Open

Then he opened their minds to understand . . . 

 - From Luke 24

There's an interesting thread connecting God's first walk with Adam, in Eden, to Christ's final words to His disciples, near Bethany. In both cases, the topic of knowledge is central.

We're pretty protective of our self-image of being knowledgeable people. I think people would rather be told "You're ugly," than "You're dumb." I think it's because our response to how a person looks can have a lot to do with how we feel, in that moment. If the Covid Mask Era has taught us one thing, it's that everybody's face is beautiful, if we could step away from focusing on some details of it.

But we posture, and prim, and pose, and project, all over Facebook, to evade a charge of being "ignorant."

Adam sought knowledge. He craved it. He would not have taken the fruit that Eve offered him, had he not thought for some time, of the desirability of being knowledgeable. We're curious beings. But we're self-absorbed beings. And creatures that are willfully selfish must not be entrusted with great knowledge. I believe that the Tree of Knowledge was basically an iPad and a wireless connection, providing Adam with all of the knowledge from all time, and from everywhere.

It's hard enough for us to handle all of the knowledge (and attitudes) present in 2020 . . . but Adam saw all of it. It was too much for him. The splendor, the riches, the wealth, the talent. . . . The horror, the violence, the degradation, the destruction, the despair.

There's a lot of relevance to the idea that, some things, you can never "unsee." It's a lot easier to do right, to have pure thoughts, if filthy and wicked thoughts had never been placed in our minds, by images that we have seen, on TV, in theatres, on the street, in our homes, on the Internet.

Adam's sampling of all knowledge killed him. You cannot give meat to a newborn.

Christ's Apostles, by learning humility from Him, and trust, and purity, became able to handle such knowledge. They were not given all knowledge, all at once, as Adam was. But they were given the ability to acquire the knowledge, in appropriate steps.

Adam's mind was closed, making it impossible for correct knowledge to permeate his heart as well. He did not have wisdom, or purity, with his knowledge. But Jesus opened the minds of his friends.

There's a lot of depth to the statement "Love believes all things." It's easier to accept others, unconditionally, when your mind is open.

So: facts and science, yes. But if these facts and science are not accompanied by a mind that has been opened by Christ, we fare no better than Adam.