Mark is married to Jo and is a 23 year old youth and schools worker based in South Cave (near Hull). Mark spent 4 years as a youth worker in Peterborough whilst studying for a degree in youth work & ministry with Oasis.
As I mentioned at the beginning of lent I have been aiming to read a short reflection from a book titled ‘Daily Reflections for Lent and Easter’ and they’ve been varied so far, some interesting some just dull and uninspiring however one back on Tuesday caused me to raise my eye-brows a little bit and ponder.
The writer (Ron Rolheiser) suggested that the story of Adam and Eve taking the apple was a transgression of rape…as I read that sentence originally I re-read it thinking ‘did he just say that?’…and ‘surely that’s just gotta be an attention grabbing line’.
He then goes on to explain that by rape he meant that Adam and Eve took by force what can only be received in love.
I find his analogy very interesting because much as I don’t like the his analogy of rape I can’t help but feel there’s some truth in it and that this truth is probably the reason I don’t like it.
If we work with the definition Rolheiser suggests for rape which is ‘to take by force something that can only be received in love’ then perhaps there is some truth in it. If we take the things God offers us freely in love by force then to widen the analogy beyond original sin perhaps that can also count as rape by Rolheiser’s definition.
It’s an interesting idea…what are the things we take by force that should be received in love when it comes to God? What does the world take?
Thoughts please!
