Galaxy and grown from the original seed of that species, on-board.

3. Although placed here on this earth as fully grown adults it is also obvious that they had all memories of their childhood and birth erased so that they indeed were as a newborn.

This would indicate that it was necessary to erase their formative memories in order to instill the impression that they were newly created by a 'GOD' as humans anywhere between the age of adolescents to mature adults. The story only gives the information that they were not children, but does not indicate how old they were. Their behavior is however, reminiscent of the adolescent.

Perhaps part of the process of the necessity of some type of memory erasure was so that they did not consciously recall how they were able to speak and understand language or how Adam was then able to name things in the garden.

The voice in the garden could have been the Motherships intercom system, in which the vessel communicated with Adam and in this way, assisted Adam in learning.

4. They, under that circumstance had no idea of what death or sin meant, since that had no knowledge of good and evil and the consequences thereof.

In relation to death, not necessarily. They may have known what death was by observing it happening with the other animals which were in the vessel garden.

Sin would have been harder to comprehend - impossible even, had they not gone through the process they did.
The self-conscious Mothership obviously had every intention of seeding them on the planet earth, and would have known that their chances of surviving the planet would be seriously reduced if they remain innocent in regard to actions and reactions.

Thus, creating the conditions for guilt to emerge had to be part of that process. They did not know guilt, because they were ignorant in relation to differentiating actions based on the idea of doing things the right way or doing things the wrong way.

5. Some on this topic have wrongfully declared that Eve was rebellious. The scriptures do NOT support this position.
6. Some have also wrongfully declared that Adam partook of the fruit as an act of rebellion. Again, the scriptures do NOT so declare such to be the case..

This has been the case throughout the history of the organised religions spawned from the belief that they can trace their roots back to Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. However, within the story it is clear that curiosity was the main impetus in the pairs actions and curiosity coupled with ignorance will most often result in unfavorable outcomes, which then have to be dealt with.

7. There was no sin in the man and his wife being naked.

There was no shame before the event because there was no ability to differentiate.
Once guilt became an option, shame and fear kicked in and had its affect on the pair. It was not so much about being naked as it was about self identifying with being the body and the reaction to fear shame and guilt was then to cover what they regarded as their 'selves' in order to attempt to hide their 'selves'.

In regard to the Mothership, this was also a necessity as the pair needed to know how to make clothing because clothing would help them to survive being on the planet.

8. Many have falsely judged Adam and eve that their decision to partake of the fruit was a bad decision. I strongly disagree on the basis that their decision was in harmony with God's eternal plan and in full support of that plan as taught by Peter as shown in 1 Peter chapter 1.

Well let's have a look at 1 Peter chapter 1 in relation to the GOD (Mothership) -

What we have is the result of a mixture of theologies which have accumulated and evolved as a story - biologically speaking - the story 'begins' with the Garden of Eden and has developed from there;

Thus, in line with the possibility that the story of the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve is an 'extraterrestrial event', the words of 1 Peter could be read as follows;

1 Peter 1 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
3 Blessed be the The Mothership, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to The Mothership's great mercy, The Mothership has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in The Mothership for you, 5 who by The Mothership's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith"more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire"may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

My! How things evolve!

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and enquired carefully, 11 enquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from The Mothership, things into which angels long to look.

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, You shall be holy, for The Mothership is holy. 17 And if you call on The Mothership as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in The Mothership, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in The Mothership.

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of The Mothership; 24 for

All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 but the word of The Mothership remains for ever.

And this word of The Mothership is the good news that was preached to you.

9. If anyone thinks for a moment that they should have refused to partake of the fruit and remained in the garden, then this is a clear admission that God fully intended marriage to be of an ETERNAL NATURE.

The Mothership did not intend the couple to stay on board and be babysat for all eternity. The Mothership obviously had a different agenda which required the pair depart that experience and enter fully into another one.

10. Adam declared that a man should leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife. So according to this statement it is obvious that he had a father and mother. Who is his father and mother and on what planet did they dwell?

Actually no. The declaration from Adam was [Genesis 2:24] "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
As far as Adam was concerned, he was created by an invisible being who was only noticeable as a voice in the Garden...the next part reads like an inserted explanation (not necessarily spoken by Adam) as to WHY - from then on 'a man shall leave his parents and join with a woman and become parents themselves, etc...'

So based upon your premise that Adam and Eve could have been created through 'extraterrestrial' means, the above is my summary of that notion in relation to your Q's.

In that, it is not an original summery, as such notions have come into play ever since human beings began to understand the nature of the universe through scientific reasoning, something which wasn't available to humans way back when these biblical stories were first conceived and built upon - and oft regarded as literal.

[Revelations won]

I will ask these questions in a different form, because many responses took the liberty that I assumed the questions and suggestions presented were all my views.


1. Adam was. according to the biblical account was not born as a little child which would grow to manhood. So, were they born or were they not born? If so where?

