Religion of Adam and Eve

[humblemuslim]

I am curious what the Christian position is on what religion Adam and Eve observed? And their immediate offspring?

A nameless religion? Christianity? None? Something Else?

Thanks

EDIT: Note when I say religion I am referring to the substance/principles/teachings of a religion, not necessarily the existence of the name for said religion.

 

[Hentenza]

Adam and Eve did not belong to any religion. They were the first created beings by God and they knew God personally. Religion names came much later.

 

[humblemuslim]

Adam and Eve did not belong to any religion. They were the first created beings by God and they knew God personally. Religion names came much later.

I can agree the names came later, but the substance of a religion could exist before a name is applied to it.

Do you believe the substance of any religion was observed by Adam and Eve? Do you believe God taught them principles to follow in line with what is being taught in Christianity? Something along these lines. I would not expect Adam and Eve to refer to their beliefs as "Christianity", although it is not beyond possibility they followed the substance of what we call "Christianity".

We can even go as far as to ponder whether Adam and Eve had a personal relationship with Jesus the Christ.

Thanks for your response

 

[Hentenza]

I can agree the names came later, but the substance of a religion could exist before a name is applied to it.

Do you believe the substance of any religion was observed by Adam and Eve? Do you believe God taught them principles to follow in line with what is being taught in Christianity? Something along these lines. I would not expect Adam and Eve to refer to their beliefs as "Christianity", although it is not beyond possibility they followed the substance of what we call "Christianity".

We can even go as far as to ponder whether Adam and Eve had a personal relationship with Jesus the Christ.

Thanks for your response

Yes. The "substance" of Christianity is indeed God so that would be appropriate. The accounts in Genesis do show their interaction with God and they most likely did have a personal relationship with God even after the fall.

 

[ebia]

I can agree the names came later, but the substance of a religion could exist before a name is applied to it.

Do you believe the substance of any religion was observed by Adam and Eve? Do you believe God taught them principles to follow in line with what is being taught in Christianity? Something along these lines. I would not expect Adam and Eve to refer to their beliefs as "Christianity", although it is not beyond possibility they followed the substance of what we call "Christianity".

We can even go as far as to ponder whether Adam and Eve had a personal relationship with Jesus the Christ.

Thanks for your response

The relationship that adam and eve have in the garden is the relationship that Christ is bringing us back into. In that sense they have something in common with Christians (or rather, vice versa).

But fundamental to the Judeo/Christian tradition is that God is and has been at work in real history, so one cannot directly transpose backwards. It's meaningless to talk about anybody being an Israelite before Abraham and Jacob, or a Jew before Judah really - certainly its meaningless before Abraham, or to talk about anyone being a Christian before the resurrection of Jesus. The world, and therefore the relationship between the world and the creator, changed with the fall, again with the call of Abraham, and again with the resurrection of Jesus. To apply labels or even concepts from the 5th act back onto the 1st and 2nd acts won't work.

 

[DrBubbaLove]

I am curious what the Christian position is on what religion Adam and Eve observed? And their immediate offspring?

A nameless religion? Christianity? None? Something Else?

Thanks

EDIT: Note when I say religion I am referring to the substance/principles/teachings of a religion, not necessarily the existence of the name for said religion.

A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendent quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth.

Your questions. None. None. No. No. Yes. Not sure what you mean.

If "something else" means a relationship with God the obvious answer is yes they did at least before the Fall. The closeness of that relationship could not be understood as a "religion". After the fall that all changed, no evidence of religion until later (how much later does not really matter in regards to your question).

There are indications after the fall in the OT that there were people with an acute awareness of God as well as everyone knowing what is right and wrong, with some people being good and some being very wicked. That is not religion either.

 

[AV1611VET]

I am curious what the Christian position is on what religion Adam and Eve observed?

Divine Empiricism would be my guess.

 

[humblemuslim]

Thanks everyone for the responses so far.

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

We can even go as far as to ponder whether Adam and Eve had a personal relationship with Jesus the Christ.

It was the Word, mentioned in John 1:1, who created Adam and Eve. It was the Word who later became Jesus Christ.

The Bible's first prophecy about Jesus Christ was given in Eden.

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Genesis 3:15

 

[Proud Christian 2]

Adam and Eve had, for a while, a direct relationship with God, were they could walk, talk, and be with him always. This changed when he banished them for eating the fruit. But they still loved him, and that's the starting point of Christianity.

