7 Day Workshop - Day 3

Aren't you? So good evening everyone. This is the first time I've taught a seven-day workshop like this for I can't remember since when, to be perfectly honest. I realised in the last couple of days that sometimes I've been losing the logic because I've been working from presentations I've used on different occasions. Anyway, after I finished yesterday, I realised we started off with one of the questions: why did God create human beings? Why did God create Adam and Eve? And why did God create them in His image and likeness? I realised I forgot to actually address these two questions, so I'm going to pick up from the middle of last night and address them, look at these two questions, and then move on to the next part. So basically, yesterday we looked a lot at what it means to be blessed by God. This part here just forgot to look at the first part.

If you think about it, what is it everybody wants? The first line of the Divine Principle, as we all know, is quite famous: everyone is struggling to attain happiness and avoid misfortune. You have to ask yourself, is that true? If you ask a room full of people, do you all want to be happy? I'm sure everybody would put their hands up. It's very rare to find someone who would say, no, I don't want to be happy. I hope I have a terrible day; I hope I get mugged and robbed on the way home, etc. Basically, everyone is struggling to attain happiness and avoid misfortune. Of course, the reality is it's not as easy as that, and people have thought about this a lot. This one sentence here, if you're interested in understanding and unpacking it, I can recommend the book 'Aristotle's Ethics'. He said happiness and the meaning and purpose of life is the whole aim and end of human existence.

In the last couple of days, I've been saying some quite sharp critical things about Greek philosophy, but at the same time, there's also a huge amount one can learn from them, particularly from Aristotle. I'd say he's probably the greatest of the Greek philosophers, and he realised it's all about happiness. He wrote a whole book expanding on this one line that you find in the Principle. I often say to people, if you want to understand the Principle, you need to read 100 or 200 books to understand it. There's one sentence here that you have to read a whole book to understand the depth of it. This is like the conclusion to this book. The Principle, then, when you read it, is like a lot of conclusions, but if you want to understand the background to those conclusions, you need to do a huge amount of research.

So, everybody wants to be happy. Well, okay, the next question is: what makes us happy? Let's start with the baby. What makes a baby happy? Obviously, when a baby is unhappy, it feels pain, it feels hunger, and it starts to cry. What makes us happy is when it can connect to its mum and feed at its mother's breast. Then it becomes happy; it drinks, the pain in its stomach goes away, and it is at peace with itself. After eating or drinking, it falls asleep. Think about toddlers. Do toddlers have any bigger desires than babies? Yes, of course, they do. The nature of toddlers is that they want to touch everything; they want to reach everything. They don't just want to play with their toys; they want to touch everything. They don't distinguish between something which is a toy and something which is not a toy. If something's out of reach, they want to stretch out to reach it. They're not satisfied with just seeing it; they actually want to touch it, and they want to put it into their mouth. That's just the way toddlers are, and you have to be quite careful with them.

From this, as it says in the Principle, happiness comes when one desires fulfilled, which comes from a relationship with an object. So, what does this sentence mean? If you want to understand what this sentence means, you just need to look at children. You can see their happiness comes when their desire for an object is fulfilled. It's not just looking at an object; it's touching it, eating it, and trying to become one with it. You can learn a huge amount about the Principle just by studying babies and children. But then, you know, we're not all toddlers. I remember when I was growing up, I used to collect stamps. One day, I put my stamp album on my bookshelf and didn't look at it at all for months because it was summer and I was outdoors playing all the time. Anyway, autumn came, it started raining, and I remember my stamp album. When I took it off the shelf, I noticed it was exactly the same as when I put it on the shelf three months before. I realised it wasn't affected by me; whether I lived or died, it wasn't affected in any way other than the fact that it was arranged the way I had arranged it.

One of the things I always used to do as a child was collect little rocks. About 15 years ago, when I was about 50, I went to visit my mother, and she said, would you like your rock collection back? I thought, my rock collection? Yes, I've got it upstairs in one of my drawers. I sort of struggled to remember my rock collection. Anyway, she went upstairs and brought it down, and I recognised it immediately. It was a chocolate box which I divided into little boxes, and each of the little boxes had a little rock labelled. When I opened the box, I recognised it. It looked exactly the same as it did 45 years before. I realised these little rocks have been around for millions of years; they're going to be around for millions more years. I can't make much of an impact on them. But when you grow up as a child, you realise if you plant a seed or a bulb and you water it, it starts to grow. You realise whether I water this plant or seed will decide whether it lives or dies. You can have a much closer relationship with it because it's alive.

