Why would God make a forbidden fruit even though he knew that it would be eaten?

This interesting question was posted by an ATS member in the "Is God a Religious Nut or just an innocent creator being?" thread.

The literal comment goes as follows:

" Well, I don't believe in god or the accuracy of religious views. However, considering you're talking about the Christian god, whom is Omniscient and Omnipotent, that would mean that he was fully aware of ever action he would ever do, the consequences of them and what those consequences would do the his creation.

Let me ask you this. Why would he create Satan if he knew Satan was going to be the individual he is? Conversely, why would he make a forbidden fruit even though he knew for a fact that it would be eaten anyway?

The entire concept is ridiculous, and the only conclusion would be that God intentionally let it all happen whilst doing nothing at all to refrain it from becoming what it did. There for it was his plan in the first place for the fruit to be eaten, all the people to suffer and die throughout the years, so on and so forth.

The Cristian God is an Evil one. "

The video below answers this question IMO, although it is an Islamic perspective. I would love to explain it myself but it wouldn't be as good explained as in this video.
It's a long video, but the answer to the question above is explained in a detailed way from minute 10 till minute 33 but you can watch the whole video if you are interested.

Before watching the video, here's what the quran says about how satan got expelled:

(Allah) said: "O Iblis (Satan)! What is your reason for not being among the prostrators?" [Iblis (Satan)] said: "I am not the one to prostrate myself to a human being, whom You created from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud." (Allah) said: "Then, get out from here, for verily, you are Rajim (an outcast or a cursed one)." "And verily, the curse shall be upon you till the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)." [Iblis (Satan)] said: "O my Lord! Give me then respite till the Day they (the dead) will be resurrected." Allah said: "Then, verily, you are of those reprieved, Till the Day of the time appointed." [Iblis (Satan)] said: "O my Lord! Because you misled me, I shall indeed adorn the path of error for them (mankind) on the earth, and I shall mislead them all. Except Your chosen, (guided) slaves among them." (Allah) said: "This is the Way which will lead straight to Me. Certainly, you shall have no authority over My slaves, except those who follow you of the Ghawin (Mushrikun and those who go astray, criminals, polytheists, and evil-doers, etc.). And surely, Hell is the promised place for them all. It (Hell) has seven gates, for each of those gates is a (special) class (of sinners) assigned." Surah 15:32-44


The Fall of Satan and the Rise of Adam by Nouman Ali Khan.



Some teminologies used in this video wich you might not understand:

Jannah = Paradise
Tshay = Tea
Sejdah = Prostrate

I hope the video has answered his question.

Peace

a reply to: ElectricFeel

Fairy tales about creation have little to do with God...

Adam and Eve are a myth...

Hell the story of Job is even worse. Devil comes in and makes a bet with God who already should know the answer. Job gets tortured just so God can say "see! look...look! He still loves me!". God already knew the answer so why take the bet with the devil. To me the devil tricked god in the book of Job....if you believe God is all powerful...like the bible says. The bible is filled with crap like that throughout the entire book.

originally posted by: rockpaperhammock
Hell the story of Job is even worse. Devil comes in a makes a bet with God who already should know the answer. Job gets tortuted just so God can say "see! look...look! He still loves me!". God already knew the answer so why take the bet with the devil. To me the devil tricked god in the book of Job....if you believe God is all powerful...like the bible says. The bible is filled with crap like that throughout the entire book.

The book of Job is a great example of how Satan is the lesser of evils. Not only did he give Eve enlightenment so she could see the objective evil around her, he later demonstrated how evil the OT god was by goading him into the bet. The entire saga of Satan in the Old Testament seems like a tale of the lone whistle blower trying to get people to see the evil empire for what it is. I think people came away from that saga with the wrong message.

If my neighbor came to me and said "Your dog doesn't really love you", I would not beat and torture him to prove the neighbor wrong when the dog came back to play fetch.

a reply to: ElectricFeel

Put yourself in that position. You created a bunch #e(people) two to be specific and then they start to get wise right? Well what are you going to do? Show them that your all powerful and should not be tested. Hence the tempting with Satan to prove that they are fundamentally flawed and we have the power of free will. Does that mean there aren't tricks played on both sides? Of course look at job. And the deal god made with Satan. Then you will see. The problem your having is you can't put yourself into a chess mode. Think 5 7 steps ahead and it becomes clear. God's authority was questioned, eve took the Apple and ate it. God shows up and says you messed up, and shows his power condemning women etc. Or whatever you choose to call it. He did the same to job who was by all means devout. Had everything stripped from him and still believed. So what's wrong with your mind where's you haven't had your entire known life and posessions stripped power and authority, but yet you cast an idea away because you don't understand.

