Paradise Lost in Reading the Classics

Sep 15, 2011 Jeremy C. Brown rated it liked it

This was an interesting book. It was a hard read, and it's kind of like Moby Dick–in that, yeah, look at my I've read it! But I'd likely never read it again... :) I did like it though, and here are some of my thoughts on it:

My favorite part so far is the argument in Heaven when Satan is trying to convince his followers to him instead of God. I think the writer has a lot of good ideas here, and I can see how these same arguments could have been going on, and continue to exist even now on this ear This was an interesting book. It was a hard read, and it's kind of like Moby Dick–in that, yeah, look at my I've read it! But I'd likely never read it again... :) I did like it though, and here are some of my thoughts on it:

My favorite part so far is the argument in Heaven when Satan is trying to convince his followers to him instead of God. I think the writer has a lot of good ideas here, and I can see how these same arguments could have been going on, and continue to exist even now on this earth.

It seems he was also quite perceptive on a few other accounts. He felt, as did many of the protestants of the time, that God and his Son were separate beings. He also wrote that God's Son created the world. Most people feel this contradicts the Old Testament. Still, with modern revelation we understand this to be what actually happened, and that the Jehovah of the Old testament really was Christ.

Also, I have to comment on his portrayal of our first parents. I think he did a good job with the information he had at the time, but I'm grateful for modern day revelation that has reveled the truth about how man and woman are equal, that Adam and Eve were perfect children of God before the fall, and that Eve was actually more perceptive than Adam in realizing that it was necessary for her to partake of the fruit so that they could have children and fulfill Gods first commandment of greater importance. Our first parents were actually wiser than we give them credit. This makes more logical scene anyway, since it's unreasonable to presume God could have created Adam and Even in any kind of imperfect form with flaws like vanity and lust. These are characteristics that come AFTER the fall, not something that led to it. But again he did a good job with what he had, and it is refreshing to notice that he realized they couldn't have children until after the fall, he just didn't understand the importance of what that meant.

Also, MAN people had a messed up view of women and sexual desire. It's like everyone back then blamed women for the fall and saw them as inferior. What a messed-up idea. Also, Enoch didn't flee from the earth in a battle taken up by God, but had helped his people become so righteous that their test was done and they all were taken up and quickened as was Moses.

I was quite surprised to realize his explanation of the "happy fall" meaning the characters in the book (Adam and Eve) come to the realization that it was better for them to have fallen than to remain sinless in the garden of Eden, because now all mankind had the opportunity to achieve a greater paradise. Pretty cool he had thought of this, because I think this was contrary to the common belief at the time. ...more

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