There are many on this site who aren’t literalists when it comes to Genesis. I myself am about as far as it’s possible to get from the literal viewpoint.
Richard, I have some bad news for you. Everyone’s viewpoint comes from their own brain. This doesn’t mean you can’t have solid arguments and maybe even some solid evidence to back up your arguments. But if you’re hoping to separate your beliefs and comments from your own brain, then you’re saying to rest of us (perhaps without realizing it) that you can do something no other human being can do – and such a belief is hubris.
I agree with you that some interpretations of Genesis have been unhelpful and detrimental, and I hope to hear your own unique voice as a child of God (with thoughts from your own brain, a brain which is a gift from God!) when you share both your own reasoning and the observations (including facts and cited authorities) that lie behind your reasoning.
I may accept the use of Hubris once in a conversation, but not twice in succession, especially after I answered it (and it was conveniently deleted from the reply)
I don’t feel Genesis is strictly literal , but has layered meaning , none the less , I don’t dismiss a literal Interpretation , perhaps not a traditional literal Interpretation , but an understanding of literal events .
Agreed , the physical evidence doesn’t support inborn human immortality , thus I speculate that
The " tree of life " would be the only means available to support the idea of " immortality " in the garden of Eden …further , it would appear that life outside of Eden would remain subject to the food chain .
But where does the information come from? How can there be any reality for something that happened before any humans existed? Or before such things were passed on? Do you think Adam and Eve told stories of their run in with God in Eden? That were passed down through generations? Or is it more plausible that it is a traditional tale with spiritual meaning? The details? Are no more relevant than the details of a parable.