Often, when we grow up, we have a pet, maybe a hamster or a mouse or a cat or a dog. You have a much closer relationship with an animal than you can with a plant because you can train a dog; you can teach it tricks, and it might protect you and even save your life. You have a much closer relationship, which is why people often say a dog is a man's best friend. You'll be incredibly loyal. You can make a real difference in the life of a pet. But then there are certain things you can't do or share with your dog. You may love writing poetry, and you may take your dog for a walk, sit on a bench watching the sun go down, and take out your book of poetry to read to your dog. What does a dog say in response? Woof, woof. So the question is, does the dog really have the capacity to appreciate your poetry? Not really. What we look for is another human being, not just any human being, but someone we feel will be able to appreciate our poetry and won't make fun of it or dismiss it.

When you create poetry, it's an expression of one's heart, values, and ideas. You want someone who you feel will be able to appreciate and understand and respond in a meaningful way. That's why we have friends; we look for friends with whom we can share our heart, dreams, ideas, and values, where we can develop a very close relationship because they speak the same language—not just language but also the same language of the heart. We have fun and enjoy things together. You can have a much closer relationship with a human being than with a dog because human beings are much more like us than pets are. As we grow up, people often meet someone and feel, I want to share the rest of my life with this person. You might meet someone you feel you can connect with at every single level. There are some people you can talk about some things with and share at a certain level, while others can share deeper levels and enjoy doing things together, becoming friends.

What we're all looking for is someone with whom we can share our whole self, with whom we can be ourselves. We know that person has the capacity to understand us, love us, and embrace us unconditionally, to listen to us, and to respond in a meaningful way. When you find someone like that, you feel, yes, I want to share the rest of my life with you. I want to look after you, care for you, and why don't we get married? Why do we make a commitment together to each other? This is what happens with the second blessing, which I talked about yesterday. I remember once I was driving along in the car with my wife, and she pointed out this really elderly couple walking along the pavement. They were hanging on to each other for dear life. The man had a walking stick, and the woman had so many wrinkles you couldn't count them. The man was hunched over, and my wife said, I hope we look like that one day. I said, you want me to look like that, hunched over with a walking stick, walking along at about one mile an hour, and you looking like that with so many wrinkles? Is that the way you want us to be when we get old? She said, yes, I want us to grow old together. That's ultimately what people want; they want love to last forever, to grow old together, and to get to know each other more and more in a deeper relationship.

That's why the Principle says we look for an object in which our own nature is reflected and complemented, an object which stimulates one to feel and discover oneself. There are some people you meet, and you can share with this person. Through the relationship you have with this person, you feel stimulated, awakened, and through the relationship, you can discover parts of yourself you never knew existed. Through this relationship, you can come out of your comfort zone and fulfil a potential you didn't even realise you had. When you read the Principle, it is the best explanation of the nature of reality. They look like really abstract sentences, but we have to think, how does this work? Is this true? Is this a good explanation or description of the nature of reality and the nature of relationships? I would say yes; it's the best explanation I've ever come across.

The Principle says, how is joy produced? Joy is produced where there is this kind of relationship: there's a subject, the one that initiates the relationship, and the object, the one who responds. It's not a subject-object relationship; it's nothing to do with control or managing. It's all about initiating a relationship; it's all about loving and responding. It's like having a conversation: one person starts the conversation, the other person listens and responds, and the conversation grows and develops. Just as if you meet somebody on a train you've never met before, you want to start a conversation. If you're living in England, you'll talk about the weather and see if the other person wants to respond. They'll talk about the weather, and you start having a conversation. You might change the subject, and a subject-object relationship is just like that: having a conversation, giving, receiving, and responding.

