The Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The story of Adam and Eve is a myth.
But like so many myths it contains a seed of truth.

This seed is that the problems of humanity are cause by the knowledge of good and evil.

This is the old problem of dualistic thinking.

Life is not in black and white - there are seven colors in the spectrum.
And while some things in life are dual, others are singular, or even multiple.
There is diversity in nature.

The knowledge of good and evil causes us to divide everyone and everything into good and evil.
This is a false dichotomy.
This black and white thinking is the cause of persecutions and wars.

The only evil in the world is deliberate, conscious evil which is chosen by some as an alternative to good, usually because they have been misled about the nature of God.

Other things which we call evil have reasons which ultimately derive to some kind of fear.

The King James Bible translates Deuteronomy 6:4 as, " Hear O Israel:'The Lord our God is one Lord.'"
This means not only that there is only one God but that God is one (i.e. not dual).

So we have been looking at things the wrong way.

One definition of holistic is - emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts.

God is holistic, not dualistic.

There is no Satan, no dark forces.

God is one.

So, instead of dividing everything into good and evil, we should look at life as a whole.

No good man is entirely good and no bad man is entirely bad.
Everyone is a mixture of good and bad qualities.

So, in effect, everyone is the same.
It is a matter of degree.

And perhaps those we call evil are those who most deserve our sympathy.
Because what was done to them caused them to become what they are.

Who are we to judge them.

They should be forgiven as we have been forgiven.