2. Is not the same also true regarding his wife eve?

3. Although according to scripture they were placed here on this earth as fully grown adults. Did they have no childhood? If not why not?

4. They, under that circumstance had no idea of what death or sin meant, since that had no knowledge of good and evil and the consequences thereof before they partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Do you have any knowledge that the bible teaches otherwise?

5. Some on this topic have wrongfully declared that Eve was rebellious. The scriptures do NOT support this position. Can anyone give me bible verses that clearly state that she partook of this fruit as an act of rebellion?

6. Some have also wrongfully declared that Adam partook of the fruit as an act of rebellion. Again, do the scriptures declare such to be the case?

7. There was no sin in the man and his wife being naked. Do you agree?

8. Many have falsely judged Adam and eve that their decision to partake of the fruit was a bad decision. I strongly disagree on the basis that their decision was in harmony with God's eternal plan and in full support of that plan as taught by Peter as shown in 1 Peter chapter 1. Do you agree? If not , why not?

9. If anyone thinks for a moment that they should have refused to partake of the fruit and remained in the garden, then this is a clear admission that God fully intended marriage to be of an ETERNAL NATURE. If you have scriptural evidence other wise please so inform me.

10. It appears that God had great confidence in Adams abilities for He brought before Adam Every beast and fowl and every living thing and Adam had the job of naming every creature. (Genesis 2:19-21). It would appear from these verses that Adam would have needed a great deal of knowledge to perform this task! Where did he obtain such knowledge?

11. Do we find ourselves greatly lacking in appreciation regarding Adams marvelous ability to name every living thing which God brought before him to name? (personally I find this monumental task performed by Adam to be very amazing!)

12. May I so remind you that in Genesis Chapter 1: 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold it was very good. This being the case, it clearly stands the even the tree of knowledge of good and evil was also very good.


13. Again I ask, was the partaking of the fruit of the above tree a good or bad thing to do?

14. Was this act in accordance with the foreordained plan of God for the salvation and exaltation of man?

15.If they had not partaken of the fruit, would this have frustrated Gods designed plan for mans eternal destiny?.

I hear a lot of private interpretations, but can anyone give me scriptural support in your answers?

[William]

[Replying to post 144 by Revelations won]

I will ask these questions in a different form, because many responses took the liberty that I assumed the questions and suggestions presented were all my views.

What does that even mean?

It doesn't matter whether they are your own views or not. They were questions and views, and they were answered (at least by me) according to the questions and views given.

It sounds to me like you personally don't accept the answers that were given, and adjusting the questions isn't going to fix that for you. You are more likely to get no further reply because of that.

But here's a thought.

As you say, the questions and views are not your particular views, so how about YOU answer the questions and suggestions you presented, and that - at least - will give the reader some indications as to what your views are.

For my part, I thank you for presenting the questions the way you did as they reminded me of a valid way in which to interpret biblical stories in a literal manner - perhaps the only valid way, and this way is oft overlooked or conveniently classified under 'Conspiracy Theory'

May The Mothership be with you always.

[ttruscott]

I will ask these questions in a different form, because many responses took the liberty that I assumed the questions and suggestions presented were all my views.


1. Adam was. according to the biblical account was not born as a little child which would grow to manhood. So, were they born or were they not born? If so where?

2. Is not the same also true regarding his wife eve?

I take 'conceived and born' to be completely earthly / physical experiences not applicable to other forms of creation. Since I interpret the Bible as supporting a once for all time creation of all people created in HIS image, I do not conceive of their start in reality as a birth or conception but as an ex nihilo creation.

3. Although according to scripture they were placed here on this earth as fully grown adults. Did they have no childhood? If not why not?

I believe the placement of them into their bodies of dust (physical matter) is supported in Matt 13:37 He answered, The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil.

Where were they before they were moved to earth? In a spirit world in a telepathic society where they grew in self awareness, other awareness and enjoyed mental endeavours, logic, music and poetry etc as they matured in thought and understanding of their reality...this was the childhood of everyone created in HIS image.

[ttruscott]

4. They, under that circumstance had no idea of what death or sin meant, since that had no knowledge of good and evil and the consequences thereof before they partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Do you have any knowledge that the bible teaches otherwise?

It is a main concept to this interpretation of life that they learned in the abstract the meaning of right and wrong and in a religious context, the meaning of righteousness and evil.

I believe this happened when we were all mature enough to make true free will decisions about what we most wanted life to be like, hopes and dreams as it were. If not before, the concept of morality came to a head when we first heard the gospel of salvation preached (as per Colossians 1:23...if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and THAT HAS BEEN PROCLAIMED to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. "that has been proclaimed" is a finished act, not a future finishing...it has never been finished here on earth so it must have been finished in the Spirit world before we made our choices for or against it.)