Of course, if one person starts talking about football and the other person starts replying about cricket, the relationship's not going to go very far. You try to find some common base, some common interest, something you're both interested in, about which you can share, talk, and discuss. You might be sitting on this train for a few hours, and the topics of conversation might grow and develop. After a while, you might feel like you've known this person your whole life, and you feel, actually, I want to meet this person again. You exchange phone numbers and arrange to meet for a coffee, and sometimes people end up getting married as a result of that. Meeting someone with whom you can develop that relationship reflects ourselves, stimulates us, and also complements us. The question is then, what is more stimulating? Sometimes I say, why did God create the universe? As it says in the Principle, the object partner helps us to feel our own internal nature and external form through the stimulation it gives. What about just having an idea? Sometimes you have a brilliant idea; you come up with some brilliant invention, and it's incredibly stimulating to have an idea, a new invention that you come up with in your head, and you can get really excited about it. It's really exciting and gives you incredible stimulation and joy exploring this idea. But which is more exciting, which is more stimulating? Just the...

The idea or the reality is crucial. If you come up with a brilliant idea but cannot implement it, the excitement fades over time. However, if you can take that idea and create something substantial, the joy becomes real. As stated in the Divine Principle, when the idea alone is the object partner, it is not as stimulating nor as profound as the joy derived from a finished work. What is more exciting and stimulating: the idea of a child or the child itself? The idea of owning a house or actually owning one? The idea of visiting another country or the experience of visiting it? Clearly, the reality is much more exciting and stimulating than just the idea; the idea is merely the beginning. This is why God created a substantial world. The idea of having children is exciting, but the reality of having them is far more stimulating.

The most essential aspect of God is heart, which we explored yesterday. Heart is the impulse to love an object and serves as a fountain and motivator of love. It is the nature of heart to seek an object to love. God, whose essence is heart, feels joy when He can love an object that He created. Just like us, we also seek an object to love, one that can respond to our affection. This is why God did not just create a universe; He created a universe with objects that could reciprocate love.

If you possess a lot of love, you naturally want to share it with someone else. For instance, if you win the lottery, you would feel incredibly happy and want to share your good fortune with family and friends. You might take them on holiday, buy them a house, or donate to charity to help those less fortunate. This is the nature of a loving person; when you are incredibly happy, you want to share that joy with others. God, being the source of heart and love, has an irrepressible desire to share love. However, without an object to love, this desire can lead to frustration. God seeks an object in His image and likeness that has the capacity to appreciate and respond to the love He wishes to give.

God's purpose in creating human beings is to experience joy through relationships with ideal families filled with true love. For example, my mother, when she grew older, preferred to spend time with her grandchildren rather than travel the world. She found joy in simply being with family. As stated in the Book of Revelation, 'the dwelling of God is with men; He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.' This reflects God's desire to dwell and live with people. However, if this was God's vision, one might wonder what went wrong. It certainly has not turned out the way anyone hoped or expected, so we must explore the story behind it.

Most explanations of how we arrived at our current situation involve a narrative. To understand why God's original ideal and vision were not realised, we need to delve into what went wrong. This understanding often requires exploring history, which is akin to understanding a story. Why do we find ourselves in a world filled with conflict and arguments? Why do people of different nationalities feel animosity towards one another? To comprehend this, we must look at the story found in Genesis, which describes how God created Adam and Eve and placed them in a garden with two trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God instructed Adam and Eve not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, warning that doing so would lead to death. This narrative sets the stage for understanding the human condition and the consequences of their choices.

In the garden, a serpent approached Eve and questioned God's command. The serpent suggested that eating the fruit would not lead to death but would make them like God, knowing good and evil. Eve, enticed by the fruit's appearance, took a bite and then offered it to Adam, who also ate. This act led to significant consequences. To interpret this story, we must recognise that the serpent is often understood as a metaphor for an angel, specifically Lucifer, who was once a good angel but became an evil being. The Bible states that God created the angels, and everything He created was good. Therefore, evil did not exist from the beginning; it emerged as a mistake, which is a crucial distinction from the dualistic view that good and evil are intertwined in the universe.

Lucifer, initially a good angel, eventually became the being we now refer to as Satan. The Divine Principle rejects the notion of dualism, which posits that good and evil are woven into the fabric of reality. Instead, it asserts that the physical world, created by God, is inherently good. Ideally, Adam and Eve should have achieved mind-body unity and matured to the point of making a commitment to one another. This unity could have been expressed through various means, such as dance, where the physical body aligns with the mind and heart. Once they achieved this unity, God would have blessed their marriage, leading to a lineage of children and grandchildren, extending their family for generations. The question then arises: where does Lucifer fit into this narrative?

