Jeanie, you said
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Adam and Eve did what they had to for men to come to earth to be tested. Otherwise as stated, they would not have had seed....They would have remained in an immortal state. God had to warn them what would happen so they would CHOOSE to fall. They made the right choice.


I would agree about the necessity for Adam and Eve not to share in knowledge of the tree, because it would have made them gods, and humankind was not destined for that. You know I don't personally believe in the literalness of this story, but it gives an interesting explanation of the fallibility of humans, as well as the potential they can aspire to. (Knowledge and wisdom can't be gained the easy way like that -- they take time, experience, and often pain to be achieved.)

The "testing" idea is one I had a problem with as a Catholic though. If God is omniscient, then he would know what the result of any test would be. Some pretty awful stuff happened to Job and Abraham. How did they feel when they were told God was testing them, even though he knew the outcome anyway? "Gee thanks God, for giving me a horrible life/making me think I had to kill my son"? What do you think, personally, such tests would achieve? People often explain adverse events in this way but it implies a bit of a sadistic streak on the part of the tester if you ask me.