Allow me to pose another question!

Why doesn't Satan just defeat God's plan by simply not fulfilling prophecy with an anti-Christ, and just continue to be the chaotic evolution promoting scum bag that he is? He would never have to worry about God's wrath or anything.

Maybe he just hasn't read the Bible so he doesn't know how it ends.

Edit:

Hmmm this was my 1,666th post.

23 minutes to answer a simple question? I don't need to listen to know he's trying to reconcile the unreconcilable through tons of exegesis and nonsense.

If God truly wanted everyone to be saved he would have never created the fruit, period. There's no answer to the question because the concept is illogical to its core.

Yes Satan was allowed to have free reign with Job. This was a test by Satan to see who had the most "sway" over te people of the world at the time . The reason God and satan both agreed to Job it would be a powerful win by Satan to get one such as Job to curse God . However , throughout all Job stayed faithful . And according to the Bible Job had everything returned to him and more.

Had an argument a while back with a friend who majored in religious studies, long story short she said that in earlier versions of the bible there was no forbidden fruit, it was just a piece of fruit, and the snake was not labeled as the devil. Just goes to show how much altering of the bible has gone over the years.

Just like how books have been added and taken out. I'm not sure why people still follow it so strictly.

I think the simple answer is choice. God created the fruit so Adam and Eve would more or less have free will to make their own decision. Just like God created a heaven and hell so we as people have our own decision whether or not to live by the bible. Am I religious no.. just my 2 cents.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

is illogical to its core.

Illogical to the core of the apple on the tree of knowledge, that is.

Even when taken as broad metaphor most religion comes up as simplistic... sophistry.

originally posted by: Gothmog
Yes Satan was allowed to have free reign with Job. This was a test by Satan to see who had the most "sway" over te people of the world at the time . The reason God and satan both agreed to Job it would be a powerful win by Satan to get one such as Job to curse God . However , throughout all Job stayed faithful . And according to the Bible Job had everything returned to him and more.

Ah, yes. He lost all his children and his wife for absolutely no reason, but it's ok because he got new ones. After all, they're just things, right?

a reply to: strongfp

The story of Lilith is interesting and not often read.

a reply to: Aldakoopa

Chattel.

a reply to: ElectricFeel

I don't believe in Satan. I believe in inherent evil. Just as there is inherent good. Balance is essential.

originally posted by: Ultralight
a reply to: ElectricFeel

I don't believe in Satan. I believe in inherent evil. Just as there is inherent good. Balance is essential.

Well, it had to start from somewhere, a bit like the big bang, presumably not Adam and Eve's big bang though.

I always thought it was symbolical to sex.

And having sexual relations out of wedlock. The serpent and eve...you know. The broken family is further expounded upon in the story of Cain and Abel.

That to commit the 'original sin' is to cheat, and then your damned... for all eternity.

But what do I know, I'm just a pagan.

CdT

Let's put it this way: If God hadn't given Adam and Eve the choice between being obedient or going their own way, if there hadn't been a serpent (Satan) to tempt them away from God's way, then we wouldn't be having this discussion because none of us would be capable of walking in any way but God's.

He wants worshippers who choose to worship Him. He can't have that without allowing a choice between His way and the other way. If His way is good, then He can't have a clear contrast to that way without its opposite as advocated by Satan.

So this is the world and our time is for us to decide how we will go.

originally posted by: Baddogma
a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

is illogical to its core.

Illogical to the core of the apple on the tree of knowledge, that is.

Even when taken as broad metaphor most religion comes up as simplistic... sophistry.

I am not very religious and I will not be foolish enough to try and explain God. But I have lived a long cynical life and I am a very good judge of man. This is probably the best explanation I have ever heard in my life for that question.

Adam was but human—this explains it all. He did not want
the apple for the apple's sake, he wanted it only because it
was forbidden. The mistake was in not forbidding the
serpent; then he would have eaten the serpent. —Pudd'nhead
Wilson's Calendar

Mark Twain

Its all very simple OP now if we accept the holy trinity then you can conclude that God offered himself up as a sacrifice to himself because a woman made from a mans rib who in turn was made from dirt ate an apple given to her by a talking snake,so therefore the forbidden fruit was essential to the plan.