When God created the heavens and the earth, He also created the angels before human beings. The angels were more like God than any other created beings, described as the 'sons of God.' They had a close relationship with God, akin to that of children with a parent. They were created in His image and likeness and were involved in the creation of humanity. The Bible states, 'Let us make man in our image,' suggesting a collaborative effort between God and the angels. This involvement indicates that the angels were not merely observers but active participants in God's creation. They were expected to care for Adam and Eve on God's behalf, establishing a complex relationship between the divine and the angelic realms.

You might wonder how I can prove that spirit is indivisible. Just go and watch any film about Scooby-Doo; you can't chop a ghost's hand off because it just reattaches itself. According to the Catholic Catechism, by definition, spirit is indivisible. Spiritual beings can become one with each other, but they cannot multiply. To create multiplication, God needed to create a physical world, as only physical beings can multiply. In the physical world, this means a sperm from a man joins with an egg in a woman, leading to the development of a fetus and eventually a new creation—a baby. This process of multiplication applies to all biological creatures because they possess a physical body; without a physical body, multiplication is impossible. Hence, God created the physical world and, subsequently, Adam and Eve, who were made in the image and likeness of God, just like the angels, but with physical bodies. This physicality allowed them to experience parental love and to become more like God than the angels, as they had the capacity to become parents themselves.

Of course, when Adam and Eve appeared, they were immature, and Lucifer was involved in their upbringing. God recognised the potential for jealousy from Lucifer and the angels regarding Adam and Eve. Therefore, God said to Lucifer, 'Let us create Adam and Eve in our image and likeness,' wanting Lucifer to be committed to this project and its success rather than succumbing to jealousy. Adam and Eve were meant to grow up, mature, and become one with God, enabling them to express God's love in ways the angels could not. Through a relationship with Adam and Eve, Lucifer's love would have been completely satisfied. Father said that an angel is good and pure, but until the appearance of perfected Adam and Eve, the angels could not perfect themselves. The angelic world could not be perfected without the perfection of Adam and Eve. By nurturing Adam and Eve, Lucifer could have achieved his own perfection, but without raising them to become true sons and daughters of God, he remained unable to perfect himself.

Towards the end of his life, Father spoke of Lucifer as Adam and Eve's uncle, likening him to God's brother in a joint project. In reality, Lucifer and all the angels are creations of God, but it is more enjoyable to work with someone similar rather than merely giving orders to servants. God involved the angels fully in this project because He wanted them to be committed to it. Adam and Eve, having physical bodies, were supposed to become the lords of creation, fulfilling the third blessing. Until that point, the angels had been the lords of creation, organising and directing everything. For Adam and Eve to become lords of creation, they needed to earn the respect of the angelic world by reaching perfection and fulfilling their own responsibilities. Unlike other creatures, which have their instincts and software installed to become mature and perfect, human beings are born ignorant and must learn what it means to be human.

When Lucifer tempted Adam and Eve, they should not have given in. Imagine if Eve had resisted Lucifer's temptation; he would have respected her more. If he had tempted her with chocolates and flowers, and she still said no, he would have respected her even more. However, when Eve succumbed to Lucifer's temptation, he respected her less, as he realised she could not have dominion over him. Instead, he had dominion over her, which meant she was not worthy to be a lord of creation. Adam and Eve should have won the archangel's respect by keeping God's commandment and reaching perfection. God instructed them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Had they obeyed and matured, they would have earned the archangel's respect, leading to God's blessing of their marriage. Lucifer's desire for love would have been fulfilled, and he would have been pleased with how Adam and Eve turned out.

Now, let us explore why the fall took place. This is addressed in the Divine Principle, which offers profound insights into the nature of the fall and the human condition. As an educator, I have studied the creation stories of many religions, and I can confidently say that this interpretation resonates deeply with the human experience today. Lucifer was a channel of God's love to the angelic world, and in this role, he monopolised God's love. God loved His children, Adam and Eve, much more than He loved His servant, Lucifer. This is partly because Adam and Eve had a greater capacity to experience and receive God's love, as they could become parents, a capacity Lucifer did not possess at that time. Lucifer perceived a decrease in the love he received from God when he saw that Adam and Eve were receiving more love than he was. This feeling of unfairness led to jealousy, a common human experience. When someone receives something we feel we deserve, we often feel envious.