I believe that our free will decision to accept or reject YHWH's claims to be our GOD and the promise of salvation from any and all future sin as found in His Son separated all of those created in HIS image into the elect and the non-elect, that is, HIS followers then called HIS elect and Satan's angels, the reprobate. Thus was evil brought into HIS creation. And, due to HIS character HE immediately called for HIS elect to come out from among the reprobate and end their emotional bonds with them so they could be judged. Some of the elect rebelled against the judgement of their friends and lovers, a choice which they knew would make them evil and force the postponement of the judgement until they were made holy.

Because our experience of evil was in the abstract only and we had no experience of the results of evil and the suffering involved, GOD then created the physical universe before our eyes which we all witnessed and sang HIS praise, Job 38:7 and Rom 1:20, and sowed all sinners into this prison planet to bring the light to HIS sinful elect to open their eyes to the enslaving quality of sin and the inevitability of the suffering sin causes as an encouragement for them to repent.

5, 6

7. There was no sin in the man and his wife being naked. Do you agree?

I do gree IF it refers to a physical state of being unclothed...but I do not think the text supports this puritanical pov. The first sin they saw when their eyes were opened to their sin was their nakedness! It was not that their nakedness was sinful but that their sinfulness was described as being naked!! This use of the word naked to refer to being sinful and being clothed (especially in white linen) as being righteous is a continuous metaphor in the whole Bible.

That they were indeed naked / sinful and needed to become ashamed so they could repent and be brought to Christ for their redemption is supported by the odd coincidence that the world for NAKED and the word for SUBTLE to describe the serpent's evil are both the same basic word! It is the theology that they were created on earth in the garden and so were perfectly innocent and guileless before the serpent (which does not add up in the least) that forces the differences of interpretation upon A&E and the serpent.

[ttruscott]

8. Many have falsely judged Adam and eve that their decision to partake of the fruit was a bad decision. I strongly disagree on the basis that their decision was in harmony with God's eternal plan and in full support of that plan as taught by Peter as shown in 1 Peter chapter 1. Do you agree? If not , why not?

Rather than calling their eyes being opened in the garden as the their fall and the fall of all of mankind (a most horrendous blasphemy) I call it the Greatest Blessing GOD ever gave to Man, the first opening of the eyes of a sinful elect to their great sin and shame so they would repent and seek the blood of Christ.

Though they were expressing their self chosen sinfulness by eating, this act against HIS command proved to them they were indeed already enslaved to sin and could not make a truly righteous decision and their eyes were opened to their own sinfulness and need to repent, GOD's plan for them. I agree with Peter in all he wrote....but not necessarily with the orthodox interpretation of any verse at all.

9. If anyone thinks for a moment that they should have refused to partake of the fruit and remained in the garden, then this is a clear admission that God fully intended marriage to be of an ETERNAL NATURE. If you have scriptural evidence other wise please so inform me.

Of course marriage is eternal but that has nothing to do with their staying in the garden...??? Only by eating themselves out of their home in the garden and seeing for the first time their idolatry of the serpent and his eternal evil were they ever able to be brought out of sin to be able to enjoy their ability to truly marry. The heavenly state is a state of marriage and it is eternal...

10. It appears that God had great confidence in Adams abilities for He brought before Adam Every beast and fowl and every living thing and Adam had the job of naming every creature. (Genesis 2:19-21). It would appear from these verses that Adam would have needed a great deal of knowledge to perform this task! Where did he obtain such knowledge?

Consider:
Adam was either righteous, that is, in accord with his GOD's plans for him or he was unrighteous, in rebellion to GOD's plans for him, right? But look again at Gen 2:20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. This last phrase telling us that Adam was in fact looking for a helper is often separated from the naming of the animals as a separate thought but what if it was instead the focus of the naming, that is, that he was looking for his helper among the animals and not from GOD? Does this prove Adam was sinful before he ate? Not really but if he was sinful then, it certainly rounds out the story...

Whose idea would it have been that he might find his helper among the animals? GOD's? Hardly, since HE knew HE had Eve waiting in the wings, so to speak. So if it was Adam's idea to fix the not good of his being alone with an animal helper how can it be said that he was in accord with YHWH's plans for him that included Eve? Sounds bad to me... And if the claim that all was very good proves that GOD can only create perfection and therefore Adam and Eve had to be perfect and innocent and guileless, ie, not sinful, how can GOD have created the "not good" of Adam's aloneness?

[ttruscott]

14. Was this act in accordance with the foreordained plan of God for the salvation and exaltation of man?

Yes: Ephesians 1:11..also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

Acts 4:28 ...to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.

15.If they had not partaken of the fruit, would this have frustrated Gods designed plan for mans eternal destiny?.

IF water was purple would fish still taste the same? This world was predestined from the start to achieve one result, the redemption of the sinful elect so the judgement against the reprobate could finally occur. The judgement was frustrated by the rebellion of some elect against it but all of earth is predestined to fulfill HIS purpose of its creation as per the parable of the good seed and the tares in Matt 13.