Topic > Mutual Societal Influences and the Adam and Eve Text

Whether or not you believe the Bible was inspired by God, the Book of Genesis has served as the primary source in the West for definitions of gender and morality. Although much of the story of Adam and Eve can be explained in the context of Jewish culture, and its patriarchal bias is shown to be of historical rather than divine origin, it is nevertheless perceived as containing fundamental and largely negative "truths" about Jewish life. nature of women. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay For the last two thousand years or so, Eve has represented the fundamental character and identity of all women. Through Eve's words and actions, women's true nature was revealed; her story tells men what women are really like. Eve represents everything about a woman that a man should beware of. In both form and symbol, the prevailing belief in the West has been that all women are by nature responsible for the downfall of humanity. “Women are the devil's door and tempt men into wrong decisions” (Tertullian 202). Eve is the one who led Adam to disobey God, creating humanity to sin. Women are characterized as disobedient, naive, strong-willed, prone to temptation and evil, disloyal, untrustworthy, deceitful, seductive, and motivated in their thoughts and behavior solely by self-interest. Whatever women may achieve in the world, the message of Genesis warns men not to trust them and women not to trust themselves or others. Whoever she may be and whatever her achievements, no woman can escape identifying with Eve, or being identified as her. Another interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve that has influence on today's society is the writing of the Quran. In the Quran, women are never presented as particularly guilty of the fall of humanity. Islam preaches that every person is responsible for his own actions. In the Quran, Allah holds both Adam and Hawwa (Eve) equally responsible for the sin of eating the fruit of the tree from which He had commanded them to stay away. They cannot blame each other, as they are both human beings just as responsible as each other. In Islam everyone will be held responsible for their sins, without assigning blame to anyone who has not acted sinfully. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay They are forced to make choices for themselves and reflect on the choices they have made through the actions they have created. They will be responsible for the negative consequences if they make a wrong choice and for the positive rewards if they make the right and correct decision.