Lucifer wanted to occupy the same central position in human society as he did in the angelic world, acting as a channel of God's love. However, Adam and Eve, as the sons and daughters of God, did not need a mediator; they should have been able to experience God's love directly. This is a common temptation in the world. When Lucifer offered the fruit to Eve, it was not a literal fruit. The fruit represents sexual love, as trees multiply through fruit, while human beings multiply through love. Lucifer's offer to Eve was essentially a proposal for a sexual relationship. His jealousy and attraction towards Eve, who was incredibly beautiful, led him to engage with her. As Eve matured from a child into an adolescent, she became more aware of her beauty, and Lucifer, being a male angel, was naturally drawn to her. He began to enjoy their relationship, taking Eve around the garden and showcasing his knowledge, which captivated her. Eve began to look up to Lucifer, becoming infatuated with him, similar to how teenage girls sometimes become infatuated with their teachers.

Lucifer's attraction to Eve grew as he enjoyed their interactions. However, it is essential to understand that the fall was not merely about a fruit; it involved deeper motivations and relationships. The biblical story indicates that the fruit can be interpreted as a representation of sexual love. In the Book of Jude, it is mentioned that angels committed fornication, suggesting a sexual dimension to the fall. This interpretation is not new; it has been explored in various religious texts and traditions. What is unique about Father Moon's explanation is the depth with which he elaborates on the motivations and circumstances surrounding the fall. He explains that Lucifer, in his role as a teacher, was supposed to guide and nurture Eve, but he became attracted to her beauty, complicating their relationship. Eve, in turn, admired Lucifer's knowledge and sophistication, leading to a dynamic that ultimately contributed to the fall.

The fundamental motivation lay in the envy that the archangel felt towards Adam, the beloved of God. Lucifer envied the fact that it was God's intention for Eve to become Adam's spouse. He felt jealousy because he believed he ought to be receiving the love that God was giving to Adam and Eve. You might wonder what Lucifer should have done next. Everyone wants love, and Lucifer was no exception; he also wanted to experience the kind of love that Adam and Eve were experiencing. This insight from Eileen Caddy of the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland is quite profound: without love, life becomes barren and fruitless, but with love, it grows and flourishes. We can all agree that without love, life feels empty and meaningless, but when we are in love, the world appears different, and life transforms.

Love is a two-way street; it involves both giving and receiving. The advice is never to sit there expecting to be loved without giving love. The more love you pour out, the more you will receive. When you feel a lack of love, look within yourself and see where and how you can love more. As you take action, love will come pouring in, filling your life and extending to the lives of others. It is essential to shoulder your responsibilities and cease looking at others, expecting them to change. Start with yourself, put your own house in order, and observe what happens. This is advice that God would have given to Lucifer: if you feel a lack of love, you can experience more love by not expecting to receive it. You can experience more life by giving more love, and the more you pour out, the more will flow in.

This principle is echoed in what Father Moon said: when you make yourself a complete zero and empty yourself completely, then God's love pours in. The more you give out, the more comes in. Some might argue that Lucifer felt jealous and that perhaps God shouldn't have made him feel that way. However, the point is that Lucifer was created in the image of God; he was God's son, and God trusted him. Lucifer faced the challenge of experiencing a lack of love when he compared himself to Adam and Eve. Instead of becoming self-centred and wanting to receive more love, he should have given more love. By doing so, he would have found that more love would have flowed in.

God wanted Lucifer to experience more love, but the kind of love He wanted him to experience was the love of a parent for a child. Lucifer should have developed a more parental heart towards Adam and Eve. He needed to grow from being like the son of God, experiencing brotherhood with the angels, to developing a parental heart and giving more love to Adam and Eve. In doing so, his desire for love would have been completely satisfied. As Father Moon said, it is only through the relationship with Adam and Eve that Lucifer could have matured and perfected himself. Even though he could not have had physical or spiritual children, he could have developed the heart of a parent.

However, the Divine Principle states that when Eve responded to Lucifer's temptations, the angel felt the stimulation of being deliciously enticing. Lucifer began to engage with Eve, who responded by becoming infatuated with him, admiring him and giving love to him. Lucifer enjoyed the infatuation he was receiving from Eve and grew increasingly possessive of her. His desire became an unprincipled design, akin to a teacher who becomes attracted to a student and begins to groom her, giving her special attention and compliments. This dynamic awakened in Eve emotions and feelings she had never experienced before, as she was just a young teenager. She had never encountered a man paying her this kind of attention, which stirred powerful romantic feelings within her.

