Sunday noitcelfeR

 My husband once preached a sermon on--and in fact devoted much of his ten years of ministry in Camden, NJ, to--the theology that we have to stop trying to "get back to the Garden" and instead start preparing for the City of God.

I got to thinking about Eden this week, and did a little digging as I tend to do when I get to thinking. Like most things in Old Testament mythology, Eden was a borrowed concept: a place of innocence where all earthly needs are met. Now, "innocence" is the key word here. Unlike the modern concept of the word, "not guilty," innocence at its roots means "doing no harm." 

I find it interesting that the concept of all earthly needs being met is tied to doing no harm. In kindergarten and all through grade school, every September students at my school found a yellow ruler in their desk, and The Golden Rule in the King James version was inscribed on it: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." In English, treat other people the way you want to be treated."

Jesus said, "Love one another, as I have loved you." One of my favorite Titter follows, John Pavlovitz, rephrases it, "Don't be a jerk." My sons use the acronym "DBID." Jainists won't even kill bugs. 

The Buddha saw it differently. His approach to innocence was to have no earthly desires, since obviously those can't be met anymore. His Eight-Fold Path to Righteousness was a systematic self-monitoring as severe as the early "Methodists." 

I also find it interesting that the biblical tale of Eden is a cautionary tale about the awareness of the difference between right and wrong, and choosing wrong in order to satisfy a personal longing. Did Eve sin? No. She couldn't have sinned if she didn't know the difference between good and evil. Did her actions have consequences? Yes. Knowing the difference between right and wrong, and knowing what they had done was wrong, they could no longer enjoy having their earthly desires met because eventually they'd choose wrong again and eat from the Tree of Life.

It's a myth, a story that explains the origins of pain and suffering and hardship and death and why bad things happen to good people. 

But Eden is not beyond our reach. That is, unless your earthly desire is a backyard swimming pool and spa, a couple million dollars in assets, and your own private jet. Then you're screwed.

But if you have food, you likely have food to share with someone who doesn't. If you have a home, you likely have a way to offer shelter to someone who needs it. If you have money for coffee, you have money to buy someone else a coffee. That's the "do unto others." That's what builds the City of God.

So go find Eden wherever you are. That's what I'm going to do today.