Man has always had free will. The Garden of Eden is the story of when he first used it. I don't know if it's literal or not. I expect not but it doesn't matter at all because it's just a way for human minds to grasp an idea anyway.
I appreciate your insight on these type of threads quite a bit. Regarding the 6 day creation narrative in Genesis, or Noah and the Ark, or Jonah and the great fish (for examples)…what are your thoughts regarding whether they were literal or not…?
I don't think it matters whether they are literal or not. It doesn't mean they aren't God's word. These stories are meant to teach a lesson or make a point. They aren't meant to be perfectly accurate historical accounts.
Take for instance Johnna and the great fish. The lesson here isn't to stay out of the ocean if you want to hide from God. The lesson is about God's mercy.
I'll make a point using the Flood. Some atheists try scientifically to prove that the flood didn't cover all the earth as if that would prove the bible was false. Is it still false if the flood didn't cover all the earth, yet from the perspective of the author of the story, all the world was indeed covered in water?
Exactly!
What someone believes doesn't make it so. There is no point in building an Ark and gathering the animals two by two if it's just a local flood.