 

[Emmy]

Dear humblemuslim. It needed Jesus to come and redeem men and women, they had moved too far away from God. No-one was without wrongdoing( sin) and no-one was acceptable to God`s Holy Law. The Blood of Jesus paid the price, and when God raised Jesus, the price was paid. Men and women are free to approach God once more, Jesus reconciled us. When God gave His 10 Commandments to the Israelites, their Prophets, (not all) soon had made God`s Commandments into a Law, without the Love and Forgiveness of God, the Almighty I AM. Jesus told the Pharisees more than once, " You have made God`s Law too hard for men to understand, and bend it to your way." Jesus and John the Baptist even called them Hypocrites, once or twice. Until Christ gave us Christianity, a loving relationship with our Heavenly Father, there was only Paganism und their cruel gods. I say this humbly and with love, humblemuslim. Greetings from Emmy, sister in Christ. P.S. I wish to point out that I am NOT calling Jehovah or Allah, Pagan.

 

[talitha]

Before the Fall, Adam and Eve had the kind of relationship with God that Jesus died to restore to us all. They walked and talked with Him with no self-consciousness and no guilt of any kind, and they were like Him, exactly as He designed them to be.

IMHO religion is only necessary because of the Fall - it's a result of the human spirit's attempts to re-connect with God, and there are different religions (other than Judaism and Christianity) for two reasons - first, people don't really know what it is they're seeking, and they try to come up with some kind of reason for the sense they have that there is a meaing to their lives, and second, there are demons at work which are all too happy to mess with their minds and give them some "alternative" to believe in, so long as it's not the Truth.

I believe demons were present on the earth before humans were, which would explain the "serpent", but they were prevented from interfering with Adam and Eve until a certain point in time.

Scripture says that Jesus is the "lamb slain from the foundations of the world", so the plan for the salvation of the human race was in place before it was even needed. In that sense Christianity is the first religion, so to speak, although the Lord did not institute it to be a religion, but (again) rather the restoration of that relationship that was lost because of the Fall.

blessings
tal

 

[eleyah]

Hi humblemuslim. This is an interesting topic and questions. I have a few opinions on this subject that I'd like to share with you.

After the fall when Adam and Eve fashioned garments from leaves to cover their nakedness < this in my opinion was mans attempt at religion, or at least an attempt to reconcile themselves to God. Later God provided coats of skins ( a bloody lambs skin perhaps?) , that was also a foreshadow of Christ , the Lamb of God, as the sacrifice and blood atonement for all sin.

Any thoughts?

 

[GodIsNear]

Adam and Eve had, for a while, a direct relationship with God, were they could walk, talk, and be with him always. This changed when he banished them for eating the fruit. But they still loved him, and that's the starting point of Christianity.

And if i might add that God also loved them and that would be the starting point of Christianity

 

[ephraimanesti]

I am curious what the Christian position is on what religion Adam and Eve observed? And their immediate offspring?

A nameless religion? Christianity? None? Something Else?

Thanks

EDIT: Note when I say religion I am referring to the substance/principles/teachings of a religion, not necessarily the existence of the name for said religion.

MY BROTHER--In the beginning, Adam and Eve were in direct communion with God. They had no need of religion, spiritual teachers/guides, rules and rituals, etc. but worshipped Him directly--in person, as it were.

However, once their original sin occured breaking that direct communion with God, religion kicked in to prepare--over the centuries--mankind for the Savior--Jesus Christ--whom God would send when the time was right, as mankind's Redeemer and Savior. The early practice of this religion developed into Judaism; its later fruit, after the awaited Messiah appeared, was Christianity.

A BOND-SLAVE/FRIEND/BROTHER OF OUR LORD/GOD/SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST,
ephraim

 

[WashedClean]

We know that after the Fall, Cain and Abel (sons of Adam and Eve) offered sacrifices to God. So obviously God instituted some type of sacrificial offerings. Until Moses received the 10 commandments on Mt. Sinai, there was no written "law". So Adam & Eve after the Fall were not Jews, but were in broken relationship with God. Then came the covenant with Abraham, which is Judaism and ultimately Christ appeared.

But people who lived before Christ were always made right with God by his grace through faith in the Messiah who was to come.

 

[heron]

God still walked and talked with Cain and Abel, because their story is their conversation with God. (I do not see it as evidence of God commanding offerings, but I shouldn't distract from the OP.)

God talked with Abraham, telling him to go up to a certain mountain.

Still, there was no formal religion. No priests, no babas, no mosques or temples, no written texts. Just the oral tradition, passing along stories.