Because Eve was immature, these feelings were very powerful yet immature. She wanted to follow these feelings and consummate them before the time was right. As stated in the Divine Principle, since Eve's heart and intellect were still immature when she was tempted by Lucifer, she became confused emotionally and intellectually. Although her original mind induced a sense of foreboding, she crossed the boundary and fell. Her conscience was telling her that she shouldn't engage in this relationship, as God had commanded her not to eat the fruit. The commandment was meant to protect her, much like signs along a cliff warning against crossing a dangerous line. If she had maintained faith in the commandment and not responded to the temptation, the power of unprincipled love would not have been generated, and she would not have fallen.

When Lucifer began to chat her up and these feelings started to develop, Eve should have prayed. Prayer is an educational desire; if she had brought her feelings before God, her conscience would have guided her to recognize that she should not be involved in this kind of relationship. She could have continued to relate to Lucifer in a respectful way while observing the commandment, preventing those powerful emotions from developing. God gave the commandment because He foresaw the possibility of such a relationship and wanted to protect Adam and Eve from harm. However, Eve became involved in a sexual relationship with Lucifer, following her feelings and emotions. When she awoke the next morning, she felt dirty, separated from God, and realised that she had been taken advantage of by Lucifer. This relationship left her feeling traumatized, worthless, and needy, as she could no longer experience God's love after breaking the commandment.

The loss of innocence is significant here. Eve was a teenager, and many studies show that young people involved in casual sexual relationships often face mental health issues. This reality is reflected in the struggles of many young people today. For instance, actress and singer Thandiwe Newton has spoken about the torment she experienced due to a relationship with a much older director when she was just sixteen. After years of therapy, she realised that her mental health struggles were a result of that relationship. God cared about Adam and Eve and did not want them to suffer mental health issues or be damaged by relationships. He warned them not to engage in such relationships, as they could lead to harm or even death.

After her relationship with Lucifer, Eve approached Adam, feeling vulnerable and needing comfort and love. She realised that the relationship she had with Lucifer was inappropriate and that Adam was meant to be her spouse. In seeking comfort from Adam, she awakened feelings in him that he had never experienced before, leading to a sexual relationship. Eve's desire for love and comfort drew Adam into this relationship, and both lost their connection with God, developing guilt and shame as a result. The relationship Eve had with Lucifer was unprincipled and should never have happened, akin to a relationship with a pedophile or an abusive uncle. Lucifer's actions were selfish and did not stem from genuine love, as he took advantage of Eve for his own gratification. If he truly cared for her, he would not have engaged in such a relationship.

The relationship Adam had with Eve can be likened to that of a couple of teenagers who fall in love and engage in a sexual relationship before marriage. While this is not ideal and is considered wrong, it is less damaging than the kind of relationship that should never have occurred in the first place. The motivations behind their initial relationship stemmed from excessive desire to experience life. Eve was unable to control her emotions and feelings, leading her to seek fulfilment through her relationship with Adam. Additionally, she realised she had made a mistake and sought comfort in Adam, whom she perceived as closer to God. However, Adam should not have responded to her in that way.

When God enters the garden, He finds Adam and Eve hiding. Although God is omniscient and knows everything that has happened, the narrative describes Him as searching for them and asking, 'Where are you?' This raises the question of how God, who knows all, could not find them. God is not angry; rather, He is providing Adam and Eve with an opportunity to explain their actions. He asks questions without judging, accusing, or blaming them. God's intention is for Adam to confess his wrongdoing and take responsibility for his actions, seeking forgiveness.

Unfortunately, Adam does not take responsibility. Instead, he shifts the blame, saying, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate.' In this statement, Adam is effectively saying that it is not his fault; Eve tempted him, and God is also to blame for giving him Eve. This refusal to accept responsibility illustrates a victim mentality, where Adam sees himself as a victim of Eve's actions and God's decision to create her.

