Can you help me with some questions from an atheist?
Question:
I appreciate so much your willingness to answer questions. Here are the things which confuse me from an atheist:
- Why did Adam and Eve realize they were naked when there was not yet a concept of being clothed?
- Why was Adam lonely when he was in a perfect place and with God?
I'm starting to realize that he's just trying to cast doubt without proving anything. I also realize the questions above prove absolutely nothing either way. I may be asked these questions though and I'm having trouble getting an answer on my own.
I'm really interested in being able to answer questions more effectively and be better at reasoning. The La Vista site inspires me because all the writing you and other men have done simply makes sense that I would never have thought of. I know the answer to becoming more knowledgeable about God's word is to study it but how do I grow in applying reason to it as well as you and the other writers I've seen on your site and others have?
Answer:
One place to start in learning about reasoning is to go through Keys to Understanding. I know it isn't the clearest thing written, but it is a start. Another book I would recommend is Tactics by Gregory Koukl. While he is a denominational author, he does give a simple explanation of how to reason with people with whom you disagree.
Why did Adam and Eve realize they were naked when there was not yet a concept of being clothed?
The assumption is that one must first be clothed in order to recognize what nakedness is, which is not a necessary conclusion. The problem with nakedness is the awareness of sexual feelings. You can see this in children. When they are young, there is no embarrassment over how they look, whether clothed or naked. But once puberty strikes, suddenly there is extreme concern about being seen without clothing. What changed wasn't the presence of clothing, but a change in the body.
Adam and Eve's attempt at covering focused on hiding the genital region. They made belts of fig leaves (Genesis 3:7), but they realized they didn't work adequately because even with them they still felt naked (Genesis 3:10). God had to make their initial set of clothing for them (Genesis 3:21).
Why was Adam lonely when he was in a perfect place and with God?
Because he was the only one of his species with no one comparable to him. It was God who recognized that it wasn't good for Adam to be alone. "And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him"" (Genesis 2:18). And then before creating Eve, God proved to Adam that he was alone by having him name the animals. "So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him" (Genesis 2:20). In other words, until God showed Adam, Adam likely didn't realize he was missing something. Only when Adam realized that he was the only one of his kind did God create Eve and present her to Adam. Until Adam knew what he was missing, he could not fully appreciate the gift God gave him.
While God was with Adam, God wasn't comparable to Adam. God is far above men. ""For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD" (Isaiah 55:8).
