Plantinga 3...

The Fall...When Adam and Eve were cast from the garden for eating of the fruit of good and evil. Last semester I took a theology course and the fall and the problem of evil were talked about. Since Plantinga was one of the writers of my text some of his thoughts about what are in chapter 3 were included. Though I don't remember everything from then...winter break does that to a person...I still remember some points made about the coming of evil into the world and how the fall has effected everything since. We truly have fallen a long ways. Idolatry has poisoned our lives. We worship pop culture and other secular things. Now a days we do things that will make us as an individual happy instead of thinking of others. We have become incredibly selfish and rebellious. We are very sinful creatures, but in the reading Plantinga makes a statement that "all sin is evil, but not all evil is sin." This is a very good statement because things such as natural evil can't be considered sin because nature can't sin. A volcano can destroy a village, but that is just tragedy not sin, but it is still evil. Evil things may happen, but unless it is a person who commits it, it is not a sin.
Going back to the garden it makes one wonder what would have happened if they hadn't taken the fruit. Everything of course would have been perfect, but what is it to say that anyone from generations to come would then have been tempted and then eaten. The serpent would probably not give up till it happened. This makes one think that every time we sin we are eating that fruit and keeping the evil in the world. Without sin can evil still exist? Everyone is born a sinner, but does that mean that we too are also evil. What a paradox it is and it is something we shall never truly understand.