When God turns to Eve and asks her what happened, He hopes she will admit her wrongdoing and seek forgiveness. However, Eve responds by saying, 'The serpent tricked me, and I ate.' Like Adam, she denies responsibility, blaming the serpent instead. This pattern of denial and blame is significant, as it highlights how Adam and Eve lost their freedom by allowing external forces to dictate their actions. They relinquished their agency to Lucifer, who became the one pulling the strings in their lives.

This sense of victimhood is prevalent today, as many people seek to identify as victims of their circumstances. Edith Eger, a Holocaust survivor and psychoanalyst, noted that everyone is likely to experience victimisation at some point in their lives. Life inherently involves suffering, as Buddha taught. Eger's experience led her to understand that while we may be victimised by external circumstances, true victimhood arises from within. We become victims not because of what happens to us, but because we choose to hold on to our victimisation, developing a rigid mindset that blames others and remains stuck in the past.

Eger emphasised that happiness is not something to be sought externally; rather, it is an internal state of being that cannot be taken away. Similarly, Viktor Frankl, another Holocaust survivor, stated that the only thing the Nazi guards could take from him was his freedom to choose how to respond to his circumstances. This principle resonates with the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which serves as a profound analysis of the human condition and the reality of life. It aligns with the teachings of great spiritual leaders throughout history, including Buddha, Moses, Muhammad, and Jesus.

The consequences of the Fall were significant. Adam was damaged by his relationship with Eve, inheriting a nature that sought to control and dominate. This toxic masculinity, which some men exhibit, can be traced back to the Fall. Additionally, when individuals die with unresolved hatred and resentment, they may carry these negative emotions into the spiritual world, impacting those still living. Many wonder why God did not intervene to prevent the Fall. The answer lies in the nature of free will and responsibility. God provided Adam and Eve with clear commandments, making them aware of the consequences of their actions.

If God had intervened to stop them from falling, He would have undermined their ability to grow and learn from their mistakes. Just as a parent must allow their child to learn from their experiences, God wanted Adam and Eve to earn the respect of the angelic world. This respect is essential for them to fulfil their purpose as laws of creation. The analogy of a business owner wanting their children to inherit the family business illustrates this point. A good owner would require their children to start at the bottom and work their way up, gaining respect and understanding of the business before taking on leadership roles. Similarly, God believed that Adam and Eve could learn from their mistakes and grow, but they ultimately denied responsibility, perpetuating their situation for a long time.

As you grow older and become a teenager, you gain more freedom to be involved in the decisions that affect your life. When your parents start criticising your clothing choices or the music you listen to, it can be upsetting. You might feel like they are treating you as if you are still a child, even though you are fifteen. This reflects the reality of growing up. God respected Adam and Eve; He did not want to treat them like children or take away their responsibilities. This is why God did not intervene in their choices, as He respected their freedom.

Ultimately, God cannot intervene in the same way a parent might. While you can physically restrict your children, God does not have a physical body to do so. Even if He wanted to prevent the fall, He did not have the power to intervene because that is not the nature of God. The only power God possesses is the power of love, which remains true today. Jesus illustrates this power beautifully in the parable of the Prodigal Son.

In this story, painted by Rembrandt, we see the father and his two sons. The youngest son, eager for independence, asks his father for his share of the inheritance. He feels that if he has to wait until his father dies, he will be too old to enjoy life. Shockingly, the father agrees and gives him the money. The son then goes off, spending his inheritance on wild living, drinking, and partying, eventually running out of money and friends.

In desperation, he finds himself feeding pigs and realises that even the pigs are better off than he is. He acknowledges his foolishness and decides to return home, hoping to ask his father for forgiveness. When he approaches, the father sees him from a distance and runs to embrace him, welcoming him back without any mention of the lost money. This reflects the father's true concern: not for the money, but for his son's well-being.

Some may view the father as foolish for allowing his son to leave, but he understood that if he denied his son, he would lose his heart. The father took a significant risk, trusting that his son would learn from his mistakes and return home. When the son does come back, their relationship is strengthened, becoming unbreakable. This mirrors the attitude God had towards Adam and Eve; He took a risk, believing they would eventually recognise their mistakes and return to Him.

The essence of this course on restoration is about coming back home to the love of God. God patiently waits for His children to return, just as the father waited for his son. This relationship is built on trust and love, demonstrating that even when we stray, there is always a path back to the embrace of our Creator.