Whose Story, Again?

I've had two questions pop up that, put together, give some interesting thoughts to ponder. They're theological questions, ones which I assume will have no answer this side of Heaven; and I'm not advocating a religious stance upon these questions. But they're questions that, I think, are fun to think about.

The first one came up in Bible class last semester as we were talking about consummation and the new heaven and new earth. I wondered, suddenly and for the first time, if God can renew the heavens and earth, and if in these new heavens and the new earth, sin will be no more, why couldn't he make it that way to begin with? Why originally create a world that sin can enter?


Then, this semester in a discussion in Poli Sci class, I again wondered: why God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden, right where Adam and Eve could get to it? The instructor mentioned that, just like his kids, the one thing Adam and Eve couldn't have was the one thing they wanted. (I kind of wonder, too, if this was in their nature at Creation, or if that nature spread after the Creation.) It seems like God could have saved everyone a lot of trouble for a long time by putting those trees at far, remote corners of the earth. Then I wondered if there wasn't something more going on. That let me to the big question:

Whose story is this?

The Bible seems to give us a very anthropocentric view of the universe: humans are the crown of Creation, and we were made to be in relationship with God. The Bible seems to be the story of us, and of God, and of our fallen but repairable relationship with God. But we return to my two previous questions: why put the Tree where we could get to it, and why create a universe that can fall if it can be remade again? Unless that remade universe can fall again (though I don't read anything that suggests that.)

Does the story start with Creation, with the universe and us? What if the universe was created for -- that is, the very Creation itself is part of -- a larger purpose?

There seem to be a number of books out there (pun intended) about heavenly dramas. Try this one on: a story with God creating the universe and allowing Lucifer limited control for a time in order to purge Lucifer -- and those angels who would follow him -- from Heaven. I don't know why, or why there would be no other way; that's for the author to muddle through.

And I'm not trying to accuse God of some sort of foul play. But we do say, on the one hand, that everything is about God, it all goes back to God; then, on the other hand, the "Story" begins with Adam and Eve and original sin. That makes it sound like it goes back to us. If (philosophical question) it is about Him, why shouldn't it all be about Him?

Just pondering. No answer. But kind of fun to think about, and to get other people to think about. See you Monday.