Theories About the Fall of Adam & Eve (Genesis): What was Original Sin?

No matter how much I try to avoid Bible theories as fact, even as myths they remain fascinating.

Here are some theories as to what really was the Fall of Adam an Eve, as well as what original sin could have consisted of. Everything below is strictly opinion. More theories will be added in time. Feel free to add your own.

- Perhaps the Tree of Knowledge represented DNA, or the advancement of the human race from apes to humans. This would explain mankind's mysterious leap in evolution. In addition, perhaps there was extra-terrestrial involvement in the 'Fall' of man.

- If Satan really did whisper in Eve's ear before the Fall, perhaps this was the beginning of dreams. Supposedly in this dream, Eve saw the entire future scenario of her being tempted by Satan an eating from the tree. Perhaps committing sin in the dream somehow influenced Eve to commit sin in reality, suggesting that dreams (in terms of desire) are more powerful than we like to believe. Dreams, of course, influence our conscious thoughts, and vice versa.

- Perhaps the Fall was a metaphor for God and the Earth (Adam came first as God; Eve came from his rib, or the Earth came from the rib of God).

- Maybe the fruit of the tree of knowledge was actually literal fruit, or a specific type of fruit. Perhaps this type of fruit really does grant wishes to those who eat it. But by Eve eating it, her mind changed- she had new knowledge. Thus, what she consciously or subconsciously wished for in her mind at that point on, were things of 'immoral' nature in God's eyes (Supposedly after Adam an Eve both ate the fruit, Eve desired to go to the woods and have carnal sex). Perhaps Satan was a genie.

- Adam an Eve were always in spirit form. Since they were the first humans, and were only seen by God, the angels and Satan/the serpent, it's possible they never had physical flesh initially. Not having flesh, however, didn't mean they didn't exist- they still functioned as human beings and still had importance. Perhaps the Fall then consisted of Adam an Eve losing their spirit forms, and transforming into beings of the flesh. Of course, with flesh we feel pain in numerous ways, while we also feel spiritually incomplete.

- Going along with the theory some have that there is no evidence of the transformation from ape to man, perhaps Adam and Eve were actually created as babies before they grew into adults (or perhaps were children all along). Unlike the rest of mankind, they were created, not born of woman. The Fall then could be what is slightly mentioned in the bible (pain of childbirth), but moreover that in order for a human being to be created, it has to be born through woman. This also coincides with children not only carrying original sin, but possessing what, for some, is the curse of genetics.

- The fruit of the Knowledge tree was actually a mushroom, or hallucinogenic of some sort. Surely if Adam an Eve previously had the innocent mind of an animal or child, then ingesting these substances would've literally blown their minds, perhaps even allowing them to see the future (Many times hallucinogenics bring out one's issues from the past, but since they were the first humans on the planet, and therefore had no concrete 'past,' they may have seen fragments of what the future looked like on Earth). Going along with this, perhaps Satan was not a serpent but a caterpillar, and his reward for tricking humans was turning into a butterfly. This goes along with the phrase 'curiousity killed the cat,' suggesting Eve's curiousity is what led to the Fall.

- The original sin was sex. Despite Adam an Eve supposedly having already slept together in the bible, perhaps eating from the tree resulted in sex losing its natural innocence, and turning into something more animalistic and primal (desire trumping procreation).

- Perhaps Adam an Eve were actually brother and sister, albeit lovingly close. Their sin was of sexual nature, hence the Fall consisting of inbreeding or incest.

- Anal sex as original sin. As mentioned previously, since Adam an Eve were supposedly not virgins at the time of the Fall, some believe anal sex was the actual original sin. This leads one to a twisted imagination, however, as supposedly Eve was not with Adam when the Fall occurred- hence we'd have to wonder what or whose phallus was used. Same goes for Adam, sinning after Eve. (No, I'm not against homosexuality. This is just a theory).

- Orgasm. Yes, the least believable of all the theories on this list, but often times the right answer is simple. And if it was original sin, it surely caught on quickly.

- Eve was pregnant with Adam's child when the Fall occurred. Whatever Eve ingested (the 'fruit') caused her to have a miscarriage or lose the child.

- Bestiality- They had sexual relations with an animal.

- Eve had sexual relations with the devil- something non-human. Perhaps the devil took the form of Adam if this occurred. Eve then produced spawn of this mixed breed, leading to further sin.

- Adam an Eve were one person- the spiritual halves (male/female) of one human being. Many believe that if you are female, your spirit counterpart will be male, and vice versa. If Adam was the first male, then Eve was his female spiritual half. Going along with the first theory on this list, perhaps the Fall was the tempting of Adam's 'feminine side,' reflected through Eve- when he sinned, his disobedience caused his separation from his spiritual half (Eve). This is why men and women, despite having one another, can never truly feel complete. Going along with this is the theory that the original humans were androgynous, and perhaps original sin caused the split of the original sex organs into male/female sexes.

- All those mocking chants of 'Adam and Steve' were actually correct. The two first humans were male. This would make sense if the original sin indeed was anal sex. How do we have women then? Perhaps 'Steve' (our Eve) is the one who sinned first, and his temptation of Adam led to punishment by castration. Brutal, but it was the Old Testament.

- The fruit of Knowledge caused the division of right and left-brained functions.

- Original sin was meat-eating. Animals no longer lived together in peace, and perhaps eating meat produced humans' primal urge/desire.

- Bird feathers supposedly evolved from fish scales, so perhaps the serpent was actually in the form of a bird when he tempted Eve. Perhaps he even tempted her with the power of flight- and whatever substance he gave her instead made her 'Fall.' Perhaps Satan is not God's adversary but God's tempter/servant, or rather, God is split into two personas- the God of wrath and the forgiving God. Perhaps the serpent is God's symbolic form of wrath, and the bird is his symbolic form of forgiveness. This duelity is seen throughout Genesis- two humans, two trees, etc. Even still, perhaps the Fall caused God's forgiving self to disappear or go create another planet, leaving his other half, the devil, as the ruler of Earth.

- Perhaps one of the trees in the garden was an olive tree. Perhaps the other was an acorn tree. Acorns are known to be a good source of fiber, while also sometimes producing a hallucinogenic effect. Something to think about, especially in terms of the 'twos' mentioned above.

- No matter how unfair the Fall of Man may seem, without the choice of disobedience, we'd have no free will. Still, if original sin does involve one of the theories above, there's a chance that it has nothing to do with freedom of choice, but rather is something ALL humans are born with and must deal with.